When to trade cars

I wish Subarus were as great as their biggest fans seem to think. I don’t think I could buy one.

But usually 140k is about the minimum mileage something must have for me to think about buying it. Lol

268k on a 2008 Chrysler Sebring currently. With new car prices, I could spend a lot of money on repairs without getting into new car territory.

Car cost + loan interest cost + full coverage insurance cost would be near a thousand a month. I couldn’t find a thousand dollars a month worth of repairs to make to my current car.
 
My daughter and son in law both have a Subaru. His is 10 yrs old. Last yr, mechanic said he needed "a" rear wheel bearing - over $500. Last week, said his AC stopped working, estimate was $1800. I don't think these were dealer estimates. I offered to carry his car to mechanic I use he wasn't interested, said it wasn't the money. Oh well, not 'my' money.
 
I have had a '94 F250 FWD 5.something for about 10 years. It has about 275,000 miles on it. It lives outside, and I've given it over to the universe to keep it washed. I do an oil change annually, and replaced the battery once. That's it. It always starts, runs perfectly. Once I loaned it to a guy and he brought it back smoking from the parking brake still set. No damage though. I would get another Ford, if I ever need one.
 
Totally agree on dealership maintenance, the horror stories never end. If you can't fix it yourself, find a recommended independent shop. Mike
 
682bear said:
I'd give toyota another try...

View attachment 500714

This is my 2006 Tacoma... taken this week.

Aside from regular maintenance, I've replaced one idler pulley, one set of front wheel bearings, and had the universal joints replaced twice. It's still on the original clutch (6 speed manual).

The TPMS light is on because the sensors were removed a couple of years ago...

-Bear
Click to expand...
You're ahead of my Toyota ('02 Tundra) by ~30k. I've replaced one idler pulley, on spark plug coil, and two fiddly bits in the steering column that connect to the shifter. .

I have a '16 Rav4 that's my daily driver. I don't like it as well, but it's also been low maintenance (though it's a baby at only ~125k).

GsT

GsT
 
I used to take my vehicles in for service (at the dealership - gasp!) as a matter of routine. The cost seemed nominal and I assumed (wrongly) all kinds of expertise I didn't have. Back to my '02 Tundra. I'd faithfully taken it to dealerships for its oil changes and XXX miles (dis)"service". Then I moved. I found myself needing an oil change and being between dealers, so I decided to do it myself...

Well, with my truck, you need to drop the skid plate to access the oil filter. The first thing I discovered was that three of the six screws holding the skid pan in place had been completely stripped out by some ape with an air ratchet... Then there was the nearly-round oil drain plug... Unfortunately I had not taken my truck to the same dealership each time, or I'd have made them eat a complete repair. What I did learn, was f*** the dealership "mechanics" (those are scare quotes folks...) and diy. I fixed what I could, replaced the drain bolt and only did my own maintenance from then on. The two times that I couldn't fix something, I had a good 3rd-party mechanic to take it to (who usually spent 15 minutes correctly diagnosing the problem, and then $30 or some amazingly small price, fixing it. I wish I knew such a mechanic today...

In any case, I think anyone on this board is probably capable of all vehicle maintenance, and most repairs, and I encourage you to do them yourself. The grease-monkey at the dealership, or most repair shops, is paid to get the job done in as little time as possible and get you out the door, even if the repair won't last a week. Doing so will at the very least make you an informed consumer of mechanic services and at best enable you to fix those sudden faults

I've fixed my neighbor's Kia, F350, and golf cart all for a total of $140. The fix on the Kia was one that they'd already had done (badly) for $700 at the local dealership. Learn, or get your knickers ripped, your choice.

GsT
 
Also avoid chain stores...

Just another reason not to take your S4 to an instant oil change shop....

I already blame myself enough and am aware what I did was stupid by not taking my car to a more trusted shop or doing the work myself but i'll share this post anyways and be ready for the flaming :( I was looking through Groupon and happened over a $49 deal to get a full synthetic oil...
www.audizine.com

summary of that post here...

jalopnik.com

Lazy Idiots At Lube Shop Cut Hole In Audi S4's Aero Pan Instead Of Removing It

Before we go into this sad tale of dumbshittery and insipid laziness, I want to make one thing clear: the owner of the Audi is not at fault here. Choosing to go to a lube shop for an oil change does not make you a monster. But monsters do lurk at lube shops, and some of them are idiots.
jalopnik.com jalopnik.com
 
I used to bring my Subaru's to the dealership, and they treated me well. When they told me the problem was X, it really was. But the dealership was sold. Now the same place is a bit dicey. I don't believe them anymore. They told me I failed inspection twice, once due to cloudy headlamps, and once due to a questionable call on brakes. They tried to up sell me on new headlights but could not provide a guarantee on how long they would remain good, and then tried to up sell me on their magical headlamp treatment - which also had no guarantee on clarity. So I spent, oh five minutes on polishing the headlights, four minutes of which were trying to locate the plastic polish in my garage.

They also tried to tell me I needed new wheel bearings a year ago, and wanted to do all four wheels. I asked, what is the symptom that you are observing, what spec is the bearing failing, does it sound different depending on steering angle, or speed. I got no satisfactory answer. Haven't changed them, they haven't gotten worse, there's no evidence of the wheel bearings going. I would have replaced them myself, if the darn things were standard bearings, but no, they are a whole assembly now and loads of money. Well over $800 for parts alone. Actually the road noise is due to the tire wear and the local pavement. Some patches of pavement are very quiet, the local highway is noisier. I really don't want to buy a new set of tires for this car.

I'm halfheartedly looking to replace my Legacy. It still works, but I don't want to get to the point of dumping money into it.

So looking for any good vehicles as well...
 
My daily driver, a 2007 Honda Accord, is now at 351,000 and still going strong. Only time it's been to a shop was for AC work, a transmission software upgrade(??), and obligatory airbag recalls, which I could not do. It is finally showing its age though, so wifee wanted to go with a new 2025 CRV. The new one has been great, but it has SOOOO much gadgetry built in that it makes me nervous!
I guess I have used a shop for the occasional wintertime oil change. Never fails, they insist on driving that drain plug in so hard using an impact that I have to struggle to even get it loose the next time!! :face slap:
 
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