When to get a new car?

[Acorns]

I have a 2010 Ford which I have been very happy with since I bought it used with 20,000 miles on it in 2012. It now has 94,000 miles on it and in the past month has had more repairs than the past 6 years combine - fuel injectors (~ $1000, and door handle ~ $250), now the "check engine" light is on again and I really don't want to continue to put money into this vehicle. I am not handy at all with repairing vehicles. I am thinking it might be time to sell or trade in this car and get a (probably) used Honda or Toyota (probably an Accord or Camry). I was really hoping to keep this car for a much longer time, I only put around around 6000-7000 miles/yr on this car. At what point is it time to cut losses and move on to a (hopefully) more reliable car?

[scottish]

Were the injectors dirty or did they fail?

I like reliability. So if I thought the car would leave me stranded it would be time to get rid of it.

Normal repairs and maintenance are usually cheaper than replacement.   Can you research the expected lifetime of the car?  Did you do regular maintenance on the vehicle?   This can have a big impact on its reliability...

[zolotiyeruki]

This kind of situation is very common around the 100,000 mile mark. A lot of maintenance and repairs seem to coincide at that point--fluid flushes, timing belts, tires, brakes, shocks, etc. The good thing is that once you get over this hump,  you can expect maintenance costs to drop again for a long time.

If you're willing to learn to DIY some of these repairs, you can end up saving yourself boatloads of money.

[lizzzi]

Over the years, I would get another car as I approached what my brother always called "the 100,000 mile problems." I needed a reliable car, and after getting stuck on a four-lane once with a broken 125,000 mile car and two little kids in the back seat--decided it just wasn't worth it. Factoring in small children, elderly relatives with mobility problems, four-season weather, and occasional long interstate road trips...I started replacing cars earlier--somewhat sooner than 100,000 miles. Maybe not Mustachian enough, but it worked for me.

[MilesTeg]

I have a 2010 Ford which I have been very happy with since I bought it used with 20,000 miles on it in 2012. It now has 94,000 miles on it and in the past month has had more repairs than the past 6 years combine - fuel injectors (~ $1000, and door handle ~ $250), now the "check engine" light is on again and I really don't want to continue to put money into this vehicle. I am not handy at all with repairing vehicles. I am thinking it might be time to sell or trade in this car and get a (probably) used Honda or Toyota (probably an Accord or Camry). I was really hoping to keep this car for a much longer time, I only put around around 6000-7000 miles/yr on this car. At what point is it time to cut losses and move on to a (hopefully) more reliable car?

100,000 miles for a modern car is NOT the same as 100,000 miles for a car from before the 00's. With decent care, even "just" a Ford should go for 250k before reaching end of life.

That said, you have to actually do the maintenance or it will die well before that. The 100,000 mile mark is where a lot of major maintenance comes due on a modern car (whereas with older cars you had major maintenance every 20 or 30k). Keep that in mind, you've probably had little or no ongoing maintenance cost for this vehicle up till now, but there will be a lot of it now. Fluids (coolant, gear boxes/transaxle, power steering, brakes, etc.) as well as plugs/coils, suspension, timing, etc. That's all normal maintenance, not "repairs". If you do it all, the car will go another 100k with little maintenance. But if you don't do it, you'll do major damage.

I'm a car guy, and even a 8 year old/95k daily driver is just not worth replacing (15-20y/150-200k is always my target), but if you want to and it doesn't impact your financial goals then do it.

[ketchup]

I have a 2010 Ford which I have been very happy with since I bought it used with 20,000 miles on it in 2012. It now has 94,000 miles on it and in the past month has had more repairs than the past 6 years combine - fuel injectors (~ $1000, and door handle ~ $250), now the "check engine" light is on again and I really don't want to continue to put money into this vehicle. I am not handy at all with repairing vehicles. I am thinking it might be time to sell or trade in this car and get a (probably) used Honda or Toyota (probably an Accord or Camry). I was really hoping to keep this car for a much longer time, I only put around around 6000-7000 miles/yr on this car. At what point is it time to cut losses and move on to a (hopefully) more reliable car?

100,000 miles for a modern car is NOT the same as 100,000 miles for a car from before the 00's. With decent care, even "just" a Ford should go for 250k before reaching end of life.

That said, you have to actually do the maintenance or it will die well before that. The 100,000 mile mark is where a lot of major maintenance comes due on a modern car (whereas with older cars you had major maintenance every 20 or 30k). Keep that in mind, you've probably had little or no ongoing maintenance cost for this vehicle up till now, but there will be a lot of it now. Fluids (coolant, gear boxes/transaxle, power steering, brakes, etc.) as well as plugs/coils, suspension, timing, etc. That's all normal maintenance, not "repairs". If you do it all, the car will go another 100k with little maintenance. But if you don't do it, you'll do major damage.

I'm a car guy, and even a 8 year old/95k daily driver is just not worth replacing (15-20y/150-200k is always my target), but if you want to and it doesn't impact your financial goals then do it.

+1.  My "crappy" 2009 Hyundai quit at 262,xxx miles, and even my neglected-by-previous-owner 1999 Metro made it to around 183,xxx (odometer broke around 150k so that's an estimate).  Currently have a 2001 Volvo going strong at 172,2xx.  My rule of thumb is to plan on 200k, hope for 250k.

[Acorns]

I have done all the regular recommended maintenance on the car. I think I will see what is causing the engine light now and hope to keep the car going a few more years.

[inline five]

Older Volvos are good I have a '95 with 190k on it. Recently a '96 sold in my area with 117k on it for $1,500. That was a steal.

[swampwiz]

With the coming driverless cars, I would wait until then to get a new car.  If you absolutely must have a newer car than your present one, then buy a used car.  Otherwise you will be stuck with a car that will lose a lot of value.

[Altons Bobs]

How much is your time worth? When your time is worth more than you bringing the car in and having to pay for all the repairs, then it's time to get a new car.

[Mesmoiselle]

I have a 2010 Ford which I have been very happy with since I bought it used with 20,000 miles on it in 2012. It now has 94,000 miles on it .....move on to a (hopefully) more reliable car?

100,000 miles for a modern car is NOT the same as 100,000 miles for a car from before the 00's. With decent care, even "just" a Ford should go for 250k before reaching end of life.

Thank you, I was getting so confused by this thread. I'm 138k on the Toyota I bought new in 2008 and thought modern cars were supposed to go until 250k or almost 250k. Was reading everyone agreeing with 100k and thinking they sounded like folks we tend to mock on this forum but it was a couple in a row, and I was starting to doubt myself.

~totally trades favors with mechanic BIL so her car maintanence is golden.

[zolotiyeruki]

I have a 2010 Ford which I have been very happy with since I bought it used with 20,000 miles on it in 2012. It now has 94,000 miles on it .....move on to a (hopefully) more reliable car?

100,000 miles for a modern car is NOT the same as 100,000 miles for a car from before the 00's. With decent care, even "just" a Ford should go for 250k before reaching end of life.

Thank you, I was getting so confused by this thread. I'm 138k on the Toyota I bought new in 2008 and thought modern cars were supposed to go until 250k or almost 250k. Was reading everyone agreeing with 100k and thinking they sounded like folks we tend to mock on this forum but it was a couple in a row, and I was starting to doubt myself.

~totally trades favors with mechanic BIL so her car maintanence is golden.

Those of us who still drive cars from the 90s would like to have a word :P Keep up on maintenance, and even older cars will last. My parents' '87 Corolla outlasted multiple teenage drivers and got well past 250k miles before the rust got to be too much.

[Dancin'Dog]

Not all brands and/or models are built as well as others.  Some cars reach 100K and begin costing a lot to maintain, while others seem to go forever on basic oil, filters, and tires.


The more you know and understand about vehicles the easier it is to reach high mileages, and also know when it's time to sell.  You can learn a lot on YouTube.


$250 to have a door handle replaced was 80%+ labor and profit.  That's a very simple DIY job that you could have fixed yourself for $50 or less.  Learning small repairs like that will give you confidence & skills to handle similar things later.

[LiveLean]

This kind of situation is very common around the 100,000 mile mark. A lot of maintenance and repairs seem to coincide at that point--fluid flushes, timing belts, tires, brakes, shocks, etc. The good thing is that once you get over this hump,  you can expect maintenance costs to drop again for a long time.

If you're willing to learn to DIY some of these repairs, you can end up saving yourself boatloads of money.

Agreed. Both of our cars reached this point recently and we spent a lot on most of the above. Our reasoning was that we should get 2-3 years more out of each car.

[inline five]

This kind of situation is very common around the 100,000 mile mark. A lot of maintenance and repairs seem to coincide at that point--fluid flushes, timing belts, tires, brakes, shocks, etc. The good thing is that once you get over this hump,  you can expect maintenance costs to drop again for a long time.

If you're willing to learn to DIY some of these repairs, you can end up saving yourself boatloads of money.

Agreed. Both of our cars reached this point recently and we spent a lot on most of the above. Our reasoning was that we should get 2-3 years more out of each car.

I put $1,500 into a car about three years ago that was worth at best $1,000. Totally worth it. My cost of ownership is almost nothing and I can park it and I'm out about $30/month in insurance and registration fees. I work around a lot of older equipment that is kept going for 20-30 years, and view my car like I view it.

[Just Joe]

You should go to a website like Rock Auto and see what those parts cost for your car. Injectors ought to be about $40 each, one per cylinder. That door handle ought to be $50 in parts. Less if you buy it on eBay or from a junkyard. I've never heard of a vehicle needing fuel injectors at 100K miles. I have had over 300K miles on fuel injectors on Hondas.

I think 250K is a fair expectation of durability for a well maintained vehicle made since 2000. My Hondas were 1980s and 1990s and still achieving huge miles.

You can optimize your total cost of ownership by finding a well respected independent shop if you are still visiting a dealership (my guess based on the cost of those two repairs). Also, DIY via the internet and YouTube can save you alot of money but start small. Some cars use just one screw to hold a door handle in place. Its a one tool, 5 min task.   

I concur with "Inline-Five". The general belief is that a car goes to a junkyard once the cost of the repairs exceeds its value but frankly I have driven those cars many, many miles (years even) with very modest repair costs. The resale value is one way to value an older vehicle, but the utility value is another thing entirely. I have an older domestic vehicle that is worth maybe a grand but it just keeps going and going and still looks presentable. Not "cool" or "desirable" to most folks but its utility value to my family is high.

I have a "boring car" and it is a good MMM car.

https://jalopnik.com/the-best-cars-of-the-woodward-dream-cruise-are-the-meti-1828463917