Why do people replace cars that can be repaired?

[Auto-Union]

Older cars provide a level of economy and reliability that newer cars can't always match. Right now, MiL's otherwise ok 1996 A6 wagon is "in the pits" for a blown TB w/valve damage. That car is glitchy and complicated. The flipside it that it's performance/comfort level is outstanding. Anyway, that car is too expensive and not-user-friendly for her nor appropriate for my repair skill level. So...she needed a car to drive for a month or two and decided to sell the A6 to cover the recent/upcoming repairs. I bought her a 1991 Audi 100 fwd for $900! Not a single problem so far on that car. It's a non-interference engine and is easier and simpler to repair. Car performs and drives fine, 140k. I expect it's reliability to be good/excellent....better than the newer car! That says something in itself. Well, that's my example of economical car buying and ownership. Best of all the deal was local and done asap...two days to find her a car!

 

[Auto-Union]

We had a Quantum wagon too! It was a 5cyl with AWD (locking diffs). That car was awesome-awesome-awesome.

 

[97tbird]

did something fall on it?

 

[Cutehumor]

since your mom suffered with a timing belt incident and engine damage. are you gonna change your 20 yr/240k timing belt on your audi?

 

[thunderchild]

Auto Union:
Man that looks almost like mine. If I remember it was just the fron tlights that were different as well as the engine. I really miss that car. Nice Audi! Is it the 100 model? I have always liked that one. The 4 doors atill have their own personality. I bet it lasts a good long time. Let me know when you reach 500,000 on it!

>8^)>

 

[occupant]

It's a budget thing. My wife and I dumped our Luminas after determining that both of them would require more work than the market value of the cars. A generic cat wouldn't have solved the code on mine, and hers was consuming coolant and we suspected the intake gaskets had failed. So we spent $300 on a Celebrity (which is now sitting unused on the curb) and $900 on a Suburban. $32 in brake pads and the Suburban is fine, and when it warms up I'm going to get the Celebrity running again.

I figure there is no point in spending $5000-$10000-$20000 on a new or newer vehicle when a good cheap used car will get us from point A to B to C and back home with no car payment and normal maintenance and typical small repairs. If the motor goes, the transmission fails, we sell/strip/junk the thing and move on to the next beater.

I'd rather buy a $500 car every month with liability insurance only than spend that much a month on car payments and full coverage insurance.

If I make any money off parts or scrap when it dies, I'm ahead. And for every month that car runs beyond the first 30 days, I'm ahead. And can save that $500 for the next one, or for something else.

Right now I have 22 days of driving and 23 days of sitting in the $300 Celebrity, so even if I never get it running again, I'm still ahead. I can sell the headlights, taillights, radio, computer, cluster, alternator, starter, battery, etc...on eBay or CL, and get $50-$100 for what's left of it, and be ahead plus 22 days of free driving.

The Suburban, we've been driving it for 21 days and it's doing great!