When is it time to get a new car?

[CountryWolf07]

Your car is 15 years old so it's bound to be having problems now. Have a good mechanic that you can trust check it out and tell you what things are imperative to have repaired so that you can at least drive safely. If you find yourself in the shop more than out, I'd say to start seriously looking.

Yeah, I have been finding myself going to our good friend who is a mechanic, every time I am home and every time my car has been home, it always had to get repaired. I'm going to start seriously looking, and hopefully find something.

[Catty1]

I think the health of the engine is the most important thing. Would your mechanic friend run a compression test for you?

Is it burning oil? (Is there BLUE in the exhaust?)

I had a 14 - year - old Honda Civic that I sadly sold several years ago...I kept up the oil changes, and added some great stuff from the PowerUp people (more on that is you want). Brakes and exhaust and tires will have to be done on any car. So ask your mechanic friend for his opinion.

BTW - My now-nearly 20-year-old Honda is still cruising the city streets - I know it by a unique bumper sticker!

[Catlady711]

My rules for when to buy a new car:

It's time to buy a new car when.....

1) the repairs will cost a small fortune, more than the car's trade in value is.

2) I can no longer rely on the car running, or do not trust it to take me on long trips.

3) it smokes, stinks, rattles, is unsafe, or in general looks/acts like a running junk yard escapee.

4) it's needing alot of minor repairs but the total of them will cost a small fortune or repairs will cost more than the payments on a new one.

5) When any of the above are starting to be realized and there's a super, super sale at the car lot.

6) I can still get some money back from my car without having to PAY someone to tow it away as junk.

I average about 10 years and over 100,000 miles on my vehicles when I trade them in.