Auto Repairs- Fix Your Car or Replace It?

A few years ago I had a 2000 Isuzu Rodeo.  She was a horrible gas guzzler but I had her for ten years and wouldn’t dream of getting a new car.  Naturally as things started to go wrong (as they often do with cars) I started spending more and more money in auto repairs.  Yet, after a while I started to wonder just how much should one spend on repairs on an older car before they give up and replace it?

When little things go wrong with your car you expect to spend a few dollars.  Things like oil changes and registration are normal for every car but I am talking about actual repairs.  If the job is small you can get away with only spending a couple hundred.  Things like replacing a battery or headlights are usually pretty cheap.  Yet, what if it is something like brakes, tires, or dare I say engine? Those things could cost you thousands!

When I had my rodeo the first several repairs were not too expensive. Yet as time went by the repairs got bigger and so did the labor fees, so not only was I spending a ton on the parts but I was also paying $75 an hour for labor!  After spending over $2000 on new tires and breaks I made myself a deal, I told myself that if anything else went wrong I was going to call it a day and get a new car.  Okay, well, I did end up fixing a broken axle and transmission leak after that but that was my last straw.  A few days after that I sold my car and got a new one.

The way I see it, as expensive as it can be to have a car payment every month at least you have a new car. Unlike your old beat up model which is costing you more and more in repairs, your new car is under warrenty.  Of course the decision to trade in or sell your old car to buy a new one is up to you.  That decision took a while for me as I happened to love my old car but in the end the idea of constantly repairing my old car made the decision for me!  I decided that when my car spent more time at the shop than it did with me it was time to replace her!