Do I need a new car?

[manlymatt83]

I went to a garage I trust a lot. My car has been making lots of noise, the check engine light comes on all the time, etc. I put a lot of money into the car this year: new hoses, new wires, new timing belt, etc. But it's still had lots of problems.

Got an estimate today: guy says I need a new transmission, and a new catalitic converter, and a new left axle because the "boot is off?"

He says it would cost me about $3000 - its a honda civic 1998 with 201,000 miles on it.

I've put so much money into the car this year, I'm wondering if I should just suck it up and put the $3000 into it to keep it going, or if its time for something newer?

Any thoughts? Thanks!

-MJ

 

[Jeff7181]

Can you afford a new car? If so, I'd get a new one. Being 10 years old and having over 200,000 miles it's probably not worth it.

 

[manlymatt83]

I can afford it I guess, but I don't want a "new" car. Its a big waste of dough. I'd rather find a 5-6 year old used car.

Are the young 2000 Honda Civics good cars?

 

[BassBomb]

Buy my 2002 Civic for 6000 CDN!

 

[nakedfrog]

A NEW new transmission? Why not used?
Personally, I wouldn't put $3k into it if I had an option.

 

[manlymatt83]

I can afford it I guess, but I don't want a "new" car. Its a big waste of dough. I'd rather find a 5-6 year old used car.

Are the young 2000 Honda Civics good cars?

 

[manlymatt83]

Originally posted by: BassBomb
Buy my 2002 Civic for 6000 CDN!

OK

 

[manlymatt83]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
A NEW new transmission? Why not used?
Personally, I wouldn't put $3k into it if I had an option.

No, a used new.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: manlymatt83

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
A NEW new transmission? Why not used?
Personally, I wouldn't put $3k into it if I had an option.

No, a used new.

Whoa. Yeah, I'd dump it for something newer, you can probably find someone willing to pay $300-800 for it in the shape it's in now, I imagine.

 

[manlymatt83]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: manlymatt83

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
A NEW new transmission? Why not used?
Personally, I wouldn't put $3k into it if I had an option.

No, a used new.

Whoa. Yeah, I'd dump it for something newer, you can probably find someone willing to pay $300-800 for it in the shape it's in now, I imagine.

Right, I assume so, too

 

[StageLeft]

I think people buy cars too much but in your case it seems warranted. I'd buy another used car but much newer.

 

[Jumpem]

Definitely time for a new car. Heck, mine is an 07 and I am shopping around.

 

[StageLeft]

I think people buy cars too much but in your case it seems warranted. I'd buy another used car but much newer.

 

[xaeniac]

Definitely get a new car. Valuation points to a more reliable vehicle

 

[Mermaidman]

I'd hazard a guess and say that used Civics tend to be overpriced.

 

[MovingTarget]

At that mileage, it may be worth it. That being said, if you did sink $$ into it, you could have something that could last a few years. However, you generally have to replace/rebuild things preemptively if you want it to continue to be reliable. Think of the old RWD cars - you could keep a Caprice running quite well for 500k+ miles if the body/frame was still in good shape (i.e. not rusted) with a single rebuild of the engine and transmission. It all depends on the car. A civic? I dunno... Does your state do emissions testing? If not, then the cat probably could wait (or be bypassed) until you can afford to fix it. A new axle or cv joint on a fwd car is not that uncommon after that many miles though.

 

[aleckz]

I think its more of a personal decision, if you love the car then keep it going. But if you feel that you are getting unattached to the car then dispose of it in a proper manner. Just look for a 2002-2005 car, I personally like Saturn Auras and they can be found for under 13k.

Whatever you choose, good luck!

 

[JDub02]

when repairs > value of the vehicle, it's time for another one. new cars are generally a waste of money, but with all of the rebates and financing deals right now, you might be better off buying new unless you're paying cash.

 

[Arkaign]

Late 90s/Early 00s Saturns are good and not as overpriced as Honda/Toyota offerings. Also Chevy/Geo Prizms are actually Corollas, and can sometimes be found at good prices.

Find something reliable with ~100k miles on it, make sure the records for the timing service are provided.

 

[manlymatt83]

Brought the car to another garage. He says cat is fine, the check engine line is an O2 sensor, and all I need now is a new transmission (and I should probably replace the clutch at the same time) and it'd be good to go:

My attitude is this. I could get a new"er" honda, perhaps with 100,000 miles on it, but the clutch may not be replaced, which means I may have to do that sometime soon anyway, and I won't KNOW whether I need to or not.

Or I can pay $2400, get a new(er) transmission, new clutch, not have to go through the re-registration process, putting a new sound system in it, etc. Garage says the engine looks great, but I do have 200,000 miles on the sucker.

Thoughts?

 

[Anubis]

How much money do you have to put twards a "new" to you car?

 

[manlymatt83]

Originally posted by: Anubis
How much money do you have to put twards a "new" to you car?

None really.

I'm using most of my income to pay off bills. So I'd like to keep this as cheap as possible. Plus, I live in Boston, so i don't drive that often.

My options are this:

1) Keep car as it is now, and just drive it sparingly and make it last as long as I can, perhaps through the Summer.

2) Get a new transmission and clutch, pay $2400, and hopefully have a 100% working car that lasts me a while, perhaps to 300,000 miles.

3) Get a newer car, but it won't be now. I can't find anything decent for less than $5000, and even if I could, I'd be too nervous that it wouldn't work right, something would go wrong with it within a few months, etc.

 

[zerocool84]

Just remember that since you're looking at newish civics, you're going to be paying more cus they are still a hot item not.

 

[zoiks]

Your engine might make it to 300k if maintained. But to be honest, older cars are like a pit. You might get lucky and might only change say the starter or an alternator. But on older cars there is so much that is likely to go wrong, water pump, radiator, cooling system, master cylinder, power steering pump etc I have a nissan 240sx with 240k miles and goodness knows that while the engine is strong, I've changed everything I've mentioned above as well as fuel injectors, various sensors and a bunch of other things.
If you get a car that is a few years old, you have better reliability and dependability. With an older car, it's like you're waiting for something else to go wrong and you wouldn't be surprised if it did.

 

[PCMarine]

I just picked up a well maintained 02 Taurus SEL for $3900 last week. It has 105k on it, but all of the maintenance has already been done, and the car is mint... all of the factory options (leather, sunroof, auto climate controls, 24v dohc motor, etc.). I'm very pleased with my purchase, and I'm planning on driving it for at least another 50,000 before I get something else.

So my vote is to buy another car.