When to stop repairing an old car

tom_styles

Hi everyone,

I've just had a big-ish repair bill for a car 10ish years old. Trying to work out the pure economics of when to let it go and buy another one!

Any ideas of how to work it out welcome!

Ebe_Scrooge

There is no hard and fast rule, but the general approach is :

Is the car otherwise sound, apart from this one repair ? If so, it's generally best to repair it. You've then got a reliable car, who's history you know, for relatively little money. If you buy a new car, it could have dozens of problems that come to light in the first few months. And odds on the new car will cost substantially more than repairing your existing one.

If, however, you know that other problems with your car are in the pipeline ( maybe you suspect the gearbox, clutch and head gasket are all on their way out ), then it's probably a good idea to get shot.

10 years is not particularly old for a car these days. As long as it's been well looked after and serviced, the age in itself is not a problem.

SailorSam

Much of it depends upon how many repairs you can do yourself. Often it's not the cost of the parts but the labour bill that makes a car to expensive to keep.

Mankysteve

What car, age ,millage service history, what need repairing?

tom_styles

It's a Hyundai Getz, about 125,000 miles over 10 years, fully serviced.

We had the radiator go at Christmas which was a few hundred - but I'm aware that if I bought something equivalent it would be £150+ a month, or a lump sum, and things could obviously still go wrong.

vaio

and what's wrong now?

Ebe_Scrooge

I do hope you're using a local independent mechanic for your repairs, not a main dealer ? The difference in price between these two will be substantial.

jimjames

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

10 years is not particularly old for a car these days. As long as it's been well looked after and serviced, the age in itself is not a problem.

10 years is no age at all and assuming the car is solid and otherwise reliable then no reason at all to sell.

I see posts here where someone has to spend a few hundred on replacing brakes and want to scrap an old car without realising that brakes need doing as a service item on any car. Changing cars can often be expensive one way or another. Maybe the previous owner sold because there was a big bill coming up or neglected to do certain things because they were about to sell. Or you buy a new car and spend a fortune in repayments.

My car is 12 years old, 245,000 miles and I'm still happy to spend pretty much as much as it needs to keep running. I know the history and that all is good with it so far. That may change if it starts to generate random electrical issues or becomes seriously unreliable but for standard maintenance items it is worth fixing.

I spent £300 just after purchase on mine to service it and overhaul front suspension yet previous owner put on 4 new branded tyres for £400 just before selling. Easy items to do but some would not have spent £300 on a £700 car. But that £300 has run the car for me for 8 months and I'll still get back at least £1000 if it came to sell so no cost to me for that motoring.

Horizon81

I agree with Ebe Scrooge. Thing is, if you're thinking of getting rid of it because there may be bigger bills looming, who's to say that the next car you're looking to buy hasn't been sold for exactly the same reasons. A wise man once said to me about second hand cars - you're just buying somebody else's problems. Even spending a lot of money is no guarantee of buying a reliable car.

Unless your current car has some serious faults or hugely expensive costs in the pipeline then I'd be tempted to keep it. Better the devil you know and all that.

Of course, you may simply want a new car and if so then buy one. But if you're happy with your car and it still meets your needs then all the more reason to keep it.

Friends and family have got rid of cars that seemed 'uneconomical to maintain' but I've seen them on the roads years later. Finding a reasonably priced mechanic can save you on the bills.

ritesh

I have had my Nissan Almera SRi since new (1998) and it is still going strong with a 187,000 miles on the clock. Over the last three years rust has been the only issue and my local garage has made a good job of repairing this.

I tend to do a lot of my own servicing where i can (oil, spark plugs, brakes) and only give to my local garage to give it once over to ensure there is nothing else lurking around.

The car has given me no trouble, I know the history and happy to keep it ticking over. I don't quite understand mentallity of some people saying the cost of repair is more than the car is worth. A cost two tyres is probably worth more than my car is worth to be honest but these are consumables which is the same for any car regardless of age. So take general wear and tear items out of equation and focus on major repairs.

Other types of consumables like suspension and bushes tend to last quite a number of years before needing repair or replacing, but once done you should be ok for another number of years. At least you know these kind of things have been done if you carry on maintaining your car.

On average I would say for me cost of repairs, service, parts and alike is about £185 a year (not including MOT, insurance, road tax).

As soon as I start to have engine issues, (timing chain, major oil/water leaks from engine, gear box) only then will i consider getting rid.

colino

As it isn't a prestige car or a Volvo, you have to be realistic about this budget car or it will become like Triggers broom. At that age and mileage the value is negligible and as you say you spent hundreds fixing the rad, then your not a spanner-twirler yourself. Keep it until a major hurdle pops up, put that problem on here and see if its a cheap fix or time to move on.