Fix old car vs buy new car

[jennifers]

Hey all, I would really appreciate some advice.

So I have a 2012 Ford Fusion with 65,000 miles. I was hoping to keep it for a long long time. I got new brakes etc for 2,000$ a year ago.
The car also has a small dent which only affects how it looks but would affect trade-in / sale value.

My car has a problem when it sometimes stops accelerating from a stop causing a bunch of dangerous situations of me sitting in an intersection. I will absolutely not drive it like this. It's been in the shop for 3 weeks and they have no idea what's wrong and have only been able to reproduce the issue once. They've done every test and hooked it up to every machine they have. The check engine light doesn't come on but the 'powertrain' light does.

How much would you spend trying to get this fixed before buying a different car? It's currently at a local shop I've always used, but maybe I should take it to a dealership? If I got a new car I'd buy either a new Honda/Toyota or one of the certified used ones. So about 25K.

I thought I'd be okay taking the bus everywhere but its a huge waste of time. I'm also going to have trouble getting stuff from places like Home Depot. I could take Ubers/Lyft a few times a month and order most stuff online. I won't save any money on insurance by not having a car (due to insurance bundle bullshit.)

Also are the December car sale deals actually that great? (Toyotathon etc)

*Forgot to mention I don't need my car to get to work and I can buy a new car in cash.

[GilesMM]

I would dump the Ford and get a Corolla.  Yes, dealers do have year-end sales events which can lead to good deals.

[Paper Chaser]

Intermittent failures like that are typically electrical. Issues with the electronic throttle body are fairly common with that generation of Fusion, and cause the gas pedal to basically become useless. If you trust the shop, and there's nothing more obvious (like a loose electrical connection, etc) then I'd focus on the throttle body. Replacements can be found under $200, and labor shouldn't be more than a couple hundred.

It was common enough that Ford extended the warranty for the throttle body (although you would no longer qualify for that replacement):

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2013/INME-PE13003-58939.pdf

I'd call your local Ford dealer and have them check your VIN for any active recalls, Technical Service Bulletin (TSBs), or Customer Satisfaction Programs that might apply. Anything that is still pending for your vehicle would be worth looking into, and potentially addressing.

[jennifers]

Thanks @Paper Chaser
That sounds exactly like my problem.
I sent that info to the shop. If they don't do something by tomorrow, I'm gonna suck it up and take it to the dealer.