At What Point Is it Time to Get Rid of a Vehicle?

[ltt]

We have a 2001 Dodge Dakota--over 206,000 miles.  We bought it as a school vehicle with over 180,000 miles for our son.  We've had it for estimated 3 years and paid a little over $4,000.  The main concern at this point is that the blower motor has failed again (we've read this is an issue).  In February, the fan motor, resistor, and connector were replaced.  We can probably get by this summer without a/c, but we can't do winter without heat.  Keep and continue to try and fix or call it quits?

Repairs/maintenance have been $1,177.  In addition, new tires were $817.  It still needs a new muffler and the end/tail gate fixed because it won't open.

[sokoloff]

You should get rid of a car about 2 major repairs before I seem to be willing to do...

In all seriousness, the blower motor repair is nothing that would "total" a car for me. Replace it. It's a $37 to $56 part on RockAuto. It might be a couple hours' labor if the dash needs substantial disassembly to get into it, but you can probably look that up or get a quote from a dealer to know. (I'm a die-hard DIYer, so I'd DIY it, but it might be helpful to know what you're in for.)

Muffler is likely to be a couple/three hundred (for as much as I DIY, I do farm out exhaust and tire work). If the truck is otherwise good, why wouldn't you pay less than a single car payment to put it back right and keep using it?

[ltt]

You should get rid of a car about 2 major repairs before I seem to be willing to do...

In all seriousness, the blower motor repair is nothing that would "total" a car for me. Replace it. It's a $37 to $56 part on RockAuto. It might be a couple hours' labor if the dash needs substantial disassembly to get into it, but you can probably look that up or get a quote from a dealer to know. (I'm a die-hard DIYer, so I'd DIY it, but it might be helpful to know what you're in for.)

Muffler is likely to be a couple/three hundred (for as much as I DIY, I do farm out exhaust and tire work). If the truck is otherwise good, why wouldn't you pay less than a single car payment to put it back right and keep using it?

I will tell you why.  I'm not a mechanic, and neither is my husband.  He was going to try and see what he could do, but we had it at the mechanic's and they put in a a new resistor, blower motor, and connectors as the others were burnt.  It was 3 months ago and over $450.  Do we keep putting in the same money every few months that it goes out? 

[Reynolds531]

Check for a bad ground if the same electric keeps burning out.

[ShoulderThingThatGoesUp]

Why did you get a pickup for a kid?

[Le Barbu]

Why did you get a pickup for a kid?

+1 for this above and for 4,000$ you could get a good 2006-2008 small car with 120k miles?!

Fix that!

[ltt]

Why did you get a pickup for a kid?

+1 for this above and for 4,000$ you could get a good 2006-2008 small car with 120k miles?!

Fix that!

We consistently use pickups and live in a rural/ag area.

[Le Barbu]

Ok, I have lived in Canadian rural area most of my life, 30-45 minutes from town. Dad owned a F-150 but I was driving a 1985 Golf (diesel) because it was cheap and versatile.

Does your kid is farm schooling or lumberjack schooling?

Is the pick-up thing is just a social statement or kid deliver firewood to town and bring back some feed for the hens and pigs on his way back home?

[Cubert]

You're fast approaching penny-wise, pound-foolish territory here. Consider a used Honda - Accord, Civic, or better yet, FIT. You'll find yourself done with all sort of maintenance needs other than the occasional oil change and tire rotation.

Good luck!

[thesis]

The great risk of buying another used vehicle is that it could potentially have more problems than the one you currently have (of course, it could always have far fewer, too). I personally prefer the devil I know.

Since when did consistently using pickups mean your kid needs a pickup? If I'm consistently driving BMWs that doesn't mean my kid needs one =P. As for rural/agricultural area, that makes a little more sense, but if a midsize sedan doesn't have enough clearance to go down the road, you're SOL. Try something like a Subaru

It's hard to know when is the best time to get rid of a vehicle. It all boils down to your tolerance, and if one part keeps going bad over and over, do yourself a huge favor and learn how to change it :). But you may also want to do some research (carcomplaints for example https://www.carcomplaints.com/Dodge/Dakota/2001/) to see whether your vehicle is know for more issues.

If your kid is young and willing to learn, have him do the work. You don't specify if he (or she, I guess) is in high school or college, but with summer break approaching this would be a great time to start learning. It's a really great skill to have.

[austin944]

You could look into bypassing the heater system with an aftermarket system like this, since
it appears to be a recurring problem with the OEM system:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDCpZa5dJk4

However from what I have read, these aftermarket electric heaters don't put out a lot of heat.
BTW, if you decide to go this route, I would insert a fuse right near the battery connection
instead of on the heater, since you could short-circuit the battery and cause a fire if the cable
wore through and got shorted to ground.

A few more alternatives would be to:
1) Install aftermarket heated seats.  These seem to get better Amazon reviews than the car heaters.
2) Attach aftermarket fans to suck out the heat from the dash vents.  Not sure how well this would work.
3) Go back to the mechanic and ask if they can repair the problem again at a discount since they did not
make a permanent repair.  Many shops will offer some kind of warranty for the work they do.
Check your receipt for the fine print.
4) Find a mechanic who has successfully solved this recurring problem with an aftermarket blower fan
replacement and avoid installing the OEM parts again.  This part looks like it could work for your vehicle,
but please double-check:
https://www.amazon.com/ECCPP-Plastic-Resistor-2001-2004-2001-2003/dp/B073VLJFSN/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1525377639&vehicle=2001-40-299------------1-0&sr=1-1&ymm=2001%3Adodge%3Adakota&keywords=heater+fan

From the reviews on this part, it sounds like it may have solved this recurring problem.
Some mechanics get very offended if you ask them to install parts you bought, so ask nicely and don't
assume they will do it.

Personally I would not sell a reliable vehicle like yours that had a heater problem, but I live in a much
warmer climate in Texas where lack of heat would not be a major issue.