Ughhhh... Need a new car

"The Dummy Gummy" (dummygummy)
05/10/2016 at 08:55 • Filed to: broken car

I was really hoping this car (Impreza) would hold out. It is my daily commuter and has had various issues over the past couple years. The expenses have added up. (Yes I could have kept it cheap and done the work myself, but when the issues arose I didn’t have time.)

Now I have to determine if I want to just cut ties with a 120k mile car or get a new car. I really wanted to hold out until 2018 and get the new Volvo Wagon, but it doesn’t look like the car wants to cooperate.

The issue at hand is that the transmission seems to need a replacement. If I had time I would do it myself and drastically cut my costs, but since I don’t I assume it’ll be about $2k, if not more. The steering has also been weird the last year, but nothing the required maintenance. In the last 6 month I have done all the high mileage replacements (timing belt, differential change, etc.).

What is your suggestion oPPo? Do I roll the dice and throw more money into this car to hold out for this beauty?

Or do I get a nice used car for $15-20k and then wait til 2020 to get my dream car? I don’t even know what to get... maybe another manual impreza or a crosstek or outback?... I don’t even know..

So sad about this development... It has not been a good year.

DISCUSSION (20)

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > The Dummy Gummy
05/10/2016 at 09:00

What's the year of your Impreza? How much cash do you have? I'd recommend something cheap and reliable (maybe a lower mileage mid00s Subaru) while you wait for 2018/2020.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > The Dummy Gummy
05/10/2016 at 09:03

You can get a pretty solid used BRZ for $15-20k... ;)

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > The Dummy Gummy
05/10/2016 at 09:03

I’ve always felt that if a single repair was going to cost more than half the value of the whole car, it's time to cut losses and get a new (to me) car.

The Dummy Gummy > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
05/10/2016 at 09:07

2008. I have $10k I can drop, but would prefer not to, but I don’t think my preference matters given my situation haha. I could always finance which isn’t a huge issue for me.. credits over 800

The Dummy Gummy > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
05/10/2016 at 09:09

Yea we are about there. The car is worth probably $4-5k... maybbbbeee slightly more if I’m lucky. But that push it right at the 50% mark, like you said. Solid advice Adab.

The Dummy Gummy > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
05/10/2016 at 09:09

Would love to if I didn’t just have a child. Talk about the year of expenses haha

Flavien Vidal > The Dummy Gummy
05/10/2016 at 09:10

Get rid of what you have and get something cheap and reliable that won’t lose anymore money overtime instead.

In 2 years, sell it back for what you paid for and get the Volvo.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > The Dummy Gummy
05/10/2016 at 09:30

I was in the same situation as you; my 2010 Foz needed all of the necessary repairs that a 100k mile car needs and was losing value fast (and I also wanted to wait for the new Volvo wagons)...

Got a new VW Golf wagon as a stopgap. After trade it was $10k+ TT&L. If you’re not afraid to drive a VW under warranty for a few years (or no AWD), you can get at least $4k off MSRP on all models and the Golfs start around $17.5

The Dummy Gummy > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
05/10/2016 at 09:35

Haha, VW’s do scare me a little, but that is a great deal. I’m in the north east so AWD is kind of important to me, but I’m not opposed to getting a car without. The Subaru was just a beast in the snow. Never had an issue getting too and fro. I’ll have to think about it.

Ash78, voting early and often > The Dummy Gummy
05/10/2016 at 09:45

If it’s really only $2k for a (presumably rebuilt) tranny, I’d go that route and try to get a couple more years out of the Scoobie. That’s cheap. The ratio of the repair to the car’s value is generally fallacious logic in most cases — the car is probably worth far more than its “market value” to you. As an analogy, why do we pay virtually the same insurance rates for our Odyssey ($30k value) and my Passat ($3k value)? Lots of things cannot be simply compared to the value of the car in your decision. I love those Volvo wagons, but I’d try to keep the Subaru until you can get a 2- or 3-y-o Volvo wagon around 2020 :D

The Dummy Gummy > Ash78, voting early and often
05/10/2016 at 09:56

OH man I completely agree. I love this car. There is a lot of sentiment with this car. I just get worried with the high mileage. I put 20k on a year. I’ll take the car in this week to see what the damage is, but I really need a reliable commuter. I don’t want to be putting 20k miles on the Audi.

smobgirl > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
05/10/2016 at 09:57

Good math for daily drivers.

Ash78, voting early and often > The Dummy Gummy
05/10/2016 at 09:59

I hear you. I just inherited a 2001, 100k+ Passat (Audi A4) from the wife when we traded up to the Odyssey — it was a big family decision to get everyone out of the less reliable car and let me have it. As long as you and the wife feel comfortable carrying kids in the Subaru, keep it as long as you can. With the expense of kids (mine are 6 and 3), car buying can still be emotional, but it also needs to be practical. In other words, spend money for safety and reliability — fun will be secondary for a while, depending on your available funds :D

Future next gen S2000 owner > The Dummy Gummy
05/10/2016 at 10:21

Repair. Get a couple years out of it and then get the wagon.

The Dummy Gummy > Ash78, voting early and often
05/10/2016 at 10:29

That’s a good point too. It is a safe car. Although the family won’t be in it too much since my wife’s car is really nice and brand new (obviously she gets the better car haha).

Ash78, voting early and often > The Dummy Gummy
05/10/2016 at 10:55

Sounds like you already know one of the keys to a happy marriage! If the Subie is the second car, all the more reason to keep it going as long as reasonably possible. Good luck with the family — one of life's biggest challenges and greatest joys!

DynamicWeight > The Dummy Gummy
05/10/2016 at 11:22

Have you taken the car to a mechanic to diagnose the transmission issue? Many times something that seems terrible can be something relatively simple like mounts or a sensor. I know you have a manual, but just as an anecdote: the transmission speed sensor on my Dakota got broken. The thing would shift HARD between 1 and 2, and wouldn’t go into 4. I thought my truck was toast. When the mechanic told me it was the sensor, I replaced it myself for fifteen bucks and the truck shifts GREAT!

So go get it checked out. It might not be so bad. Also, imho, it’s better to think of car repair in $/mile more than repair/car value. You can sell the car for more money since it’s running well. Otherwise you have to take the hit of selling a broken car, taxes on another car, AS WELL AS a risk that your new car could have a problem assuming you buy used. And if you buy new that is NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER going to save money in the long run. NEVER. But it can be nice (I like new cars heh, but I know they cost me.)

The Dummy Gummy > DynamicWeight
05/10/2016 at 11:41

Really really good advice. I’m going to take the car in Wednesday, so I’m not positive it will need a replacement/rebuild, but from past experience it just feels like it. I hope I am wrong though! After reading the responses and thinking about it more, as long as the cost is under $2,500 I’m going to pull the trigger and hope the car will last me another 75,000 miles after it is fixed.

I can’t justify a lightly used car purchase/monthly payment right now (which would be around $20k). I could fix this car and be set. Plus I love this little beater. I’d love to see it make 200-250k miles.

The Dummy Gummy > DynamicWeight
05/11/2016 at 11:36

I put it up myself and found the issue at hand before I went any further with it. A couple of the lines rotted and it was leaking fluid! Pretty sure everything will be good after fixed.

DynamicWeight > The Dummy Gummy
05/11/2016 at 18:33

BOOM BABY! What a relief. Go SUBY GO