Both my cars broke down 3 hours apart, what are the chances?

[liberal N proud]

Last edited Thu Jun 7, 2012, 10:12 AM - Edit history (1)

My daughter was out with her friends in her mothers car when it quit. She called me and I hurried to her location to help her, get a tow truck and haul her friends home. This happened at 11 PM. By 2 AM I had the car at the shop and her friends home, I was on the way home in my car when something went pop under the hood and it died. I called the tow truck again (no group discounts). I got home just in time to take a shower and be at work by 6:30.

That is how I needed my vacation, so much for stress relief.

Still waiting to see if either car can be repaired, pretty sure the one can't. So here I sit, now car and my wife is being a pain about replacing the dead one.

She thinks we should do whatever it takes to fix a 12 year old car with 190,000 miles on it. Yes the stress here is so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

Any body have experience leasing a car?


UPDATE ON ONE OF THE CARS:

My wifes car will be fixed today, it was a fuel pump failure. NO engine damage Whew!

[NightWatcher]

1. Don't lease. The costs on the back end are killer

If you can't find a decent used car, see if you can finance a small cheap (corolla or Kia) for enough years to make it doable.

Good luck. I hate having to buy a new car.

[jakeXT]

2. What? No wishes for a new kitchen?

Today I was disassembling an engine where a timing chain destroyed a small part of the rocker cover.
A repair would cost a couple of thousands, because they would pretty much change the whole engine.
It would be cheap if I can repair it, otherwise a new car is the right way.

[liberal N proud]

7. I am waiting for the third hammer to drop.

[HeiressofBickworth]

3. What are the chances?

Looks like yours were 100%. Sorry for your losses. I remember reading on DU a few years ago a fellow said he always bought older used cars, used them until they quit, then bought another. He figured that all together, his cost was less than repairs to keep one of them going. I had that situation with my beloved 1978 Honda Accord with 230,000+ miles on it (I bought it new). It hadn't cost me much to keep it running but when it finally died, the repair costs would have been more than it was worth. So, I bought a used car for $750, ran that for a couple of years (without repairs) until it finally died, then I bought a one-year old car which is now 11 years old and running just fine.

Side note: It was summer when I had the hauler tow away my 78' Accord. I picked flowers from my garden to put under the windshield wipers to show my appreciation of the twenty years of service the car gave me. I asked the guy what was going to happen to the car. He said "it will become an organ donor".

[kcass1954]

4. Are you sure that they can't be repaired?

If your car has overall been a good vehicle with not many repairs, consider a major repair. It might be much cheaper than a new vehicle.

Mr. k drives a 97 F150. The odo quit several years ago at 168-something. In the last five years, we have done usual maintenance, and two big repairs.

We had the engine rebuilt 4 years ago for $2200. The truck has a V6 - much to small for the size of the truck - Mr. k calls it all of the shitty gas mileage of a V8 with none of the get-up-and-go. We had it done by some guy in Hialeah who was recommended by our mechanic.

In December, we did the transmission for $2000. Mr. k took it in before it got too bad, so there wasn't much damage. This guy was also recommended by our mechanic.

We had brakes, oil changes and tires, but we would have those expenses regardless of the vehicle's age.

Leasing comes with a whole new set of problems. If you go over your miles allowance, you'll get nailed for the excess. Different leasing companies have different standards on "acceptable" damages when you turn in the unit. A parking lot ding might cost a ton in surcharges.

[liberal N proud]

5. The one car is at the end of it's life

It was a good car but suddenly fell apart. The engine was the one good thing about it until something snapped. It is 12 years old and has not really cost me much other than normal maintenance such as oil, breaks timing belt and struts. Those are worn out again, the cv joints are bad, tires are shot, the interior is falling apart and rust is taking hold. The question is, how much do you put into a 12 year old vehicle knowing you could be doing it again next month? Add all the known things that need attention and it is quite a chunk.

The other car is 8 years old and could require a new engine, the mechanic playing worst case said the lifters could be bent or the valves could have hit the pistons. The verdict is still out on this one.

The miles on leasing do concern me as I drive a lot.

[RebelOne]

6. Yes, I know how you feel.

My car would not start today. Fortunately, I have AAA. I called them and the service guy came out and jumped the battery and then did an analysis and found that the battery was weak. Everything else checked out OK. I was going to take the car to my garage, but I took the car down to my local Auto Zone where I had bought my last battery. Luckily, there was still some time left on my warranty, so I got a $16 rebate toward a new battery. It is hell to break down. It has happened to me many times. That is why I keep my membership with AAA.

[liberal N proud]

8. Yes we have AAA Gold.

They were confused when I called twice in 3 hours.

We had to have one car towed 30 miles, Gold pays when that happens.

[mrmpa]

9. I recommend the following...........

Before I tell you about a good way to buy a used car, I will share my experiences. In 2010 I bought my first new car since 1987. I had 3 Fords, an Explorer, a Taurus and a Ranger. I traded each of them in when they each got close to 130,000 miles. Bought each of them with about 60-70,000 miles on them. Other than batteries, brakes and tires I never needed any expensive work done on them.

In 2010, I broke down and bought a new VW, I figure this will be the last new car I will ever buy.

Now, how do you get a good price. If you belong to AAA, go to their web site and you will see a link for AAA pricing. Using this site you will be able to price the kind of car you want, either new or used and it will show you the price and which dealers in your area that have that car available.

I used AAA pricing for my VW, the vehicle was listed at $34,000 and I bought it AAA priced at $23,000. The reason it was so low, was because I bought it in September and Dealers were trying to get rid of old inventory.

Hope this helps.

BTW, don't lease.

[liberal N proud]

10. Thanks for reminding me on the AAA pricing.

I also have a supplier discount with Ford Chrysler and GM through work.

[raccoon]

12. thanks for the heads up. nt

[raccoon]

11. I say, don't fix the 12-year-old car. My experience:

I spend lots of money on repairs trying to maintain an '86 Corolla. Finally let it go in 2004 with
250,000 miles. It was a good car, but in the last few years I spent too much fixing this and that and the
other. Plus it had become unreliable--broke down on the interstate several times. And in town.

Things were going wrong with it that the average person would never think of. Heard of a harmonic balancer?

The universe had to whack me up side the head before I got it: Replace the car!!!

One reason I waited so long was, I was scared of air bags and what they'd do to me if I were in a wreck.
I'm not any more.


Edited to add: I know, that wasn't your question. I just don't want you to waste any more $ fixing the old car--the way I did.

[liberal N proud]

13. I do not want to fix the 12 year old car

But my wife has been so adamant about keeping this car that she has stalled me on trading it for 3 years. I did exactly what I said I was going to do and called her when it broke down and let her take care of it. She had it towed to the shop. The universe needs to whack her upside the head because she is completely unwilling to buy another car. She has been saying next year for 3 years (I know that next year never comes).

Believe it or not, I do know what a harmonic balancer is.

[raccoon]

14. Well, too bad she's wasting money fixing up an old car. nt

[hunter]

16. My car is 27 years old.

I don't wash it, but I do keep the windows clean.

Cars don't rust here; it's the climate.

Someday I'd like to live in a place I don't need a car, a place where nobody needs a car.

I hate them.

[HopeHoops]

15. Are you kidding? That's the most LIKELY scenario. Murphey rules!

[AnneD]

17. Depends on your checking account balance.......

Our cars seem to know ours better than we do at times.

[HappyMe]

18. Large appliances do the same thing.