Cars are stupid.

[JennK13]

Yes, it should be a no brainer!! But it is hard, especially since we're originally from Southern California, and "nobody walks in LA!" much less rides Fortunately, we're in CO, now, where it's "normal"

[zoom-zoom]

I want to blow DH's car up. His CEL lit, again. So maybe it was the oxygen sensor, but that was replaced and now something else is flaking out. For now we're going to ignore my car's CEL. It's not a sensor or directly related to the operation of the vehicle, so it's just going to have to wait a month or two. My 60k mile tune-up is in a couple thousand miles, so it will wait until then.

Cars are not just stupid, they down-right suck.

[Crankin]

If your car is eleven years old and is needing all of these repairs, then, it's time to buy a new one, or just get rid of it.

[Tri Girl]

Ugh- cars DO suck!

I have a 2001 Camry. Great car, but things are starting to go wrong.
In December we replaced the O2 sensors and the catalytic converter (not cheap) because apparently that's what was making the check engine light come on for 6 months. Replaced it, and 2 weeks later the check engine light came back on. Ugh. Being frustrated, I just put electrical tape over it so I can't see it. It's been 7 months and I'm not taking it back in. When the engine explodes I'll do something about it. With 130K miles on it, I'll take my chances.

Funny thing, tho, yesterday I noticed the check engine light magically was turned off. I think the Camry healed itself!

I work 3 miles from home, so if I had to- I could be car-free and only do the errands that require the car in the evenings or on weekends with DH's 1994 Ford F 150.

Sure, I would love a fancy new car, but I would not love the car payment, the insurance or the expensive car tag every year. I'm too cheap to buy a new one (or too practical).

[zoom-zoom]

If your car is eleven years old and is needing all of these repairs, then, it's time to buy a new one, or just get rid of it.

My car is 4.5 and what's wrong with mine is a relatively stupid, minor thing. Hubby's car, less so. I agree that buying new or newer might make more sense, but a car payment would likely cost more than what we're putting into that car, now (and the bulk of what we're spending on his car is brake-related, which will happen to any car at regular intervals...like replacing tires). I think we got spoiled by the last 5 years not having to spend much at all on car maintenance.

11 years really isn't THAT old for a car, either, IMO (though the "disposable" nature of some cars in recent years would have us thinking that). Especially not a car with a Japanese engine. We've been known to drive cars for quite a bit longer than that. Hubby's '89 Honda Civic was closing-in on 20 when we sold it to a neighbor kid. We mainly sold it because DH's mother gave him his current car (Mazda 626) when his dad died. And the Civic was just a 2-door and not practical with a growing kid.

[sfa]

We went through a similar thing with our 1998 Subaru a couple of months ago--engine light came on, car kept hesitating and was slow to start, so we took it to the mechanic. After three weeks, two garages, some DIY work, and roughly $2,000 it's more or less fixed. I hate cars. And yes, I kept thinking "I could get a new bike for this." OTOH, my bike is 20 years old and has no mechanical problems. What's wrong with this picture?

We'd love to replace the car--it's at the point where we know that ongoing repairs are going to start being more expensive than a car payment. But we're not quite there yet, and DH has been unemployed for over a year so there's no way we can afford (or qualify for) a car loan, and no way we can scrape together the cash to pay for a used car that's any better or more reliable than what we have.

Sarah

[Crankin]

I guess that's what I meant; when the cost of fixing starts being more than the cost of a new or new/used car, it's time to start thinking about what's cost effective. Also, the pure pain in the azz aspect of having to take a car in for repairs frequently is something to consider. I find that cars are much more reliable today, than say, 20 years ago. The last 2 cars I've had required almost no repairs, except for regular maintenance. I find that a lot of people do not maintain their cars, and then end up paying more in the end. Not saying that you do that, but, around here, it seems common.
My car is 7.5 years old and since it only has about 60K miles on it, I'll probably keep it for another couple of years. I am not "enamored" of cars the way I am with bikes, but I like to have a nice one. My next car will probably be more utilitarian. DH, on the other hand, loves car stuff as much as his bike. He has 2 cars...

[zoom-zoom]

I find that cars are much more reliable today, than say, 20 years ago. The last 2 cars I've had required almost no repairs, except for regular maintenance. I find that a lot of people do not maintain their cars, and then end up paying more in the end. Not saying that you do that, but, around here, it seems common.

My last car was the most reliable car ever to sit in our driveway--a '97 Ford Escort. When it was about 9 years old the A/C died...which was partly a design flaw. Ford had some sort of thermostat that prevented the A/C from being used if it was <50º, which meant that it went unused for months at a time in MI. An unused A/C system ends up with seals that don't get lubricated from use.

That was the ONLY issue we had with that car in over 200k miles of use. When we sold it it was ~11 and we really only got rid of it because it was becoming too small as our kid grew. We essentially gave it to a friend who hit hard times as both she and her hubby were in college.

[Becky]

I want to blow DH's car up. His CEL lit, again. So maybe it was the oxygen sensor, but that was replaced and now something else is flaking out.

It's not uncommon for there to be a "knock sensor" downstream from the O2 sensor. According to my mechanic, they throw the same error code on the diagnostic computer, at least for a 1997 Subaru. My last car needed both and, since they're buried in the engine, it was only marginally more expensive to do both than it was to do one.

I'm not saying that the O2 sensor didn't need replacing, just that the knock sensor may be shot too.

[OakLeaf]

Our CE light comes on when the O2 sensor gets wet.

We generally make it a priority to take care of the CE light immediately, since it indicates an emissions fault. But considering that it seems to work fine when it's dry - and that the exhaust heat keeps it dry unless we're driving in snow or deep puddles - we're choosing to ignore this one for the time being.

DH is talking about a new car. I am totally not ready for one yet. He grew up in a self-made family where waste seemed to be a way of proving to themselves that they were no longer struggling. I've been working on bringing him 'round to my family's way of thinking

[zoom-zoom]

I'm not saying that the O2 sensor didn't need replacing, just that the knock sensor may be shot too.

Yeah, that's our guess, too...another sensor. Since he had the O2 replaced the car has run better, so that definitely seemed to be an issue, too.