Michael Silla
Second Unit
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2001
- Messages
- 313
At what point do you consider giving up on an old(er) car? I haven't really been in this situation until recently. I have owned my '97 Nissan 200 SX SE-R since it was new. Taken care of it well (oil changes every 3000 miles + regular maintenance).
In return it has given me mostly trouble free motoring, never leaving me stranded until yesterday. That is when the envitable happened. My clutch failed. In a big way. 96,430 miles were on the odometer.
The amazing thing is that the clutch plate still has grab to it. I'm getting the whole assembly replaced, plus the starter and a unrelated problem with the emergency brake cable fixed all for about $1000 (plus the rental).
What got me posting this thread is that although this bill seems "reasonable" I can see myself perhaps having to replace the shocks/struts in the future too although they seem to be holding up well considering the cars age. I don't even know how much that bill would be.
My long term goal is to not have a car payment for awhile (read: 3 years) so that I can get some furniture and take care of some other bills.
What I'd like to know is what makes more financial sense to you? Minimally fix the car and trade it into the dealer, take a loss and get something new or newer? Or swallow the bill and move on and hope no more major bills come in the next 3 years?
I probably put nearly 25-30,000 miles on my car each year, most of it highway driving (My commute is 67 miles round trip).
Michael.
In return it has given me mostly trouble free motoring, never leaving me stranded until yesterday. That is when the envitable happened. My clutch failed. In a big way. 96,430 miles were on the odometer.
The amazing thing is that the clutch plate still has grab to it. I'm getting the whole assembly replaced, plus the starter and a unrelated problem with the emergency brake cable fixed all for about $1000 (plus the rental).
What got me posting this thread is that although this bill seems "reasonable" I can see myself perhaps having to replace the shocks/struts in the future too although they seem to be holding up well considering the cars age. I don't even know how much that bill would be.
My long term goal is to not have a car payment for awhile (read: 3 years) so that I can get some furniture and take care of some other bills.
What I'd like to know is what makes more financial sense to you? Minimally fix the car and trade it into the dealer, take a loss and get something new or newer? Or swallow the bill and move on and hope no more major bills come in the next 3 years?
I probably put nearly 25-30,000 miles on my car each year, most of it highway driving (My commute is 67 miles round trip).
Michael.