What do you do when your winter/beater car becomes a money pit?

Jasonle · 09-01-2012, 12:26 AM

I would move on and find another beater.

bvl · 09-01-2012, 09:15 AM

The issue here is people are too quick to write off a few K of repairs for the *illusion* a new car or different car will be less expensive.

It comes down to amortization.

Lets say you get a 25K new car (which you can get a lot of car with, and is below the median new car price IIRC).

You get one with a 5/60 B2B so you have a 5K/y for 5 year cost for a car with 0 maintenance except for wear.

You then want the next 5 years to be issue free...so you have 10 year car, 2500/yr of actual buying costs.

After 10 years, its more then reasonable to expect some things to wear that need attention. Starter/Alternator, tie rods, some suspension parts, wheel bearings etc....these can add up to 500-1K repairs. ideally you want to spread it out.

If you have no issues for another 5 years...you sure have come out *ahead*.

If you have to put 1-2K a yr into the car is this really a huge cost when you factor in what you have been spending annually on costs for the car?

To me, if the thing becomes unreliable, starts stranding you, you have to bring it to the shop every 3 months for repairs and there are severe issues, yes move on.

If you are trying to keep milking a 15y car (which is what your Max is) and saving cash for a newer car then its still a keeper IMHO.

I do this with cars. I keep them a long time. Subaru WRX is 11 next month with 127K on it. Two previous cars had 10+ and 150K on each of them when sold (running perfectly well). I probably should spend the 1000-1200 and freshen up the WRX suspension a tad as it owes me nothing (its been reliable and done its job). I didn't hesitate to swap out some CVs when one started to leak a bit. If the 5sp grenades I will spend the 1500-2K for a new one and keep on trucking.

Every month it runs issue free is $400 in my pocket from an amortization point of view. The way I keep cars is atypical. Most people are in the 5-7y car life span...so they are happy spending 3-5K/year on car costs for most of their lives.

I am not

- b

03g35coupe6mt · 09-01-2012, 01:28 PM

Can i ask why you would go to the dealer ? and what would be costing 2k to repair ? you do realize the car is 15yrs old .. only time i go to the dealer is for an inspection and if i have any warranty work thats it .

Imtired · 09-01-2012, 03:43 PM

I've gotten 3 beaters for the winter since buying my Z in '09.
The first was a '94 Ford Escort for $700. it ran like a champ through the winter until I let my sister-in-law borrow it in the spring and she wrecked it. Second was a '96 Buick Century wagon for 800 bucks. I bought this kind of as a joke, but it ran well the whole winter then it started to get eaten from the ground up by rust. Sold it that spring for scrap, $150. The third car is a '98 Dodge neon with 70k miles for $1500. Ran well through last winter and will definitely make it through the next.

Just ditch that car and buy a cheap car that will make it through the winter.

09-01-2012, 12:26 AM	#16 (permalink)
Jasonle A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: St. Louis Posts: 3,509 Drives: 09 370z Rep Power: 25	I would move on and find another beater. __________________ 2009 Nissan 370z/2003 Honda Soccer Van Shineauto Amuse Body Kit/UAM Fenders/Bc Br Coilovers/Topspeed Exhaust/Racing Hart Wheels and More My Sexy Beast

09-01-2012, 09:15 AM	#17 (permalink)
bvl Enthusiast Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: PA Posts: 362 Drives: MB Roadster (sold) Rep Power: 14	The issue here is people are too quick to write off a few K of repairs for the illusion a new car or different car will be less expensive. It comes down to amortization. Lets say you get a 25K new car (which you can get a lot of car with, and is below the median new car price IIRC). You get one with a 5/60 B2B so you have a 5K/y for 5 year cost for a car with 0 maintenance except for wear. You then want the next 5 years to be issue free...so you have 10 year car, 2500/yr of actual buying costs. After 10 years, its more then reasonable to expect some things to wear that need attention. Starter/Alternator, tie rods, some suspension parts, wheel bearings etc....these can add up to 500-1K repairs. ideally you want to spread it out. If you have no issues for another 5 years...you sure have come out ahead. If you have to put 1-2K a yr into the car is this really a huge cost when you factor in what you have been spending annually on costs for the car? To me, if the thing becomes unreliable, starts stranding you, you have to bring it to the shop every 3 months for repairs and there are severe issues, yes move on. If you are trying to keep milking a 15y car (which is what your Max is) and saving cash for a newer car then its still a keeper IMHO. I do this with cars. I keep them a long time. Subaru WRX is 11 next month with 127K on it. Two previous cars had 10+ and 150K on each of them when sold (running perfectly well). I probably should spend the 1000-1200 and freshen up the WRX suspension a tad as it owes me nothing (its been reliable and done its job). I didn't hesitate to swap out some CVs when one started to leak a bit. If the 5sp grenades I will spend the 1500-2K for a new one and keep on trucking. Every month it runs issue free is $400 in my pocket from an amortization point of view. The way I keep cars is atypical. Most people are in the 5-7y car life span...so they are happy spending 3-5K/year on car costs for most of their lives. I am not - b Last edited by bvl; 09-01-2012 at 09:17 AM.

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09-01-2012, 01:28 PM	#18 (permalink)
03g35coupe6mt Base Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: East Stroudsburg Pa Posts: 183 Drives: 2010 Z / 2003 G35cp Rep Power: 15	Can i ask why you would go to the dealer ? and what would be costing 2k to repair ? you do realize the car is 15yrs old .. only time i go to the dealer is for an inspection and if i have any warranty work thats it .

09-01-2012, 03:43 PM	#19 (permalink)
Imtired Base Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: MA Posts: 123 Drives: '16 R, '86+'87 GN Rep Power: 15	I've gotten 3 beaters for the winter since buying my Z in '09. The first was a '94 Ford Escort for $700. it ran like a champ through the winter until I let my sister-in-law borrow it in the spring and she wrecked it. Second was a '96 Buick Century wagon for 800 bucks. I bought this kind of as a joke, but it ran well the whole winter then it started to get eaten from the ground up by rust. Sold it that spring for scrap, $150. The third car is a '98 Dodge neon with 70k miles for $1500. Ran well through last winter and will definitely make it through the next. Just ditch that car and buy a cheap car that will make it through the winter.