When do you get to the point where you say the repairs are costing more than you are willing to pay for your car? It seems like it has been one thing after another constantly with this car. Just really starting to hit my wallet hard lately. Had an engine mount let go ($300 for each mount) $60 of headlights this month, ignition switch is going bad, VATS system is acting up. Dealer diagnosed ignition switch is the culprit and that it'd be $350 to fix. I did a VATS bypass instead and it worked for about a month but now every once and a while I still can't start the car and have to wait 3 minutes and try again (sometimes it takes up to 3 tries and over 10 minutes just to get the car started... I'm tired of being late all the time because of this retarded anti-theft system.) Dealer is now saying that another common problem is the PCM failing ($400.) I'm having some other issues too besides just the VATS such as wierd drivability problems that are apparently associated with a bad PCM. ABS/traction has been flaky sometimes making the ABS light/traction light to come on and sometimes work when not needed, or not work at all. Apparently this is a bad ABS module (somewhere around $1000 to replace.) My gas gauge quit working so the fuel pump has to be replaced WITH the sending unit ($300)
To Top it all off the transmission has started to slip sometimes between the 1-2 shift. It'* fine until you get on the gas and the transmission decides to shfit right as you step on it resulting in the RPM'* flying up then it taking off. (it'* really wierd because sometimes it is totally fine, but if you shut the car off, turn it back on and drive it sometimes will shift rough after the restart. I don't understand why some times when you drive it drives flawlessly, other times it shifts rough.)
This is probably close to $2000 in repairs right now and this isn't even including all of the things that I have done previously. If I included that, I'm sure that my repairs on this car are probably as much as I PAID FOR THE CAR!
Maybe I"m just not used to an "expensive" car but damn.. My 88 LeSabre managed to last 7 years with only $1000 in repairs total in that amount of time and was still in beautiful shape when I sold it with 156,000 miles. (it only broke down once too.)


With that long rant, when do you make the judgement of when enough is enough?

Well, I have come to the conclusion that I should've sold this car a LONG time ago. I paid $1800 for my STE and have sense put ~$2500 in it...and I bought it in December of last year. However, it is cheaper for me to fix the little problems when they go wrong then buy a new car. Its really up to you to decide when enough is enough. I have pretty much decided that there is no reason selling this car now, since I would only get about $2k out of it, and I have $4k+ into it. Although if someone offered me $4k for it today, they would be driving it.

Shawn

I can relate. My son'* car is in the shop again. My thoughts for our situation is that we have replaced just about everything there is to replace so the car is like new but just has a few bugs to work out. I think it would be worse to get another car and not know what is wrong with it. My son has done quite a bit of the work with my dad so the expense hasn't been too bad but there have been some expensive trips to the mechanic as well. I think you just need to weigh the pro'* from the con'*.

Last time I added it up I had $5500 into a car I bought for $800. How much do you want the car?

Now THATS loyalty!

I too am guilty of dumping more into a car than its worth. I have only regretted it on one occasion. Every penny spent on that 93 Escort wagon LOL

I can so relate it'* not funny...

Let'* see...
Oh yea, I get sad every time I think of how much I've put into my car

I hear ya, man. Got my car for $1400, put at least that into it at this point.

Now you know why I'm looking for a new car

But don't take that as an indication of what to do, of course. I'm crazy and I don't like money, after all

But know that at least one person out there "feels your pain" if you will





I can't believe I used that phrase in seriousness. Someone shoot me...