Car WWYD question

[Susie]

My current car is a 2017 VW Jetta with about 45k miles on it.  I bought it new 7 years ago and own it outright.  It has a couple minor bumper scuffs, and my kids' car seats have done a number on the backseat, but it's otherwise in pretty good shape, and I know the maintenance history.  I had no plans to replace it.

Recently the entire radio unit went bad, which means that the AM/FM radio, bluetooth phone connection, Apple CarPlay, and everything else is now unreliable.  It usually works in the morning, but in the afternoon when it gets warmer, it doesn't.  When I leave work (5pm) after sitting parked in the sun, it never works anymore.

The car still drives just fine, but no phone, no navigation, no radio is not really a long term plan.  We've gotten the diagnostic and the estimate, and replacing the radio is about $1900.  Then just in the normal course of things it also needs brakes in the next few months.  I'd be putting a solid $2500-3000 into the car, which is worth like $9-10k on trade in.  Yikes.

Our other car is a 2018 VW Atlas with similar mileage, that we use for all our family trips (4 people + 2 dogs).  It's in pretty good shape.  We bought them about 4 months apart, which wasn't ideal, but life happened.

I am thinking about what I want to do.  Do I want to spend $3k and keep my current car, with 2 of the same age?  Spend $12-15k or so to replace with a new version of the same thing, and get back on an offset replacement schedule?  I'm in a position to pay cash for either of these options.

If I replace, do I want another Jetta?  I've had 5 stick shift Jettas in a row going back to the 1990s, and I really do love driving them.  For a gas vehicle, they get pretty good mileage, both H (6'2") and I (5'2") can comfortably drive them, and manual transmissions are getting harder to find.  They also handle pretty well in snow, as sedans go.  Do I want another one?  Move to an EV or a hybrid?  I have no idea, but I do have as much time as I'm willing to tolerate the radio problem to make a decision.  

WWYD?

ETA:  I forgot about the other issue my current Jetta has, lol.  The sunroof can't be opened because once it is, it doesn't reliably close.  I've read about the issue and it relates to something causing mechanical binding, and then the safety pinch protection mechanism kicks in and re-opens it when the motor encounters pressure from the binding.  We got an estimate a few years back to fix it.  $1500 back then.  So I just don't use it... but add that to the list if we're doing "current car math".

[lessel]

I would just get a new(er) car. Our plan (to the extent we're able to control it) is to only have one car payment at a time. (Although I can't tell if you're talking about having a car payment in this situation... is 'pay cash for either of these options' paying for down payment in the case of new car?)

If you love a Jetta, then stick with it. Seems like you already have the larger family trip car covered, so I say get what you want. DH just recently got a hybrid CR-V and he's loving the hybrid. So that's at least worth investigating. We feel like the hybrid is our baby step toward a future EV. We both weren't ready to go there just yet.

[Susie]

May 10, 2024 10:22:17 GMT -5 lessel said:

I would just get a new(er) car. Our plan (to the extent we're able to control it) is to only have one car payment at a time. (Although I can't tell if you're talking about having a car payment in this situation... is 'pay cash for either of these options' paying for down payment in the case of new car?)

I could buy a new car outright if we trade in the current one.  Not a luxury car, but a new Jetta would be fine.  I would only finance if it were advantageous to do so, e.g., a promotional finance rate that's lower than what my savings accounts earn.

[sadlebred]

I'm usually in the "buy a new car" camp, but if you really love this Jetta, I'd repair it and plan to keep it 2-3 more years. It's very low mileage for a car of that age.

[Susie]

May 10, 2024 10:29:56 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

I'm usually in the "buy a new car" camp, but if you really love this Jetta, I'd repair it and plan to keep it 2-3 more years. It's very low mileage for a car of that age.

I would say I love Jettas, but I don't love this one.  It has just felt like a minor parade of issues, much more so than some of my other ones that I drove to about 150k miles.  (Most weren't bought new.)

[dcn]

I’d get a new electric car.

[simpsongal]

My view is probably colored by the fact that I have a 2013 Ford Fusion (has about 45,000 miles)

You said: "the car still drives just fine, but no phone, no navigation, no radio is not really a long term plan." You could get a portable radio for the car (DH had a satellite one for like $50 for his 2012 Civic), and you have your phone for navigation.

Breaks are not terribly pricey, so drop the radio swap and it's not a lot to keep your reliable car going (routine maintenance). I guess I'm team hold and keep what you know.

Maybe it's worth checking what you'd get for the car and what's out there - the price of used cars has varied so wildly. You'd probably be looking to go with a 2020 or newer yeah?

[quesyrah]

I would fix it (not the sunroof as that wouldn’t bother me) and keep it.

[Susie]

May 10, 2024 12:09:04 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

My view is probably colored by the fact that I have a 2013 Ford Fusion (has about 45,000 miles)

You said: "the car still drives just fine, but no phone, no navigation, no radio is not really a long term plan." You could get a portable radio for the car (DH had a satellite one for like $50 for his 2012 Civic), and you have your phone for navigation.

Breaks are not terribly pricey, so drop the radio swap and it's not a lot to keep your reliable car going (routine maintenance). I guess I'm team hold and keep what you know.

Maybe it's worth checking what you'd get for the car and what's out there - the price of used cars has varied so wildly. You'd probably be looking to go with a 2020 or newer yeah?

I'll be honest, I don't see me doing this for the 5-10 years that I was otherwise planning to keep the car.  Technically 2+2+2=6 and I totally could get by with a bunch of different devices to add up to the sum of what the car once did, but in my "sandwich generation parent with a fairly big job" era with high stress and high demands, I need certain things in my life to move with low friction.  I don't need luxury, but I need my car to not add more stress.

Just in the last week I was trying to use Waze to get to a pool we were going to for the first time, for DD's swim practice after work/school.  It was the time of day when the screen wasn't working, and it was super frustrating.  The end of my work day did not need that.  This is also the (smaller/better gas mileage) car that I take when I need to go home to take my dad to appointments at UPenn.  I rely pretty heavily on navigation there.  There's a lot I do in the name of frugality, but in the long term I need my car to do this stuff more seamlessly.  Plus, the backup camera is also tied in with the screen, and also intermittently doesn't work.  The pain points just keep adding up.  

I'm thinking I'd probably get about $9-10k for it on trade.  H has spent more time looking than I have, and he said that problems of the types we're having are not uncommon with 2017s, so I'd be looking to move to the newer body style.  I'm not sure exactly what year they transitioned.  (ETA: that would mean 2019-.)  I'd like lower mileage than I have now, but no other hard cutoffs.  

[heygrey]

If you do replace it, I would get something similar size to the Atlas to take over as the family vehicle so you have something newer for those longer trips. The Atlas can become the local driver, then replace it with a smaller car in a few years if you want something more economical then.


I'm in a similar position with my 2016 Elantra GT. It is going to the dealership tomorrow for what feels like it's umpteenth recall repair. There are a lot of issues with that era of Hyundais and I just really want to be done with it. We can pay cash for the trade difference on a new car right now so I am waffling daily. H's car is our 14 year old local driver and it has less issues than my car.

[midwestmama]

If it were me, I would lean towards fixing it and then start seriously saving for the replacement. However, I do agree that it's not ideal to have both of your vehicles of the same age due to likely needing to replace around the same time, so can certainly understand the desire to just trade it in for a newer one and then have vehicles on very different replacement schedules.

[jobae1234]

I personally would do the 3k fix. It’s a paid off low mileage car bought new. Someone else’s used car will have an unknown history.

To be clear we usually buy used, but the known history of a one owner car is a valuable factor in the calculation here.

[rhian]

May 10, 2024 12:47:16 GMT -5 Susie said:

May 10, 2024 12:09:04 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

My view is probably colored by the fact that I have a 2013 Ford Fusion (has about 45,000 miles)

You said: "the car still drives just fine, but no phone, no navigation, no radio is not really a long term plan." You could get a portable radio for the car (DH had a satellite one for like $50 for his 2012 Civic), and you have your phone for navigation.

Breaks are not terribly pricey, so drop the radio swap and it's not a lot to keep your reliable car going (routine maintenance). I guess I'm team hold and keep what you know.

Maybe it's worth checking what you'd get for the car and what's out there - the price of used cars has varied so wildly. You'd probably be looking to go with a 2020 or newer yeah?

I'll be honest, I don't see me doing this for the 5-10 years that I was otherwise planning to keep the car.  Technically 2+2+2=6 and I totally could get by with a bunch of different devices to add up to the sum of what the car once did, but in my "sandwich generation parent with a fairly big job" era with high stress and high demands, I need certain things in my life to move with low friction.  I don't need luxury, but I need my car to not add more stress.

Just in the last week I was trying to use Waze to get to a pool we were going to for the first time, for DD's swim practice after work/school.  It was the time of day when the screen wasn't working, and it was super frustrating.  The end of my work day did not need that.  This is also the (smaller/better gas mileage) car that I take when I need to go home to take my dad to appointments at UPenn.  I rely pretty heavily on navigation there.  There's a lot I do in the name of frugality, but in the long term I need my car to do this stuff more seamlessly.  Plus, the backup camera is also tied in with the screen, and also intermittently doesn't work.  The pain points just keep adding up.  

I'm thinking I'd probably get about $9-10k for it on trade.  H has spent more time looking than I have, and he said that problems of the types we're having are not uncommon with 2017s, so I'd be looking to move to the newer body style.  I'm not sure exactly what year they transitioned.  (ETA: that would mean 2019-.)  I'd like lower mileage than I have now, but no other hard cutoffs.  

I'd do the same as simpsongal, but I drive a 2012 Civic with no Bluetooth, navigation, backup cam, or sunroof, and it's the newer of our two cars, so most of those issues are clearly not a priority for me.

But it sounds like they are for you, and that you're just looking for "permission" to replace it. You can afford it and those features are important to you, so I think you should just replace it so you can stop thinking about it, which it seems like is what would be most valuable to you.

[Susie]

May 10, 2024 13:20:12 GMT -5 rhian said:

May 10, 2024 12:47:16 GMT -5 Susie said:

I'll be honest, I don't see me doing this for the 5-10 years that I was otherwise planning to keep the car.  Technically 2+2+2=6 and I totally could get by with a bunch of different devices to add up to the sum of what the car once did, but in my "sandwich generation parent with a fairly big job" era with high stress and high demands, I need certain things in my life to move with low friction.  I don't need luxury, but I need my car to not add more stress.

Just in the last week I was trying to use Waze to get to a pool we were going to for the first time, for DD's swim practice after work/school.  It was the time of day when the screen wasn't working, and it was super frustrating.  The end of my work day did not need that.  This is also the (smaller/better gas mileage) car that I take when I need to go home to take my dad to appointments at UPenn.  I rely pretty heavily on navigation there.  There's a lot I do in the name of frugality, but in the long term I need my car to do this stuff more seamlessly.  Plus, the backup camera is also tied in with the screen, and also intermittently doesn't work.  The pain points just keep adding up.  

I'm thinking I'd probably get about $9-10k for it on trade.  H has spent more time looking than I have, and he said that problems of the types we're having are not uncommon with 2017s, so I'd be looking to move to the newer body style.  I'm not sure exactly what year they transitioned.  (ETA: that would mean 2019-.)  I'd like lower mileage than I have now, but no other hard cutoffs.  

I'd do the same as simpsongal , but I drive a 2012 Civic with no Bluetooth, navigation, backup cam, or sunroof, and it's the newer of our two cars, so most of those issues are clearly not a priority for me.

But it sounds like they are for you, and that you're just looking for "permission" to replace it. You can afford it and those features are important to you, so I think you should just replace it so you can stop thinking about it, which it seems like is what would be most valuable to you.

I'm trying to decide between fixing it or replacing it.  There are good reasons to go either direction, and either one would give me the functionality I'm looking for.  I'm ok just leaving the sunroof closed (been doing that for years already), but yes, the nav/backup/etc. is important to me.

[rhian]

May 10, 2024 13:24:50 GMT -5 Susie said:

May 10, 2024 13:20:12 GMT -5 rhian said:

I'd do the same as simpsongal , but I drive a 2012 Civic with no Bluetooth, navigation, backup cam, or sunroof, and it's the newer of our two cars, so most of those issues are clearly not a priority for me.

But it sounds like they are for you, and that you're just looking for "permission" to replace it. You can afford it and those features are important to you, so I think you should just replace it so you can stop thinking about it, which it seems like is what would be most valuable to you.

I'm trying to decide between fixing it or replacing it.  There are good reasons to go either direction, and either one would give me the functionality I'm looking for.  I'm ok just leaving the sunroof closed (been doing that for years already), but yes, the nav/backup/etc. is important to me.

I don't know much about VWs. How long do you expect it to last? We've always had Hondas and Toyotas, which I assume will last 15-20 years. So my inclination would be that $3K is worth it to fix a car that's just 7 years old. But the math might be different if you think the life span on it is closer to 10 years.

[hazelden]

I would sell it and get a different car. DH does most all the mechanical maintenance on our older, high mileage vehicles, but electrical issues can be tricky with cars, and I'd worry that the radio + sunroof issues point to something electric being the problem.

[sarahsays]

I will be an outlier and say I'd trade it in and get a new car.

You can afford it and it sounds like it would really be your preference.

[purplepenguin7]

I read in the beginning and didn't get a chance to send my response. I was orignally in the fix camp, but the issues kept trickling out. Between the radio issue, needing regular maintenance, sun roof, you just not loving the car AND having cash on hand to buy outright I'd be looking for a new car at this point. None of these are huge issue in isolation but all together it doesn't seem like anything worth suffering* for.

*not to be dramatic

[Susie]

May 10, 2024 12:52:13 GMT -5 heygrey said:

If you do replace it, I would get something similar size to the Atlas to take over as the family vehicle so you have something newer for those longer trips. The Atlas can become the local driver, then replace it with a smaller car in a few years if you want something more economical then.


I'm in a similar position with my 2016 Elantra GT. It is going to the dealership tomorrow for what feels like it's umpteenth recall repair. There are a lot of issues with that era of Hyundais and I just really want to be done with it. We can pay cash for the trade difference on a new car right now so I am waffling daily. H's car is our 14 year old local driver and it has less issues than my car.

That is an interesting idea that I had not considered.  I absolutely see the merits.  It would also reduce the OMG WTF DO WE DO factor if/when the Atlas has an issue.  

On the down side, an Atlas is a lot more expensive to buy, insure, fuel, and maintain (e.g. tires) than a Jetta, and the gas mileage is far worse from both an economic and environmental standpoint.  So there are some down sides to be weighed.

[simpsongal]

May 10, 2024 15:38:50 GMT -5 sarahsays said:

I will be an outlier and say I'd trade it in and get a new car.

You can afford it and it sounds like it would really be your preference.

ditto - consider new or really lightly used. Fwiw, dh drove that Civic for years - it was fine. But he wanted a nicer car and he never wants anything. He drives more than me too. It’s been a year and he loves his new car. The kids really like it too. I’m forever fine with my older car but sometimes you should just go for what makes you happy (if you can afford it, which you can). I opt to putall my money choices into the house 😎

[noodleoo]

I’d replace the Jetta, not repair it. Sounds like it’s been having a lot of issues and I’d probably just be done with it by now. I’d look into a hybrid or EV, I’m not buying another gas only car. Life is too short to deal with these kinds of annoyances when you can afford to replace it. I’d also be hesitant to buy another Jetta after all the issues you’ve had with this one, especially since it’s a relatively young, low mileage car.

[Poppy]

Honestly it's totally lifestyle inflation but we got a 2023 Chevy Bolt and I really miss the new audio/nav features when I have to drive our old car now. I love the car. I vote that you get a new EV.

[macmars45]

May 11, 2024 0:18:07 GMT -5 Poppy said:

Honestly it's totally lifestyle inflation but we got a 2023 Chevy Bolt and I really miss the new audio/nav features when I have to drive our old car now. I love the car. I vote that you get a new EV.

I LOVE my Bolt! I've had it a year.

FWIW Susie they make the evu version that is bigger.

[ellipses84]

VWs have so many specialized electronics that are expensive to fix. I’d be concerned that the issues you are having are a sign of things to come and there may be more electrical issues that are things you can’t ignore. I don’t have a lot of suggestions for a new car. We are Honda / Toyota family because we we’ve had issues with every other car we’ve ever had including a Jetta a long time ago, although I’d go for VW over an American car brand. I also think our next car will be hybrid or electric. VW is actually doing a lot of promising things in that space, and I know they had the scandal in the past but that means they have a lot of oversight on their current testing.

[gt7301b]

Personally, I would just pay for the repairs and keep it, but cars are strictly utilitarian to me.  It sounds like you want a new or slightly used car which you can afford and have the money to purchase.

[sadlebred]

With all that, replace it. I changed my vote. LOL!

[bee20]

I had a similar issue on a Subaru, the car would randomly lose all electrical in the center console. It also then wouldn't start, but only sometimes, so it was impossible to diagnose. The car was worth $7000 but similarly was only 55k miles and 7 years old, so I was planning on driving it a long time. I traded it in for a honda and that car has been reliable ever since. It was worth the few thousand I lost doing the optimal car thing, I needed reliability as a single person and didn't want to spend hours messing with shops.

I guess if you really want a jetta you could get another one, but I'd look at a honda or toyota. The Toyota "Prime" line of plug in hybrids are nice if you want to balance out the bigger atlas.

[hbomdiggity]

Permission granted to get a new car.

I am at a point in my life where I have earned the nice things. And definitely not to deal with a myriad of minor issues that result in a major inconvenience.

I understand that not everyone has this privilege, but I am here to say that if you can afford it, embrace it.

And given the low mileage, I would definitely look into an electric option.

[litasail]

May 12, 2024 2:28:16 GMT -5 hbomdiggity said:

Permission granted to get a new car.

I am at a point in my life where I have earned the nice things. And definitely not to deal with a myriad of minor issues that result in a major inconvenience.

I understand that not everyone has this privilege, but I am here to say that if you can afford it, embrace it.

And given the low mileage, I would definitely look into an electric option.

I 100% agree with this.

In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, I did it. My car (a Honda HR-V) had a persistent leak and made an awful, annoying ringing noise intermittently. I had taken it to service twice for each issue and they couldn't fix them. Neither were emergencies but they really were driving me batty.

I finally hit my limit and realized that hey, I don't actually have to put up with this. I'm a grown ass woman with resources to replace the car! So I did. Got a new EV Audi and sold my car to Carmax. No regrets!

[wildrice]

I personally would pay to fix it, but I don't drive a ton and don't care about cars so my biggest goal is just to keep our cars as long as possible. You are probably going to have a number of maintenance things that cost 1-3k in the next few years, so I wouldn't necessarily weigh those things (like brakes) against the value of the car since those are going to happen no matter what car you have. We also have several other things that are personally a higher priority if we were going to spend money from our savings to replace something.

It sounds like it won't be a hardship to replace it, though, and might make you happier, so I'm also in favor of doing that!