Good car gone bad

After working out the cost to fix it versus the cost of financing a newer car and remember that the cheaper it is, the more likely you are buying someone else's moneypit!

Everything you fixed on your car should not need fixing again for while. Unless you are throwing money at the same problem thats recurring

When the bills are for rust.*

If your fixing the same issue over and over again within a short space of time it's not a new car you need its a new mechanic.

* or your vehicle is the bread winner

How do you know when to stop pouring money into a car and to just take the hit and get rid of it?

When you find yourself asking that question on the forum.

When you find yourself asking that question on the forum.

That's what I was thinking too.

I'd say that when it gets to the stage that you're not able to drive it because as soon as you fix one thing another goes wrong, or if one big thing that will cost more than the replacement value of the car goes.

You know about a year too late, generally. (and if you get rid, you'll never know if it was the right decision or not)

A thing to remember is that the replacement is more of an unknown so unless it's coming with reliable warranties or it's a lot newer, you can easily just be changing one problem for another.

Rust as above...

Other than that i look at the merit of each repair

Purchasing cars is capital expenditure. Fixing them is an operational cost - it happens. If you buy a newer car, you'll just end up fixing stuff on it instead. Unless you buy a significantly newer car, but the extra cost is probably goign to be more than the cost of repairs.

I fixed the flywheel on my Passat at 160k miles. If I'd bought a different car with half the mileage, it still would have had a fairly old flywheel; but mine had a brand new one.

I got rid of a car that fit that description and bought a 5 year old 30k miler instead.

The torque mount has gone.

Shit happens.

After the first lot of welding!

How do you know when to stop pouring money into a car

Dunno🤷‍♂️ got a 19year old Volvo with 203k miles, a 19year old Berlingo and a 13year old Volvo with 215k miles that's being rebuilt. Quite happy to keep spending on the all - the Berlingo being the lowest running costs by a long way.

I got rid of my Octavia at 19 years of age, I’d had it 15 years, and all I spent on it, apart from fuel, oil, tax and insurance was things required to get it through the MOT.
The turbo was shagged, and a few other things indicated it was beyond any further economic expenditures so I gave it away. Last I heard it was somewhere like Lithuania, via Poland.

I’d never had it serviced and it was on around 190,000 miles. Good motor, that 1.9TDi. 😁

I'm at a similar point now. 13yrs old and 150K miles. It's long overdue a timing belt change and there's a knocking in the suspension that needs sorting. That's about £700 together. It's still on first clutch and DMF so in the back of my mind that could go any time soon. That'd be probably over £1K to fix which would be a really hard decision to make. Car has been used and abused as a family workhorse and house moves, tip runs etc for the last 6 years by us so isn't in a nice condition that would be worth much.

But all those things put together are a lot less money than a newer car which would also need repairs etc. I really want a bigger car with more space for 3 growing children and camping kit but can't justify it while this one keeps chugging away.

For me the 'break' with a car is perhaps more about reliability and hassle than pure money. I don't think there exists a financial 'when to change' equation.

A new car is *always* going to work out more money- because as well as purchase you still face maintenance bills. It is also a gamble as to the previous owner and care that was or was not taken....

Breakpoint is when the value of the repaired car is worth less than the repairs required - and the money can go toward a replacement.

For example - car worth £1k with years mot..... without the mot/in current condition worth £400 = repairs max budget £600

Good motor, that 1.9TDi

Yes, that is what we had previously but now we have the 1.6TDi and according to a couple of AA people, it has issues that VW are not acknowledging.

Reliability has become the issue.  Having to have 3 AA rescues since March is not fun with 2 kids and a dog.

All of the issues have been fairly major and although not directly linked they are perhaps related or knock-ons. They have been costly and so it now feels like I am invested in the car.  As one injector has failed I'm now just waiting for another to go.  Previously MAF issues, coolant system issues, ECU issues.

The car is a 2014 plate and is on about 64k miles.  We had 2 painless years before March this year.  I still can't help thinking that this may all be due to contaminated fuel but there is no way to prove that now.

For me the ‘break’ with a car is perhaps more about reliability and hassle than pure money.

Same for me - repairs, yeah they happen and we've spents £1000's. But a car that leaves me stranded or fails to start regularly is soon shuffled on.

But a car that leaves me stranded or fails to start regularly is soon shuffled on.

Why not fixed? Cars aren't a single item, they are a collection of items which fail mostly individually.

Breakpoint is when the value of the repaired car is worth less than the repairs required – and the money can go toward a replacement.

Disagree, because at that price any other car you buy could fail on anything the next day. The market value of a car is not the same as its actual value. A car you've had for a long time and you know what's been fixed and what works is much more valuable in real terms than some other car you'd buy for the same market value. Think about it - so many people are saying that you should sell an old car rather than repair it, but if you want to buy one you're simply buying the cars that other people are doing the same thing with i.e. selling rather than maintaining. So you're going to have the same problems.

The current daily is 10 years old, owned from new and has been faultless (as in no breakdowns or unexpected bills) in 185k. It's going to need a bit of money spent on it soon for new rear tyres, new front dampers with top mounts, new front discs and pads and new lower control arms. Around £1k all-in so roughly what it's worth but I'll definitely be doing it as the car is completely rust-free, 100% reliable, I know it perfectly and I like it. It's on the original clutch, battery, exhaust, wheel bearings and timing chain so plenty of bills incoming but to buy something if equivalent age with a lot less miles is £5k and new is around £14k+ (the last three cars have been new and run until knackered) so keeping the Mighty Skoda going is for me the best option. Plus it doesn't have any of those annoying new electronic safety systems!

For example – car worth £1k with years mot….. without the mot/in current condition worth £400 = repairs max budget £600

I always allow a bit of extra repair budget for the hassle of finding a newer car and any fixes it'll need immediately (usually decent tyres, belt change etc). Plus I like the idea of keeping things going as long as is sensible, rather spend the money on my classic car and bikes.

Why not fixed? Cars aren’t a single item, they are a collection of items which fail mostly individually.

I try that first of course!

Last one we had was a couple of years ago - a 2007 Honda CRV. Turbo went a couple of months after getting it, we fixed that at great expense. Several more issue were fixed.

Then it just started to not start. Completely random sometimes it would sometimes it wouldn't. Eventually got to the stage were the only way to get it to fire up was squirting easy-start in the air filter box.

Went into two local garages and even to Honda main dealer (who were useless).

@CountZero

I’d never had it serviced

What, as in never had an oil change?

Breakpoint is when the value of the repaired car is worth less than the repairs required – and the money can go toward a replacement.

But you need a car, so if you get a replacement for so little, then chances are that will need repairs.

Repairs to old cars are needed. You generally lose more money in depreciation on new cars than annual repair costs on old cars. Unless it's rusting, then I think it almost always works out fixing, unless you cannot afford to in which case you can throw the dice with a different car.

@pocpoc - I'm in a similar situation but out the other side - well loved Galaxy (2009  /174k) that's still going strong - went to the alps and back without missing a beat but does really need some work on it.

Same here 160k mile Nissan Primera I've had since 10 months old - it's 22 years old now. Only trouble I have with it now is occasional stuttering due to it being sat for a month not moving with old fuel in it. Just knocked up a few hundred miles this weekend with a tank of super and a fuel system cleaner. Threw the emissions light twice, but it's now running sweet !  Until it start's going wrong I'll keep it. Fairly rust free - just a couple of spots on a front arch that I keep on top of.  It occasionally needs some work, eg. new rear calliper, front suspension knuckle in the last two years - but that's wear and tear.

We sold my wife's Yaris on at 19 years old. Fuel pump went, so we had it fixed and sold it as my wife wanted something a bit bigger. It's still going strong locally and it's 24 years old. The only thing wrong is the clear coat has now pealed off the bright red paint.

We bought a 10 year old aygo a couple of years ago for 'the kids' - it's needed a fair bit of mechanical work, generally from not being looked after that well - bodywork has been fine, but needed full exhaust and cat, new discs and pads (how it had an MOT with those I don't know), alternator, battery, replacement SRS control, and worse was wheel hubs due to seized bolts. I had to clean up the suspension components as they were starting to go crusty - treated with aqua steel.

I'll let you know in a decade how the Leaf gets on 🙂

Front wheel bearing for it is being delivered today hopefully.

Breakpoint is when the value of the repaired car is worth less than the repairs required – and the money can go toward a replacement.

I bought an XC90 for £500 with 215k miles - I'm approx £2k into it with another £1.5k - £2k to go. I'll then have a fully dialed/sorted car for the same price as one with lurking unknown issues.

I have 278k on a car and the turbo and flywheel have been done so I'm in no rush to change. If it rusts or electronics go pop it's likely to be pretty quickly got rid of.

<p style="text-align: left;">Ok.  Having spent another £780 at a reputable garage I am now sat by a dual carriageway waiting for a tow truck after the first outing since it was "fixed".  I think this might be terminal.  What's the best way to handle this with the garage?  No doubt they will say it is an unconnected issue.  I assumed I'd get further than 19 miles.</p>

Unlikely to be unconnected tbh. What happened this time?

<p style="text-align: left;">Horrible knocking/flapping sound, then loss of power, then smoky engine, then engine died and wouldn't restart.  The engine was rough before that...garage said probably engine mounting which was weird as was ok before the work.  No AA person was sent, straight to recovery and so no independent technical opinion but recovery guy thought loss of pressure and possible cyclinder blown/other injectors failed if not properly balanced?  A battle for the morning, just glad to have got home!</p>

Horses for  courses. Some people do it on a purely economical basis. Cost of repair, vs likelihood of success (i.e. needs doing again or something else going wrong), vs cost of replacement. Some people are caught in an emotional attachment which overrules that. For me it’s about reliability. I need a car that works but importantly, I don’t want a car that needs constant attention or the increasing potential for things to go wrong. Having spent years running cars that were 8-12 years old, the stress of big repairs, the MoT dice-roll,  and general botheration factor of running older cars started to get to me. Yes, the car might have only been £5k to buy but the kicker of an unknown MOT bill, or that strange knocking sound that needs investigating… I don’t need or want that in my life and I haven’t got the time or inclination to sort it myself. So I went newer and now buy around 1 year old models and run for 4-5 years before the big bills start to come in.  I’m under no illusions that  economically it’s not as frugal, i’m essentially paying for the problem to go away. And touch-wood, it’s worked out well for the last 10 years. So to the original OP: years ago, well before these thoughts started weighing on my mind.

@bubs what had the garage fixed? Loss of oil pressure (which would be my instinct) can be the pickup getting blocked or the sump plug (or the filter) falling off if not tightened right.

Almost certainly a write off though

An injector and the fuel return hose.

Looked at engine in day light.  Issue obvious now!   Injector 3 and 4 clamp not attached, no bolt!  They have risen up and sprayed out.  No wonder the car died and the engine smoked.. That could have been really bad.

Garage eating the recovery cost then I hope

This is a large part of why I do my own maintenance . At least if I **** it up I know who to blame and who's paying.

Doesn't suit everyone I get it but been bitten enough by time rushed /distracted mechanics missing things....

I do most of my jobs unless its a bit heavy. Changing a suspension knuckle or similar with heavy springs and a 22 year old car. The garage always say, we had a bugger of a job getting that off. All suspension has been treated with anti-rust products so nothing has 'moved'.