Am I biased or is my car genuinely problematic?

[Lanerdros]

2006 pontiac wave, 260k km. Bought at auction 3 years ago. Immediately needed new spark plugs + battery, no problem there. Break pads replaced. Now needs a new clutch. I think this is routine maintenance, considering the car and the age, and will be doing it myself w/ the help of my grandfather and father-in-law. The S/O hates the car because "there's always a problem with it". Personally, I think this is a reasonable amount of "problems" if you could even call them that to experience during this time frame. The car's good on gas, and the cost of keeping the existing car is $0. I also have a 1996 crown vic my grandfather is offering me. Great condition. Problem is, that thing eats gas like no tomorrow, is rear wheel drive, and is long as all hell and thus handles terribly compared to the bite sized wave. Is the pontiac causing an unusual amount of problems that would make switching worth it? I personally do not think so but s/o wanted other opinions. Costs $1500 to switch, costs $400 to repair the wave.

[zolotiyeruki]

Keep the Wave.  Spark plugs, battery, and brake pads are all maintenance items.  Heck, a clutch is too.  And you don't know what maintenance or repair the 26-year-old Crown Vic would require.

I recently switched from a gas guzzling land barge to a cheap econobox (Pontiac Grand Prix to a Geo Prizm), and am so glad for it.

[RWD]

Everything you listed is normal maintenance that won't go away by switching vehicles unless you get an EV (and even that won't entirely eliminate all the items).

[SunnyDays]

For that age and mileage, this doesn’t sound excessive to me.  My car is a 2003 Matrix with just shy of 150,000 kilometres and is just starting to need the odd unexpected thing done, so your car’s needs don’t surprise me at all.  If you like the car, it still sounds worth it to keep it.

[Kem]

Here's my log.  Average cost to maintain has been sub $50/month for the last 7 years.   I only keep the last few oil changes on the log.

      Miles   Date       Shop or Part
•   240K 2022.02 Tiny $740 Timing Belts, Water Pump, Cooling System Drain & Refil (every 70K or 5 years), Valve Cover Seal
•   240K 2022.02 Tiny Oil & Filter – Every 5K or 1 Year.  Inspection note: Upcoming: Tie Rod Boots & Flexpipe going bad
•   236K 2021.06 Rear left caliper seized: piston rust removed, lubed, worked through several cycles.  Rear pads replaced. 
•   235K 2021.03 Tiny Oil & Filter – Every 5K or 1 Year.
•   230K 2020.03 Duralast Platinum Battery (AGM)
•   230K 2020.02 Tiny Oil & Filter.  Tiny flexpipe quote $80.  Blower Motor
•   229K 2020.01 Denso 234-4620 Upstream O2 Sensor & Lisle 12100 Oxygen Sensor Socket
•   222K 2019.05 1AAuto Distributor (Hitachi D4T97-03)
•   222K 2019.05 Moog Outer tie rods & Central Auto Repair Alignment, & Pure Silicon Wiper Blades
•   215K 2018.09 Tiny PGM-FI / Main Injection Relay
•   215K 2018.06 Tiny Oil Change.   SRS light code indicates that Drivers side seat belt buckle switch is faulty.
•   213K 2018.06 Tiny $642 Front Left Wheel Bearing.  Both CV Axles.
•   210K 2018.03 Tiny FRONT Moog Stabilizer End Link, Moog Sway Bar Bushings, and KYB Shocks/Strut-Plus
•   210K 2018.03 Tiny Alignments, Oil Change, Oil pan Gasket
•   210K 2018.03 REAR Moog Stabilizer End Link, Moog Sway Bar Bushings, and KYB Shocks/Strut-Plus
•   207K 2017.09 HeadlightsDepot DS-HD412-B1WHA (H3 low beam, H1 high beam), Alpine Amp
•   203K 2017.05 Levin Tire Spare Tire replacement (was no longer holding 60psi, never used)
•   202K 2017.04 Tiny Power Steering Flush, Oil & Filter
•   200K 2017.02 Front Brake Calipers, Pads (Akimbo Euro), Rotors (SP-Performance Diamond ZRC), Hoses (Russell)
•   198K 2016.12 Tiny Transmission: Flywheel, Clutch Disk, Pressure Plate, Throw Out Bearing, Master & Slave Cylinders, Flush with Synthetic.  Front Lower Ball Joints
•   197K 2016.12 Tiny Front Wheel Bearings, Weld Catalytic Convertor heat shield (nut cracked)
•   197K 2016.12 Rear Wheel Bearings, Brake Calipers, Pads (Akimbo Euro), Rotors (Hawk), Hoses (Russell)
•   197K 2016.11 Tirebarn Pirelli - Cinturato P7 A/S Plus 215/45R17.Lifetime Road hazard repair/replacement, nitrogen fills, rotations, alignment checks
•   195K 2016.08 Oil & Filter, Brake Flush
o   OEM Spark plug, wires, distributor cap, rotor, PCV valve.
o   Certech Gel, Re-soldier battery wires, ground wire kit, Pioneer audio, Fluid Film (6 cans)
o   Rear Left Wheel well rust removal (Eastwood paints), Magic Mender Seat repair, Cabin Air Filter
•   194K 2016.08 Tiny Inspection & Honda Service Center Inspection
o   Battery/Starter/Alternator OK, VTEC Valve Clearance and Ignition System not recommended to service.
o   minor window crack, minor front main seal leak
•   191K 2016.03 Front Right Upper Control Arm & Front Right Upper Ball Joint
•   191K 2016.02 Honda Dealer Recall R54 (A/S Drivers Airbag Inflator)
•   191K 2016.01 Duralast Gold Battery
•   186K 2015.03 Rear Brakes OEM Rotors & Pads, Rear Left Caliper, Rear Left Bearing
•   181K 2014.07 Timing Belt, Water Pump, Serpentine Belts, Cooling System Flush (every 70K or 5 years)
•   180K 2014.05 Tires 215/45ZR-17 91W
•   178K 2014.03 Front Brake OEM Pads
•   135K 2010.02 Tires 215/45R-17XL 91H BSW & Wheels (17x7). 
•   110K 2007.10 Autostart Install
•   105K 2007.07 Timing Belt, Water Pump, Serpentine Belts, Cooling System Flush

[zolotiyeruki]

Yeah, $50/mo is nothing to get upset over.  Just about everything on that list seems like pretty standard stuff.  One major benefit of long-term ownership:  you know the maintenance history.  I recently lost our '95 Corolla, which we had owned for 18 years.  Because I had kept up on the maintenance for so long and knew any and all of its quirks, I had no concerns about its reliability.  Buying someone else's car, you don't have any of that assurance.

[Kem]

 sorry to hear about the 95 loss.

Knowing the maintenance history is huge.  This car has never left me stranded and is safe to take on any distance trip - unlike an off-the lot zero mile VW financed in my pre-frugality days which found me calling multiple tows (face punch).

The car has very few quirks at this point
- CV can be a little noisy when turning if I hit a bump, but as soon as the speed changes a bit goes away
- Engine has a very slow oil drip - not enough to reach the floor as it burns up / drys out before it can drip off.  However that translates to needing to clean the inside windshield every 2 months
- Coupe seat parts are hard to come by (as so few manufactured) and the drivers cushion has worn out.  tossed a piece of foam we used in the baby rocker down and its comfy again

[BudgetSlasher]

Spark plugs, batteries, brake pads, and clutches are all items that wear out/are on the maintenance schedule to be replaced.

For a frame of reference:

Based on the manual I found for your car, your car calls for replacing the spark plugs every 50,000 km.

My batteries usually fail in the 5-7 year range. A warmer climate might let them go a little longer.

Many factors determine how long brake pads last, I've had them last a little at ~32,000 km and as much as ~120,000 km. Those were on different vehicle in different places.

My clutches plates seem to last between ~120,000 km and ~160,000 km.

Nothing on you list is sudden, unexpected, or likely to leave you stranded. The Crown Vic is likely to experience all of the same needs over time, how quickly depends on when they were last done and how much you drive.

[Just Joe]

sorry to hear about the 95 loss.

Knowing the maintenance history is huge.  This car has never left me stranded and is safe to take on any distance trip - unlike an off-the lot zero mile VW financed in my pre-frugality days which found me calling multiple tows (face punch).

The car has very few quirks at this point
- CV can be a little noisy when turning if I hit a bump, but as soon as the speed changes a bit goes away
- Engine has a very slow oil drip - not enough to reach the floor as it burns up / drys out before it can drip off.  However that translates to needing to clean the inside windshield every 2 months
- Coupe seat parts are hard to come by (as so few manufactured) and the drivers cushion has worn out.  tossed a piece of foam we used in the baby rocker down and its comfy again

An upholstery shop can replace that foam and even contour it if you are interested. You might even be able to do it yourself via YouTube videos. Take cover off, copy the cushion shape, glue it in, recover the seat.

[lthenderson]

If you are handy and it sounds like you are, older vehicles with a trickle of normal wear items are some of the cheapest to own. Where it gets expensive is having those normal wear items replaced at a dealership.

I have driven three vehicles into the dust. It was rust that got them in the end. There were sold for scrap. The last one, I eventually sold at 26 years old and it had a lot of life left but my needs no longer required its services.