Get a new car or stick it out?

[Treeloy]

I bought my car in 2011 for $13,000, used. Its a 2007 and it had 56,000km on it. Now it has 111,000km. I dont drive a lot.

My car was in great condition when I bought it. Now its rusting at the back, and has a big dent in the side that looks like a golf ball could fit inside it. The heated seat no longer works and there is a piece of metal that pierced through my seat which I had to cover with a sock and some duck tape. Felt like you got stabbed if you sat on it (terrible seat design).

Ive had problems here and there like any other car but a big problem happened a few years ago. My rack and pinion steering broke and needed to be replaced. It cost me 1k.

Now 4 years later it broke again. Going to cost me another 1k.

Would you fix it or buy another car? It still has really low mileage (110,000 kilometers is not much)

I have 10k in the bank so im not super broke. I was thinking if I get another new car I might grab a used hyundai elantra for 13k with 50-70k kilometers on it.

Would it be worth it though? Should I just fix my car? What would you do

UPDATE: took car to GM, and they agreed to fix my car since a mechanic fixed it the first time before my recall notice. they are going to fix all the recall problems!

 

[HARRISON_3]

Make? Model?

 

[Treeloy]

Make? Model?

Saturn Aura XE, v6 3.5l, leather interior

 

[mb23100]

Saturn Aura XE, v6 3.5l, leather interior

I didng k ow there were still Saturns on the road anymore

 

[Treeloy]

I didng k ow there were still Saturns on the road anymore

Well saturn is out of business now but yeah. I think they stopped making Auras in 2009

 

[Sir Galahad]

Leasing is a way to go.

 

[quatin]

Rack and pinions don't just break all the time. You need to figure out what keeps making it break.

The standard for all used cars is drive it until a repair is worth more than the car.

 

[mushishi]

Well saturn is out of business now but yeah. I think they stopped making Auras in 2009

Wouldn't the company being out of business be a tip off as to not buy that car?

How much can you sell it for? How much can you spend on a new car?

 

[Treeloy]

Rack and pinions don't just break all the time. You need to figure out what keeps making it break.

The standard for all used cars is drive it until a repair is worth more than the car.

There was a problem with the steering racks for this model. After my steering broke the first time, I got a recall notice from GM 6months later about the rack and pinion. I had already replaced it though.

Now it happened again. There is a little cap at the bottom of the steering rack. In both cases the cap broke and leaks power steering fluid. It cant be fixed and needs to be replaced.

 

[Treeloy]

Wouldn't the company being out of business be a tip off as to not buy that car?

How much can you sell it for? How much can you spend on a new car?

I could sell it for 3-4k as is im guessing. Dont know I havent looked in to it.

I wont spend more than 13k on a new (used) car. I think cars are the biggest waste of money. 13k will get me a decent vehicle off lease with 50-70k kilometers. I dont need anything better and I dont drive a lot.

Actually I might have to fix it either way in order to sell it.

 

[mushishi]

I could sell it for 3-4k as is im guessing. Dont know I havent looked in to it.

I wont spend more than 13k on a new (used) car. I think cars are the biggest waste of money. 13k will get me a decent vehicle off lease with 50-70k kilometers. I dont need anything better and I dont drive a lot.

Actually I might have to fix it either way in order to sell it.

Smart thinking; cars are liabilities, not assets. Don't know how you feel about Japanese cars, but the Hondas and Acuras I've had have been pretty solid, with only minor issues in 10-15 years.

 

[Treeloy]

Smart thinking; cars are liabilities, not assets. Don't know how you feel about Japanese cars, but the Hondas and Acuras I've had have been pretty solid, with only minor issues in 10-15 years.

I like hondas and acuras but they are a little more expensive.

I may just have to fix the car, keep it and hope nothing else goes wrong with it. I dont really like it anymore though. 1k to fix my car damnit. I almost feel like riding a bicycle and saying fuck cars.

Gas, insurance, repairs, oil change, the potential for an accident, tickets etc.. Hate it.

I could ride my bicycle to work in 10-15mins. Winters in canada are brutal though.

 

[mjmj]

To be honest, that's a lot to put into the car considering it's not worth more than that once fixed. If there was a recall, you should still be able to have it fixed. I'd look into it. As long as parts are available, and there are, they'll pay to fix it.

 

[Treeloy]

To be honest, that's a lot to put into the car considering it's not worth more than that once fixed. If there was a recall, you should still be able to have it fixed. I'd look into it. As long as parts are available, and there are, they'll pay to fix it.

They already reimbursed me the first time. I brought the receipt to them and they sent me a cheque in the mail. I dont think they would help again.

 

[Only Here for Attachments]

Anything spent on it at this point is a loss.

 

[Treeloy]

To be honest, that's a lot to put into the car considering it's not worth more than that once fixed. If there was a recall, you should still be able to have it fixed. I'd look into it. As long as parts are available, and there are, they'll pay to fix it.

Maybe I lowballed. I think the car coukd sell for 5k if fixed

 

[mjmj]

They already reimbursed me the first time. I brought the receipt to them and they sent me a cheque in the mail. I dont think they would help again.

Okay, I didn't realize they paid for the first one. I'm not sure how that would work.

 

[mushishi]

I like hondas and acuras but they are a little more expensive.

I may just have to fix the car, keep it and hope nothing else goes wrong with it. I dont really like it anymore though. 1k to fix my car damnit. I almost feel like riding a bicycle and saying fuck cars.

Gas, insurance, repairs, oil change, the potential for an accident, tickets etc.. Hate it.

I could ride my bicycle to work in 10-15mins. Winters in canada are brutal though.

I feel the same way about riding bikes to work, except there's a "mountain" between me and my office. I want to get an electric fat bike and commute, something like the Juiced HyperFat:



or RadRover:

 

[Treeloy]

I feel the same way about riding bikes to work, except there's a "mountain" between me and my office. I want to get an electric fat bike and commute, something like the Juiced HyperFat:



or RadRover:

Yeah I tried running last summer and after 100m I was collapsing. Not sure I could even do a 15min bike ride. Theres a hill on the way

 

[MoparOrNoCar]

Maybe I lowballed. I think the car coukd sell for 5k if fixed

I looked at my local craigslist and there's a clean ass one thats been on there for a couple weeks for $3500 so 5k might be a little generous. Plus you said it has rust, which kills the value regardless of how well it runs.

I'm all about keeping cars, but I would stop putting money into the Saturn since it seems like it's fairly unreliable. Although I have to be honest, it doesn't seem like you take the best care of it either. Rust in the back and metal sticking through the seat? That shit should be taken care of before you start busting out the duct tape and all that.

Elantra's aren't a bad car but they are slow as hell. The one's I've driven are completely gutless. If you don't care about that then it's not a bad purchase. Personally, I'd look for a Toyota. A Toyota with 120k on it is equivalent to a Saturn with 50k.