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Car question - Repair then replace, or scrap and replace?
Athenor
Battle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered User regular
Battle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered User regular
Hey everyone. I need some feedback.
Over the weekend, the ball joint of my front passenger wheel broke off. There is some cosmetic damage in the form of metal twisting a bit and the wheel well getting damaged, but overall it isn't terrible by the sounds of the maintenance guy.
Thing is, the car is from 2000.. and I've been dropping a LOT of money on it lately. From changing out the spark plugs, to replacing the alternator and new tires... It seems like every couple of months I have a new $500+ repair to do. And that's before you get into the additional maintenance I need, such as the leaks in the air ride suspension system or the slight oil leak into the engine housing.
When the tire broke, I figured it would cost me $1000-2000 to get it fixed. So I immediately started window shopping online, getting recommendations, and so on. I even got pre-approved (for 30 days) with my bank, so I am covered for up to $25k in car.
Then the estimate on the fix came in -- $375 or so.
So here's my question: Do I pay the cost and get the car repaired, THEN go hunting for a new car.. or do I just skip the payment and get a new car?
I'm a bit worried at the moment about driving around my car in general - I am worried there is more damage that I don't know about. Plus, having a car (For trade-in and shopping) will help me, and take the immediate pressure off. On the other hand, that's basically $400 that I'm never going to see again. I know I'm on the hook for the mechanic to take a look at it anyways, so it's not that huge... but.
Complicating things is that I'm planning on going to GenCon in a week. I really don't trust a cross-country trip in my current car right now.
Over the weekend, the ball joint of my front passenger wheel broke off. There is some cosmetic damage in the form of metal twisting a bit and the wheel well getting damaged, but overall it isn't terrible by the sounds of the maintenance guy.
Thing is, the car is from 2000.. and I've been dropping a LOT of money on it lately. From changing out the spark plugs, to replacing the alternator and new tires... It seems like every couple of months I have a new $500+ repair to do. And that's before you get into the additional maintenance I need, such as the leaks in the air ride suspension system or the slight oil leak into the engine housing.
When the tire broke, I figured it would cost me $1000-2000 to get it fixed. So I immediately started window shopping online, getting recommendations, and so on. I even got pre-approved (for 30 days) with my bank, so I am covered for up to $25k in car.
Then the estimate on the fix came in -- $375 or so.
So here's my question: Do I pay the cost and get the car repaired, THEN go hunting for a new car.. or do I just skip the payment and get a new car?
I'm a bit worried at the moment about driving around my car in general - I am worried there is more damage that I don't know about. Plus, having a car (For trade-in and shopping) will help me, and take the immediate pressure off. On the other hand, that's basically $400 that I'm never going to see again. I know I'm on the hook for the mechanic to take a look at it anyways, so it's not that huge... but.
Complicating things is that I'm planning on going to GenCon in a week. I really don't trust a cross-country trip in my current car right now.
He/Him | "We who believe in freedom cannot rest." - Dr. Johnetta Cole, 7/22/2024
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Assuming the ball joint didn't separate at highway speed, you probably didn't cause any significant additional damage. That said, ball joints don't just abruptly fail - most likely, these are parts that have been overdue for replacement for a long time that finally gave up completely. You didn't mention the make/model/mileage of the car, but given that it's 17 years old, it's fair to assume that most factory suspension and steering bits are due for replacement: tie rods, ball joints, and shocks being the most significant.
If you actually like the car and want to keep it, getting all those bits replaced in one go probably wouldn't be horribly expensive (though air shocks may run a pretty penny.) But if you're dead set on a new car, at least getting it back on the road will make it much easier to sell.
You can't give someone a pirate ship in one game, and then take it back in the next game. It's rude.
2000 Lincoln Town Car. The ball joint broke when I was nearly parked, pulling into a parking spot.
A couple years ago I replaced the driver side ball joints. Last year I replaced the tie rods, and just last month I replaced the adjustment sleeve on the tie rods. I don't think I've ever replaced the shocks, to my knowledge.
Kelley Blue Book says that for a "good" condition trade-in, best I could hope for is $1000 - and it'll probably be closer to $600. A friend of mine suggested renting a car for a week or two, which would cost less than the replacement part would - especially with discounts offered through my job.
You car was similar in age to my Dad's. He just traded his 1998 Camry in last weekend, and the most anyone would give him was $500. Most would only give $200.
This part makes me think you'd be better off selling the car as scrap.
If you're only hoping to get 600 out of the car, and more than half of that is gone to a repair bill...
And that 600 is probably generous. Even if the car was in good condition, it's 17 years old and sounds like it's seen some miles.
From my (admittedly limited) experience, you'll be lucky to find a dealer who would give you anything for it even in trade.
So devil's advocate question: How long will $375 rent you a car for?
Assuming you need a car which is the case in a big chunk of the US.
Probably a week and a half, maybe more.
But there is definitely something to be said for a car in working condition for $1k or so.
Edit: I think I've made up my mind. I'm going to get it repaired, make sure it is safe, then sell it. Thanks everyone for your assistance!
You don't want to run into any issues with lemon laws... which may apply to your private sale depending on where you are.
Yeah. I'll be selling it as-is AND informing them of the repairs I've done (which are extensive) and the needed / estimated future repairs. The sucker's got a great Ship of Theseus thing going on - new tires, new brakes, new tie rods and ball joints...
When you get your new car, don't take it back to that same workshop - they've been fucking you.
The "adjustment sleeve" on the tie rod is a part of the tie rod itself - if the tie rod was changed, they would have had to have gone to extra time and effort to take the new part apart from the factory and swap in the old "sleeve" (the actual tie rod itself, it's the ends that wear out, and you often replace them as a whole unit) and then keep the remaining new part of the tie rod in their inventory for some reason, only to swap it in shortly thereafter?
That sounds a lot like doubling up on easy jobs just to drag more cash out of you, like changing a timing belt one month, THEN changing the water pump the following month - normally if you're going to the bother of pulling the front of the motor apart to change the timing belt, you bang a new water pump on it because it's cheap and you just made access to the part and you may as well do it while you can.