WWYD, car edition

[k3am]

I drive a 2013 ford explorer. It’s paid off (yay! No car payment!) and falling apart (literally - I’ve picked up parts of the undercarriage off the roadside. Not to worry though, I was told that part is unimportant). We seem to be dropping $1-2k into repairs every 6 months or so.

I’ve got a decent amount of cash saved up for a new car. I’ve almost pulled the trigger a few times but didn’t for various reasons. But I’m currently not working and we’re getting ready to start a home renovation, so not having a car payment has been great and we decided to just drive it til it dies.

So of course, check engine light. I need a new catalytic converter to the tune of $2600. The car is worth ~$5k. When they called to tell us, the guy was very hedging.. “IF you decide to fix it” type conversation vs assuming we would

The repair guy said it’s safe to drive, but I won’t pass smog (in April) without the repair. This is the nail in the coffin for this car, right? Would you bother to repair it?

[heygrey]

I would not repair it. If you can limp it along until April that gives you time to shop around and get a deal you're happy with.

We replaced a car this summer that was newer and worth a little bit more, but was looking at a $6-7k engine issue. There were a couple other minor issues that I would have repaired, but adding all of it up just didn't make since.

[beerlover]

I would not. I’d limp it along as far as I could. Maybe don’t drive it too far, lol.

[sadlebred]

I'd drive it til March as is and then look at getting another car. Just make sure you have AAA or something similar....

[Beeps (WOT?*)]

If it's safe to drive, I'd drive it (as little as possible since it's already doing the falling apart thing) but start looking *now* for a replacement. I'm a listmaker and make lists of what I need and want in a vehicle, and then list the types of cars that fit the criteria. Go through and pick a top 3 and concentrate on those. If you can find something a couple years old, great. I'm a fan of certified used rather than new if at all possible. With the end of the year coming up, dealers will be looking to clear out their 2024 models and refurbish their used stock as well. They don't want cars on the lot on December 31; they want money in the accounts. You might find some good deals in either the 2024 stock or in the used lots of the dealerships.

(This all depends on how much you're looking to spend, of course. My budget may be different from yours, and you've also got some big-ticket items on the horizon.)

But definitely plan on replacing it, without the expense of the cat converter repair, before April.

(Let me check with my son to see if this still holds true; he sold cars for a couple years and knows the ins-and-outs more than I do. The info above is general knowledge for the most part.)

[fernweh]

Yeah - I wouldn’t fix it. Try it until you March/April and then get a new one. I agree to start looking now if you can’t make it as a 1 car family.

I don’t know if you are brand loyal or have any particular brand in mine but I know Stellantis (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram) has been reporting terrible sales every quarter this year. With 2025 model year vehicles in the lot you might be able to get a good deal on ‘24 model year vehicles as they try to clear the inventory/recover some sales.
The other car companies seem to have had pretty good sales though so they may or may not have deals too.

[melmel4854]

I would not fix it. I would probably keep it until January/after the holidays and then start looking. When it comes to cars, I am risk averse.

[Covergirl82]

I would not fix it. I would drive it for now, and look for end-of-year deals.

[k3am]

I’m glad you guys agree with me over DH who was leaning towards fixing it. (I think I did the same thing to him when it was his car at this point)

My only concern now is that this is our family/trip car (DH’s isn’t comfortable for backseat passengers for longer trips or for carrying all our luggage). But if something else goes wrong, we won’t know until it’s too late since the check engine light is already on.

I’ll probably try to convince him into taking his car for Thanksgiving and finding something new before Christmas/snow/mountain driving.

[whattheheck]

Nov 3, 2024 21:14:00 GMT -5 k3am said:

I’m glad you guys agree with me over DH who was leaning towards fixing it. (I think I did the same thing to him when it was his car at this point)

My only concern now is that this is our family/trip car (DH’s isn’t comfortable for backseat passengers for longer trips or for carrying all our luggage). But if something else goes wrong, we won’t know until it’s too late since the check engine light is already on.

I’ll probably try to convince him into taking his car for Thanksgiving and finding something new before Christmas/snow/mountain driving.

If you are concerned about not knowing if something else goes wrong you can buy a code reader and check the codes on a regular basis to make sure nothing else is throwing a code.

[k3am]

Nov 13, 2024 16:15:07 GMT -5 whattheheck said:

Nov 3, 2024 21:14:00 GMT -5 k3am said:

I’m glad you guys agree with me over DH who was leaning towards fixing it. (I think I did the same thing to him when it was his car at this point)

My only concern now is that this is our family/trip car (DH’s isn’t comfortable for backseat passengers for longer trips or for carrying all our luggage). But if something else goes wrong, we won’t know until it’s too late since the check engine light is already on.

I’ll probably try to convince him into taking his car for Thanksgiving and finding something new before Christmas/snow/mountain driving.

If you are concerned about not knowing if something else goes wrong you can buy a code reader and check the codes on a regular basis to make sure nothing else is throwing a code.

I'm not sure what they ended up doing, but the check engine light is off now, so I'm hoping that if something else goes wrong, it will trigger it again. Hopefully. 

The good news is that I've driven the thing long enough that anytime something's gone wrong with it (aside from the catalytic converter!), I've known before the light went on. Hopefully luck holds. 

We're pretty sure we know what car we want (Kia Telluride) - we're waiting to see what kind of holiday discounts we see. 

[ny96]

I would not fix it, and if you need a car for a roadtrip before you buy a new car, rent one.