well done bro . Nice car . I bought are version 6 sti with low km I'm never selling it . I paid cash im 29 . Plus I have 80k saved up . Btw your car soaring up in value in japan mine is too
That's awesome.. I don't believe in consumer debt..I never gotten my self into debt till I turned 35. I bought apartments as an investment (needed the debt). I put also like 30% down-payment on each one. I own a vw golf, and now I'm going to downgrade to a skoda. Never get myself into something too deep. Baby steps. Prudent steps.
Another thing is when you have a new car you tend to stress over who drives it or worry about scratches. Once its at 150k miles u care less. If ur lil sister who is 17 wants to drive it ur like whateva or if someone dings it when opening the door
1. When repair cost is more than a car is worth. or 2. Safety becomes a factor or 3. When you start asking yourself will my car make it from point A to point B
I am not afraid to put more into a vehicle than it is worth. I bought a 17 year old truck for $1000, drove it for 10 years and put $5000 into it. Reman engine, transmission, tires and brakes. That was 14 years ago. I seriously doubt I could have purchased a $5000 truck and done that and still have life left in it like this one does.
@@scottcurry479 Yeah you couldn't have, that was a good decision even at the $5k cost. If you can drive a car for $2k a year in cost or less you're doing better and cheaper than 95% of all Americans.
When it becomes too unreliable and makes you miss time from work. Some people don't get paid for time off. Sometimes you have to include the cost a good, safe and reliable car as a transportation expense.
Ha! I had a paper route as a second or third job and the clutch went out on a Saturday, probably because of the paper route. My mechanic could not fix it in-time, I could not get a rental, I let my supervisor know as soon as possible and drove the mechanic's wife's bike eight or nine miles each way with a tire that kept going back so I could pre-fold. I made sure the manager know she needed to cover me. They fired me for missing my route. I think that I lost money with that job. I did not miss it!
Same I have a Honda 1995 with 200k miles barely. But the last guy replaced everything from clutch, timing belt, pumps, coil over suspension, etc etc so I can’t justify selling it to get a $10,000 car
My 1992 Accord lasted until 2005. I had maintained it immaculately. Then it got some weird wiring short that couldn't be diagnosed. The car shut off on the road several times. I traded it very soon afterwards. It had maybe 160k miles.
@@marknc9616 23 years on any car is hitting the lottery I think Honda's from that Era were still ironing out the bugs. Honda has a solid rep now which is why you see them everywhere. My daughter drives a 98 Prelude and refuse to get rid of it.
coffeeinthemorning Honda’s, generally speaking, tend to have less major repairs AND less known major repairs needed. Modern Subaru’s are notorious for head gaskets and cvt failures around 150K miles.
@DrgnFlys The beauty of having 50 states is that if you really hate one, just leave or dont live there. Policies wont change drastically until, more people are LEAVING Cali than STAYING. I hate anyone who whines about any certain states.
G K ....WHY do you care if that “person” is yelling (or talks down) at you? Something WRONG with enjoying a brand new truck? I am clearly missing something....
@@bluestonemetallic7 Buying a new car is stupid on steroids according to Dave unless you can pay for it cash, and even then you should really have the savings. New car loans tanked the financial situation of the majority of callers for the Ramsey show.
G K....usually those folks who called, all seem to have certain financial “situations”. In general, he really needs to “tone it down” with his strong opinion on certain financial subjects. At the end-of-the day...with wealth of info/knowledge out there....I like to think people can make the right (or sound decisions). Remember, life is kinda short to drive a boring vehicle or vehicle you dislike. Lastly, if one has a good “career or job”, I say “why not”! It NOT like somebody is making $2K per month with $600+ monthly car payments. NOW...that’s NOT a good financial position to be in, and needs to wise up. Just my $0.02 cents though.
@@MrBigGStyle - I usually buy new cars but I also keep them for a long time (8 years and 16 years on the two I have now). Buying a used car that was poorly maintained can be a nightmare.
Dave is absolutely correct. It is really never worth getting rid of car that's paid for unless it needs significant engine repair work. I have 2003 volkswagen passat and few years ago it seemed like things were breaking down with it. But when I look back those repairs were about $800 for year (two years in row) but if I got new car with monthly payments of $400 - those repairs would only amount to two months of new car payments. Drive that car until you can no longer even look at it....then its time.
Engine replacement is 5k or so for most cars. Less if you can do it yourself. On newer cars electrical work can get pricey but still, as he says, that math of car replacement is really hard to justify on pure economic terms. About the only time to replace the car is for safety, such as frame damage or
Honestly, the main issue is reliably and the value of my time. As my car hit 10 years this past year, it kept breaking once a month or more from April to September. The A/C kept dying followed soon by engine idle failure. I think I spent $2k on repairs, but the time was the real issue. It was in the shop for about half that time with me driving my old truck to work. If I didn’t have a truck, the rental costs would have been terrible. So much weekend time was burnt waiting for the shuttle to and from the car repair place. I broke down, cleaned out the car, said my goodbyes and bought a new base model car cash. On paper it was a terrible financial decision, but my mental health has greatly improved knowing I have a reliable vehicle again.
What god awful car did you buy? A Doge/Jeep or GM product or a JLR or Stellantis product? Seriously no 10 year old car should be that bad unless you skipped lots of routine maintaince.
We are going on our second year with our 2005 Camery. We fixed some small rust spots changed the fluids replaced a head gasket and it has over 424.000 miles on it. So far so good. 😊
Dave's never had a dodge caravan. repairs will eat you alive. my cost per mile was through the roof on a $10k paid off caravan. toyota sienna man, that's the way to go
I had a 2002 Caravan flex fuel. It wasn't too bad if you can do the work yourself. The biggest repaid I did was head gaskets. I did it at home and it ran fine for another 2+ years. Then the torque converter went out and we had to get rid of it.
Gregory Wireman same story. I have a 2003 dodge caravan amd recently change the head gasket. Now the check engine turn on indicating the torque converter is going bad ):
Once you hear the whine from the TC you'll know you are cooked. We sold it for scrap, they came and picked it up, we got $200 for it. Even though I repaired it a lot it was still worth it versus monthly payment + insurance costs for a new car.
05 Grand Caravan with rust issues but maintenance free for 4 years. 08 TC no issues at all in 2 years, just bought 09 TC Touring 2 weeks ago. I look Iike I own a dodge chrysler dealership. My 05 simply wont die (mechanically). I dont want to donate a rust issue so its just me and her against the world. Selling my '08
Honda with 183,000? Man, you can still ride it to 500,000! Dude those are awesome vehicles. Hondas last a lifetime. I still see people today driving Toyotas and Hondas from the 90s. Crazy reliability.
heyitsablackguy Yep. I have a '98 Toyota that runs just fine. I'll THINK about replacing at around 400k miles, but only because my youngest will be getting his license around that time and will want to buy it from me.
I'm dealing with this issue right now I have a 2003 Honda crv with 163,000 miles but I'm starting to have issues, awhile back my a/c compressor blew up on i10 and I almost wrecked, and now I'm having a lot of electrical issues, I don't want to keep dumping money into it but at the same time I love not having payments.
I have a 2009 Toyota already with a 184,433 miles on it. It's alot of miles for a car that's not even 10 years old. It's all highway miles meaning it's going to last even more longer as highway miles only makes up 10% of the wear and tear of City stop and go miles.
Properly maintained vehicles can last well into the 300k mileage range. I know a mechanic who's taken a few 90's Volvos past 500k miles. Resale will be squadoosh, but who cares, it shouldn't be an investment in the first place.
Oil and blinker fluid is really all you need. The rest of the stuff is just there for upsale. ;) Nah, start by checking all of your fluids, if the color isn't what it should be, change it. I would degrease your engine and everything I could before that though. That way if there is a leak anywhere, it'll be easier to spot. Oil, transmission, coolant, power steering, brake, differential(s), tire pressure, etc. Another thing you should do is check your PCV valve/system. It's a small part that's pretty easy to replace on most vehicles. If that gets plugged or isn't doing its job, you can damage your main seals, which require significant work to replace. Anyway, pay attention to how it drives too. Is it shifting hard? Is it puffing out white or blue/grey smoke when it's running? Do you hear any weird hissing noises coming from under the hood? Look up youtube vids and browse through the car forums about any issues you might be having with it. The internet is a wonderful thing. There is tons of good information out there if you look for it. Also, take a look at your vehicle's recommended maintenance schedule. A lot of the schedules are overkill IMHO, but if you've never done any of the things on there, it might be worth it to start paying extra attention to that. Cheers.
Yes but what kind of life is it to drive a car that old and with that many miles? No one will respect you and they will likely laugh. I don't want to be seen like that, and I think it's important to replace the car way before that.
ACR hahaha you serious? Do you think respect comes from your car? Real respect comes from making a plan and handling your business. Do whatever you want. I have 3 vehicles that are all 200k+ mileage. They all run like champs and life with no car payments is fan freakin tastic. Cheers.
So instead you go buy a $5000 car. And within a year you've already put 500 to a $1000 into it in repairs. And that's not even mentioning how much the car decreased in value. I don't like Dave's advice. I think a better car is a better car even if it's going to cost you more money. But at the end of the day Dave Smith is objectively correct. If you're trying to build wealth and the car to you is nothing more than a tool, then daves strategy is the one to go with.
I don't know about the Dave's math example. I remember my parents putting 7K into a car that was worth about 2K in less than a year. Replacing the engine was the biggest piece (and was probably more than the value of the car), but there were several other things that happened. Dave may be right for any one repair, but when a car keeps having issues and you don't have the aptitude to fix it yourself, it can make financial sense to upgrade.
Eventually you have to cut your losses. Had a Saturn vue that kept giving me issues. Thousands later I sold it for a loss and bought a different car. Havent had any repairs needed since. Don't buy junk. If its costing you thousands to maintain get another vehicle.
He said almost never because most engines will make it to 300000 or more, which is 20 years for people living in the city. Obvious you should repair it if the repair costs more than the repaired car.
Had an 04 civic with 160k miles, tons of cosmetic issues, cracked windshield, minor suspension issues and leaking tiny bit of oil. Engine still ran like a champ. But jumped at the opportunity to get an 09 civic with 85k miles for 3k. Sold the old one for 1k. Feel like a made out pretty good
I will say because I'm sure there are others out there that have been where I've been that repairs do add up. I was a delivery driver for two full time positions driving over 1,000 miles per week during work alone. I had a beater that actually cost me an average of $350 per month in unexpected repairs alone. I did a capital budgeting analysis and found that borrowing $6,000 for a Camry (8 years old and with the highest reliability by consumer reports) I paid only $118 per month with no unexpected repairs and paid off my car with the additional $232. Just to remind folks special circumstances exist
I drive an old ford I had for 15 years. It's worth nothing but is reliable. It's all in the maintenance. The only mechanical thing that's let me down was the starter.
There is a certain point, I had a mustang and it was cheaper per mile to drive a brand new camry even if I had to pay 18k for the camry. Also the maintenance is substantially cheaper.
Great to have Dave's advice on car ownership/replacement. Sounds so logical when he explains things. My totally reliable 2014 Hyundai IX35 (Tucson in USA) has lost 39% of its value in 2.5 years. Think in future its got to be a used car to minimise loses.
I purchased my one previous owner 1995 Lexus SC400 in 2005 with 120,000 for $6750 cash. Fifteen years later, it has 340,842 miles and counting with original engine and transmission. The only major repairs done in fifteen years was the replacement of two alternators, two starters, the original CV axel, and most recently the original front wheel bearings.
one of the missing things in this analysis is the importance of finding an honest and competent mechanic (which will probably not be at a dealership). my mechanic told me not to put anymore money in to my past vehicle because it just wasn't worth it at that point. a good mechanic is a life saver
My 2003 Honda Accprd has avout 390k on it and still goung. My younger sister's 2001 Honda Accord has probably 425k mile.on it....both still going good 👍👍👍
If you live in the rust belt and drive on salted roads every Winter, mileage becomes irrelevant. After 10 to 15 Winters the chassis and suspension become so rotted away they become hazardous to drive.
I drove my 97 Legacy until the repairs were going to be too much to justify...so I bought a 2004 Outback for less than I would have spent on repairs. ($1000 cash. $700 to get timing done. $282 taxes and reg) Still less than I would have spent to make the 97 keep going.
😮My beater car threw its timing chain tensioner last week. The dealership wanted $5,300 for a engine replacement with 173,000 miles on the replacement engine. I had 257,000 miles on that car. My car was 1999 Nissan Sentra. I put over $3,000 in that car over the last two years. I'm currently working on getting a newer car. The beater life is not worth the headache if you are mechanically inclined, or your friend is a mechanic. Find OEM or good aftermarket parts for a beater car is near impossible.
Dave I like how you mention the “hassle factor” of an older unreliable vehicle, however I believe that portion of the "mathematical equation" is being downplayed tremendously. The cost of repair is often times much more than just the repair itself, it's the down time, renting a vehicle while yours is in the shop, it's being stranded on the side of the road (which can cost you your life, I’ve seen several people hit and killed while stranded on the side of the road), it's medical bills due to an accident caused by an older vehicle that doesn't have safety features built in, it's being continually late for work because of another breakdown. I think it's much wiser/safer to buy a newer pre-owned vehicle that's already taken the huge depreciation hit, and keep it for 10+ years, then repeat.
My beater car threw its timing chain tensioner last week. The dealership wanted $5,3000 for a engine replacement with 173,000 miles on the replacement engine. I had 257,000 miles on that car. My car was 1999 Nissan Sentra. I put over $3,000 in that car over the last two years. I'm currently working on getting a newer car. The beater life is not worth the headache if you are mechanically inclined, or your friend is a mechanic. Find OEM or good aftermarket parts for a beater car is near impossible.
I have a 2000 Honda Accord SE that I bought in Sacramento and drove it home to Riverside and has been a reliable car. Have driven the car across the border several times without any issues. I just keep maintaining it.
It comes down to reliability. If it still starts up, runs and there are no major issues then I say keep going with it. What you don't want is something that is constantly breaking down.
reliability is key is some professions and if you have a car that breaks down, there may be a risk of losing an account due to a junker may not be wise.
mine was: i had 2000$ in bank 1300$ for new tires, muffller and springs. also road tax 500$ for that car =1800$ bought an other beater car for 1500$, road tax 78$ = 1578$ (1year waranty) also sold the old beater 300$ so that's a saving off 1800-1500=300 +300(trade in from old one) =600$ this year my muffler broke, and on this car it's only 120$ for a new one calculating it all, it costs me the same for this car for 2 years, as it would for the other one for one year. fuel economy is about the same, but the new one got a lot less hp than the old one. it also takes almost double the time to get from 0 to 60 mph But, then again, i don't care, i'm slowly getting out of debt
The moon is only about 252,500 miles away...Honda’s will run well past that if taken care of....my 97 Honda Accord has 398,000 miles on it and I sold it still running.....
Michael Laur - I have a 2016 Honda Accord Ex (paid off) with 55k and I’m already freaking out for having a lot of miles in it. Riding my 2008 Dodge Charger with 191 k until the wheels fall off ✋🏽
honda will run well past 200k if cared for.. even if did need an engine eventually total bill would be about 3-4 months of payments on a new one. not to mention new one drops in value so fast its not worth it.
Toyota beats Honda - I maintained both and Toyota is hands down easier to DIY repair. And according to Consumer Report, Toyota is the most reliable brand out there
agreed. Honda used to be top then they started cutting costs. pretty much avoid any Honda with an automatic transmission from the year 1999-2006. auto trans failures then avoid all Civics from the year 2006-2008 due to cylinder head cracks and rear suspension defects. i'm on trans #2 on my 2003 Civic and about to have to throw in trans #3. if I had a 2003 Corolla it would still be rolling on all original drivetrain b/c Toyota wasn't cheap and didn't put the filter internally to save a few bucks on the chassis design. that's right, on my Civic transmission the filter is internal and the only way to clean the filter is to drop the transmission, open it up and by that point if you're doing all of that it's likely bc your trans is shot and it's too late anyways. $500 in parts to rebuild, or for $400 on eBay you can have a pulled trans from japan (check VIN compatibility so you don't get error codes). free shipping. tested and guaranteed to run
I am the Juan and Only it's a 2000 Ford ranger I'm at 227k now 😂 haven't had a car payment in over 15 years baught it cash back in 2010 for $4k it had 133k
Same here! Bought my '01 4.0L XLT used with 130k miles. Has 194k now. Tows and hauls like a champ. Determined to see it past the 200k milestone. Great little trucks!
I had 348,000 on my 87 Ford Ranger before I had to replace it. Done about 4 full oil changes during this time, used Mobil One, every 3000 miles replaced the oil filter and added 1 qt of Mobil 1, sometimes I wonder if I would of hit 400,000 miles if I would of done a 5th or 6th full oil change. Only thing is the darn brakes, and clutch wore out about every 150, 000 miles.
150k miles on my 02 Hyundai Santa Fe, and I have absolutely no desire to move up in car. I don't even think a 1 million dollar net worth would motivate me to get a newer car. It works and it's paid for. That's all I need.
My beater car threw its timing chain tensioner last week. The dealership wanted $5,3000 for a engine replacement with 173,000 miles on the replacement engine. I had 257,000 miles on that car. My car was 1999 Nissan Sentra. I put over $3,000 in that car over the last two years. I'm currently working on getting a newer car. The beater life is not worth the headache if you are mechanically inclined, or your friend is a mechanic. Find OEM or good aftermarket parts for beater car is near impossible.
I beg to differ, given for a particular situation: I bought a 2002 Honda Civic brand new in 2002. In Fall, 2013, the transmission suddenly developed a catastrophic failure. The vehicle had 183+K on it, at the time that it died. The transmission design on my particular vehicle (assembled in Chicago) was later known to be a bad design which was later known to fail suddenly/spectacularly. Faced with a $2,200+ trannie replacement on a rebuilt transmission which was more than likely going to fail in just over 1 year, I chose to abandon it and buy another vehicle. Sure enough, a local garage bought my Civic and placed another transmission in it, which promptly failed in less than two weeks of installation. Bullet ducked, IMO. If the transmission/torque converter wasn't an ongoing issue, I would've replaced the faulty module in a heartbeat, but the problem was down to a bad transmission design, affecting multiple years and models. Throwing good money after bad, so to speak...!
My beater car threw its timing chain tensioner last week. The dealership wanted $5,3000 for a engine replacement with 173,000 miles on the replacement engine. I had 257,000 miles on that car. My car was 1999 Nissan Sentra. I put over $3,000 in that car over the last two years. I'm currently working on getting a newer car. The beater life is not worth the headache if you are mechanically inclined, or your friend is a mechanic. Find OEM or good aftermarket parts for beater car is near impossible.
Had a friend that their van died the month after it was payed off. Repair bill was $1500-$2k to fix. Instead of handing the bank their title and getting a 6-8 month loan to fix it and drive it who knows another 2-3 yrs before a major breakdown they traded in and got right back into payments. Repairs are cheaper than payments!
brs rafal cue the legendary corolla. just avoid those 1999,2000,2001 or around there style and year of honda odysseys they have an inherent transmission problem by design (mines going into the ground at 221k slipping accelleration, hesitating decelleration)
TheBishop12 just sold my 1996 Honda passport because of the transmission problem. It's almost dangerous when a transmission constantly slips when you need to accelerate.
Just bought a 2004 Honda civic GX (natural gas) 32mpg average Gas is $2.25-$2.50/gallon (California) $500 Put 2k into it and it's running like a champ Exterior: 7 out of 10 Interior: 7 out of 10 Super happy. $12 fill up I get about 150-200miles No car payments. Don't care about having cool v8. Freedom.
It's very interesting to see how different things are in the US. I live in Rome Italy, and I will bring an example (in US dollars): whenever you buy an used car, you pay minimum $ 650 in tax to the "state", just for buying the car. This is obviously a burden for many people and one of the reasons why we have maybe the highest car average age in Europe, as you should pay for this every time you buy a used car. Ownership tax, for a normal diesel car is around $ 300 per year. If you car provides more than 150 hp, then it gets progressively more expensive. Insurance depends highly on where you live, your age and whether you caused accidents in the last 5 years. As an example, for a 02 Volvo S40 1.9D I pay in excess of $ 1,100 per year in Rome, with 0 accidents and 30 years of age. Diesel costs at minimum $ 1.90 per liter which is about $ 7.26 per US gallon. No one drives petrol/gasoline anymore as it costs 20% more than diesel. Every other year you should get the car tested for pollution, about $ 100 should be delivered to the "state" for this. The average salary in Italy is $ 34,000, of which nearly half is eaten up by income tax. IVA (kinda like "Sales tax" in the US) is at 22 % on most products. Hope this was of any interest. Greetings from Pizzaland!
As such, with what you’ve provided for information, if you can’t use mass transit, a Vespa scooter is a good investment if you can’t walk there and back, and don’t need to take others or carry much.
I had a car for 18 years. Everyone asked... even my mechanic....when was I going to get rid of it. I would say I'm going to drive it till it pukes in the road. Well friends it finally did. Had a huge storm and 2 trees came down on top of that car in the driveway...18 years later.
My beater car threw its timing chain tensioner last week. The dealership wanted $5,3000 for a engine replacement with 173,000 miles on the replacement engine. I had 257,000 miles on that car. My car was 1999 Nissan Sentra. I put over $3,000 in that car over the last two years. I'm currently working on getting a newer car. The beater life is not worth the headache if you are mechanically inclined, or your friend is a mechanic. Find OEM or good aftermarket parts for a beater car is near impossible.
Many friends did that. Bought a classic beater, restored it to the max., works like new, and is still cheaper than new. But this takes time and some car know-how. If you don't want the hassle of building and restoring your car, just buy a gas-and-go one that wouldn't break the bank.
I completely agree about paying cash for a car, so don't get me wrong; my point is not everyone will be able to ever make 150K a year. Work with the income you do have, and only buy what you can afford with cash! I love Dave's point about everything you own that has motors should equal less than 50% of your income!
my logic in buying cars - first 5 years your paying for it, - next 5 years your getting your money's worth -next 5 years your saving money since your using it longer and longer
It doesn't matter what I have but my wife has a 2003 Chevy Malibu and she wants out. We just purchased s new home so we're raising our emergency fund first then saving cash for a new'ish car. Dave, your plan works! I'm 30, just graduated college and paid for my wife to become a realtor cash and now we're making bank at jobs we love!
My wife and I buy brand new vehicles, paying cash, at about 150k miles, which is usually every 10 to 15 years in our case. 150k miles is about when the vehicle starts needing repairs, in my experience (not counting maintenance like oil/fluid changes, brake pads, etc.). Sure, we could probably drive them to 200-300k miles, but it's simply the "hassle factor" of the vehicle being in the shop that is the main deciding factor.
I've gotta disagree here. I drove a 1998 Chevy lumina with 130k miles KBB value of $900 and it was costing me $600ish per month to keep it running. I gimped it to a dealership and told them give me a thousand for it towards a Hyundai accent. Still driving it 6 years later no repairs except routine maintenance. There is a time to get rid of a car. When cost of maintenance > value of car.
I like how you say you can buy a new car. But only once you have reach a certain point in terms of savings. I love how your advice is always caring and for the best for your listeners.
The issue is less about "cost of repairs' and more about "inconvenience of getting it repaired". It's odd but cars never seem to break down on a Saturday when you have nothing planned. Always seems to happen on really important days. If you are in the shop every month, then maybe it's time to move on to a bit nicer car. Not a new car or a year old car. Just nicer and more reliable than the one you have. But if it's in the shop every few months for $300 here and there. Keep it a bit longer. If the repair costs more than the car is worth, move up too.
180,000 on a 05 honda is still baby miles on cars like that. Unless you aren’t on top of the general maintenance and alignments and tire changes the car will become a used and abused car but people still buying these cars, these years with these miles for over $3k. I’d keep the car as long as you can.
Dan Dearman I live in Ohio also and have never had a car rust out on me. Make sure to wash it in the winter, this helps a lot because it removes the salt off the car.
Wash it when ever it gets salt and wax it every season (every four months) fix any scratches before they rust out Some people cover the underbody with oil or ATF to prevent rusting
In my area a two-year old Toyota Corolla with 15-25k miles on it is only about $3,000 less than a new one. I keep my cars for at least twenty years so I always buy new.
For me, I think the technology really does get better within 6-7 years time. Safety, reliability, gas mileage, features. I think I've ditched every car at like 150K miles.
why do you draw the line at the transmission? my Civic transmission went at 78K miles and i bought a pulled transmission from JDM with 55,000 miles on it for $400. i paid my local mechanic (4) labor hours @ $70/hr to drop the old one and put the "new" used one in. now i have 220,000 miles on the Civic
Hi I'm from England. I totally agree. I drive a 2002 Ford. I could buy another car but am sticking with this one. I will always wait and see what happens on it's annual test.
93 Civic been giving an issue every two, three months. Doing repairs myself turns the repairs into about $500 annually. Liability insurance of about $40.
I’ve put 10k into my 3k 2006 accord Honda with 260k miles and can’t seem to sell it finding it hard to keep it when every 90 days there’s 2 1000 dollar repairs.
I'm happy to say I'm 26, my Datsun 280ZX has 383,000 miles on it, and I'm about to graduate college with zero debt to my name
well done bro . Nice car . I bought are version 6 sti with low km I'm never selling it . I paid cash im 29 . Plus I have 80k saved up . Btw your car soaring up in value in japan mine is too
Well done
That's awesome.. I don't believe in consumer debt..I never gotten my self into debt till I turned 35. I bought apartments as an investment (needed the debt). I put also like 30% down-payment on each one. I own a vw golf, and now I'm going to downgrade to a skoda. Never get myself into something too deep. Baby steps. Prudent steps.
Another thing is when you have a new car you tend to stress over who drives it or worry about scratches. Once its at 150k miles u care less. If ur lil sister who is 17 wants to drive it ur like whateva or if someone dings it when opening the door
Alumnikiid Totally agree
1. When repair cost is more than a car is worth. or 2. Safety becomes a factor or 3. When you start asking yourself will my car make it from point A to point B
JAMES KNAPKE if you have to ask if it can make it from a to be get AMA or what you guys have down there for a towing company
I am not afraid to put more into a vehicle than it is worth. I bought a 17 year old truck for $1000, drove it for 10 years and put $5000 into it. Reman engine, transmission, tires and brakes. That was 14 years ago. I seriously doubt I could have purchased a $5000 truck and done that and still have life left in it like this one does.
@@scottcurry479 Yeah you couldn't have, that was a good decision even at the $5k cost. If you can drive a car for $2k a year in cost or less you're doing better and cheaper than 95% of all Americans.
When it becomes too unreliable and makes you miss time from work. Some people don't get paid for time off. Sometimes you have to include the cost a good, safe and reliable car as a transportation expense.
@@scottcurry479 this 💯
I would replace a car when it becomes too unreliable to drive. I can't afford to lose my job because my car keeps breaking down.
Ha! I had a paper route as a second or third job and the clutch went out on a Saturday, probably because of the paper route. My mechanic could not fix it in-time, I could not get a rental, I let my supervisor know as soon as possible and drove the mechanic's wife's bike eight or nine miles each way with a tire that kept going back so I could pre-fold. I made sure the manager know she needed to cover me.
They fired me for missing my route.
I think that I lost money with that job. I did not miss it!
@spirals 73 Good luck!
@spirals 73 do you have a job? If you do sounds like you're not budgeting your money very well if you don't have any savings put away for emergencies
@spirals 73 stop watching boomers give financial advice. They're much better at showing you how to replace that window 😉
spirals 73 buy a window and put it in the door fix it yourself. Tons of UA-cam videos that will show you how to fix it.
This is SOLID advice. Thank you for posting this for free. You have no idea how much you're helping people
He knows.
200k on a honda is just hitting puberty
Same I have a Honda 1995 with 200k miles barely. But the last guy replaced everything from clutch, timing belt, pumps, coil over suspension, etc etc so I can’t justify selling it to get a $10,000 car
My 1992 Accord lasted until 2005. I had maintained it immaculately. Then it got some weird wiring short that couldn't be diagnosed. The car shut off on the road several times. I traded it very soon afterwards. It had maybe 160k miles.
@@marknc9616 23 years on any car is hitting the lottery I think Honda's from that Era were still ironing out the bugs. Honda has a solid rep now which is why you see them everywhere. My daughter drives a 98 Prelude and refuse to get rid of it.
Unless you have an automatic, Honda has had notoriously bad automatic transmission issues.
@@earlmcmanus194 yea i agree. Toyota is the best and safest option. Everyone over seas knows that
He's talking about moving from a Honda to a Subaru?!... And he's worried about repair costs on the Honda?
coffeeinthemorning Honda’s, generally speaking, tend to have less major repairs AND less known major repairs needed. Modern Subaru’s are notorious for head gaskets and cvt failures around 150K miles.
Honda: Timing belt breaks = kaboom, automatic transmissions are junk
Subaru: Head gaskets, spark plugs, heat shield rattle
@coffeeinthemorning nice is subjective.
@@michaspi Subarus are also an interference engine. Subarus are also notoriously high maintenance cars.
@coffeeinthemorning the money made on a repair bill for the Audi dealership is also really nice
Dave, he stole your line.
Lots of callers say it. I think Dave appreciates it.
BURN HIM AT THE STAKE!!!! OFF WITH THE HEAD
@@WeKnowTheTruth2012 Build a bridge out of him!
You can't "steal" a line, smh.
@@thatguywhonevergetsthejoke75 It was just a fun little joke.
“cheap gas”
*laughs in california*
no body laughs or has fun in california, dont lie
@@v8powa466 spoken as someone who has only seen CA on T.V.
@@ObligatoryPun negative ghost rider, Ive spent decades in california.
Or NYC
@DrgnFlys The beauty of having 50 states is that if you really hate one, just leave or dont live there. Policies wont change drastically until, more people are LEAVING Cali than STAYING. I hate anyone who whines about any certain states.
I bought a brand new 2020 Truck, and I could hear Dave Ramsey yelling at me while signing the paper work.
G K ....WHY do you care if that “person” is yelling (or talks down) at you? Something WRONG with enjoying a brand new truck? I am clearly missing something....
@@bluestonemetallic7 Buying a new car is stupid on steroids according to Dave unless you can pay for it cash, and even then you should really have the savings. New car loans tanked the financial situation of the majority of callers for the Ramsey show.
G K....usually those folks who called, all seem to have certain financial “situations”. In general, he really needs to “tone it down” with his strong opinion on certain financial subjects. At the end-of-the day...with wealth of info/knowledge out there....I like to think people can make the right (or sound decisions). Remember, life is kinda short to drive a boring vehicle or vehicle you dislike. Lastly, if one has a good “career or job”, I say “why not”! It NOT like somebody is making $2K per month with $600+ monthly car payments. NOW...that’s NOT a good financial position to be in, and needs to wise up. Just my $0.02 cents though.
@@MrBigGStyle -
I usually buy new cars but I also keep them for a long time (8 years and 16 years on the two I have now). Buying a used car that was poorly maintained can be a nightmare.
😆 same. Bought my first new tacoma this summer and could see Dave crossing his arms and scowling at me
Dave needs Scotty kilmer with him when it comes to cars
This comment deserves more likes.
They would get along well. lol
The most powerful duo
Scotty lives in TN now.
I would love that
Dave is absolutely correct. It is really never worth getting rid of car that's paid for unless it needs significant engine repair work. I have 2003 volkswagen passat and few years ago it seemed like things were breaking down with it. But when I look back those repairs were about $800 for year (two years in row) but if I got new car with monthly payments of $400 - those repairs would only amount to two months of new car payments. Drive that car until you can no longer even look at it....then its time.
Drive that car until you can no longer even look at it.... then give it to your oldest kid.
Engine replacement is 5k or so for most cars. Less if you can do it yourself.
On newer cars electrical work can get pricey but still, as he says, that math of car replacement is really hard to justify on pure economic terms.
About the only time to replace the car is for safety, such as frame damage or
@@Tempest-ec2nn If you buy a reliable car the chassis and frame will rot out long before the engine anyway.
Honestly, the main issue is reliably and the value of my time. As my car hit 10 years this past year, it kept breaking once a month or more from April to September. The A/C kept dying followed soon by engine idle failure. I think I spent $2k on repairs, but the time was the real issue. It was in the shop for about half that time with me driving my old truck to work. If I didn’t have a truck, the rental costs would have been terrible. So much weekend time was burnt waiting for the shuttle to and from the car repair place. I broke down, cleaned out the car, said my goodbyes and bought a new base model car cash. On paper it was a terrible financial decision, but my mental health has greatly improved knowing I have a reliable vehicle again.
Good insight
What kind of car?
A 10 year old car breaking down all the time? Must’ve been a Subaru, Dodge, Jeep or Landrover.
What god awful car did you buy? A Doge/Jeep or GM product or a JLR or Stellantis product? Seriously no 10 year old car should be that bad unless you skipped lots of routine maintaince.
10 year old car ain't supposed to be a beater, that's just a shitty car 💀 the average car on the road is older than that
We are going on our second year with our 2005 Camery. We fixed some small rust spots changed the fluids replaced a head gasket and it has over 424.000 miles on it. So far so good. 😊
Love love love a Toyota!
Dave's never had a dodge caravan. repairs will eat you alive. my cost per mile was through the roof on a $10k paid off caravan. toyota sienna man, that's the way to go
I had a 2002 Caravan flex fuel. It wasn't too bad if you can do the work yourself. The biggest repaid I did was head gaskets. I did it at home and it ran fine for another 2+ years. Then the torque converter went out and we had to get rid of it.
Gregory Wireman same story. I have a 2003 dodge caravan amd recently change the head gasket. Now the check engine turn on indicating the torque converter is going bad ):
Once you hear the whine from the TC you'll know you are cooked. We sold it for scrap, they came and picked it up, we got $200 for it. Even though I repaired it a lot it was still worth it versus monthly payment + insurance costs for a new car.
05 Grand Caravan with rust issues but maintenance free for 4 years. 08 TC no issues at all in 2 years, just bought 09 TC Touring 2 weeks ago. I look Iike I own a dodge chrysler dealership. My 05 simply wont die (mechanically). I dont want to donate a rust issue so its just me and her against the world. Selling my '08
Love my Toyota Rav4...near 200k miles and knock on wood few issues.
Honda with 183,000? Man, you can still ride it to 500,000! Dude those are awesome vehicles. Hondas last a lifetime. I still see people today driving Toyotas and Hondas from the 90s. Crazy reliability.
heyitsablackguy Yep. I have a '98 Toyota that runs just fine. I'll THINK about replacing at around 400k miles, but only because my youngest will be getting his license around that time and will want to buy it from me.
I'm trying to ride my Impala 2007 out til it falls out. Just gotta' keep up with the parts and maintenance and you're okay!
heyitsablackguy That's awesome! I didn't even realize they still make Impalas. (I think I was conceived in one.)
I'm dealing with this issue right now I have a 2003 Honda crv with 163,000 miles but I'm starting to have issues, awhile back my a/c compressor blew up on i10 and I almost wrecked, and now I'm having a lot of electrical issues, I don't want to keep dumping money into it but at the same time I love not having payments.
I have a 2009 Toyota already with a 184,433 miles on it. It's alot of miles for a car that's not even 10 years old. It's all highway miles meaning it's going to last even more longer as highway miles only makes up 10% of the wear and tear of City stop and go miles.
Properly maintained vehicles can last well into the 300k mileage range. I know a mechanic who's taken a few 90's Volvos past 500k miles. Resale will be squadoosh, but who cares, it shouldn't be an investment in the first place.
Larry Padilla So how do I know my car is in good mechanical condition. All I do is oil change. I want to drive that thing to Africa and back. 😂
Oil and blinker fluid is really all you need. The rest of the stuff is just there for upsale. ;) Nah, start by checking all of your fluids, if the color isn't what it should be, change it. I would degrease your engine and everything I could before that though. That way if there is a leak anywhere, it'll be easier to spot. Oil, transmission, coolant, power steering, brake, differential(s), tire pressure, etc. Another thing you should do is check your PCV valve/system. It's a small part that's pretty easy to replace on most vehicles. If that gets plugged or isn't doing its job, you can damage your main seals, which require significant work to replace. Anyway, pay attention to how it drives too. Is it shifting hard? Is it puffing out white or blue/grey smoke when it's running? Do you hear any weird hissing noises coming from under the hood? Look up youtube vids and browse through the car forums about any issues you might be having with it. The internet is a wonderful thing. There is tons of good information out there if you look for it. Also, take a look at your vehicle's recommended maintenance schedule. A lot of the schedules are overkill IMHO, but if you've never done any of the things on there, it might be worth it to start paying extra attention to that. Cheers.
Larry Padilla Thanks
Yes but what kind of life is it to drive a car that old and with that many miles? No one will respect you and they will likely laugh. I don't want to be seen like that, and I think it's important to replace the car way before that.
ACR hahaha you serious? Do you think respect comes from your car? Real respect comes from making a plan and handling your business. Do whatever you want. I have 3 vehicles that are all 200k+ mileage. They all run like champs and life with no car payments is fan freakin tastic. Cheers.
2006 Civic with 342k miles. I expect to hit 400k. Insurance paid me more for the dents in it than I paid for the car in 2010. Winning.
When your $1000 car needs a $4000 transmission replacement. This is my current tipping point.
So instead you go buy a $5000 car. And within a year you've already put 500 to a $1000 into it in repairs. And that's not even mentioning how much the car decreased in value.
I don't like Dave's advice. I think a better car is a better car even if it's going to cost you more money.
But at the end of the day Dave Smith is objectively correct. If you're trying to build wealth and the car to you is nothing more than a tool, then daves strategy is the one to go with.
@@xenn4985 Wait only five thousand!? What freaking area do live in where used cars in are that cheap. The price of entry hear is MINIMUM seven grand.
@@cash5627 plenty of 15yo cars under 100k miles for less than 7k
😂
Lol
I agree!!!👍🎩👍
There is a chance that the new 5k car might have a bad transmission within a year
I don't know about the Dave's math example. I remember my parents putting 7K into a car that was worth about 2K in less than a year. Replacing the engine was the biggest piece (and was probably more than the value of the car), but there were several other things that happened. Dave may be right for any one repair, but when a car keeps having issues and you don't have the aptitude to fix it yourself, it can make financial sense to upgrade.
Aaron Nelson what kind of car?
Eventually you have to cut your losses. Had a Saturn vue that kept giving me issues. Thousands later I sold it for a loss and bought a different car. Havent had any repairs needed since. Don't buy junk. If its costing you thousands to maintain get another vehicle.
Dave forgets downtime. Can't go to work if it won't get you there. Miss too many days and you're fired.
He said almost never because most engines will make it to 300000 or more, which is 20 years for people living in the city. Obvious you should repair it if the repair costs more than the repaired car.
Aaron Nelson yeah if you buy a car that is a little more expansive with less miles.
yeah that “Prius” thing ain’t a joke right now Dave😭
Had an 04 civic with 160k miles, tons of cosmetic issues, cracked windshield, minor suspension issues and leaking tiny bit of oil. Engine still ran like a champ. But jumped at the opportunity to get an 09 civic with 85k miles for 3k. Sold the old one for 1k. Feel like a made out pretty good
I will say because I'm sure there are others out there that have been where I've been that repairs do add up. I was a delivery driver for two full time positions driving over 1,000 miles per week during work alone. I had a beater that actually cost me an average of $350 per month in unexpected repairs alone. I did a capital budgeting analysis and found that borrowing $6,000 for a Camry (8 years old and with the highest reliability by consumer reports) I paid only $118 per month with no unexpected repairs and paid off my car with the additional $232.
Just to remind folks special circumstances exist
I drive an old ford I had for 15 years. It's worth nothing but is reliable. It's all in the maintenance. The only mechanical thing that's let me down was the starter.
I drive a 30 year old Chevrolet Caprice Wagon! I bought it for $2,000, 11 years ago.
My 99 Toyota Solara has 463,000 miles and counting!
Toyota 🙌
The Solora is great!
Is it still running?
@@leonardocozza3140 Of course! Runs great! 488,000 now.
There is a certain point, I had a mustang and it was cheaper per mile to drive a brand new camry even if I had to pay 18k for the camry. Also the maintenance is substantially cheaper.
Great to have Dave's advice on car ownership/replacement. Sounds so logical when he explains things. My totally reliable 2014 Hyundai IX35 (Tucson in USA) has lost 39% of its value in 2.5 years. Think in future its got to be a used car to minimise loses.
Andrew K.
That's why you buy cars that are 3 years old or more. Still near brand new but cost a lot less. Buy one with 60k and drive it to 300k.
I purchased my one previous owner 1995 Lexus SC400 in 2005 with 120,000 for $6750 cash. Fifteen years later, it has 340,842 miles and counting with original engine and transmission. The only major repairs done in fifteen years was the replacement of two alternators, two starters, the original CV axel, and most recently the original front wheel bearings.
And you got a 2jz lol
1UZ **
That’s not bad . But yea keep until things get better or you got no choice but to get a different car . Prices are ridiculous
The sweet spot in any car is from the time its paid off until the time it starts costing money in repairs.
And sadly, that's exactly when some people trade in their vehicle.
@@n9wox it makes for the perfect opportunity for the rest of us to buy it.
Got my hard thinking about that sweet spot. No bills no payments
I’ve been saying the same stuff Dave said and everyone called me crazy! Thank the lord I found your videos before taking out a car loan!
one of the missing things in this analysis is the importance of finding an honest and competent mechanic (which will probably not be at a dealership). my mechanic told me not to put anymore money in to my past vehicle because it just wasn't worth it at that point. a good mechanic is a life saver
I need to find one
My 2003 Honda Accprd has avout 390k on it and still goung. My younger sister's 2001 Honda Accord has probably 425k mile.on it....both still going good 👍👍👍
If you live in the rust belt and drive on salted roads every Winter, mileage becomes irrelevant. After 10 to 15 Winters the chassis and suspension become so rotted away they become hazardous to drive.
Still driving my 2008 Civic SI. Hondas are great !
I drove my 97 Legacy until the repairs were going to be too much to justify...so I bought a 2004 Outback for less than I would have spent on repairs.
($1000 cash. $700 to get timing done. $282 taxes and reg)
Still less than I would have spent to make the 97 keep going.
Got a '11 legacy and I love the darn thing.
I have an 05 legacy
😮My beater car threw its timing chain tensioner last week. The dealership wanted $5,300 for a engine replacement with 173,000 miles on the replacement engine. I had 257,000 miles on that car. My car was 1999 Nissan Sentra. I put over $3,000 in that car over the last two years. I'm currently working on getting a newer car.
The beater life is not worth the headache if you are mechanically inclined, or your friend is a mechanic. Find OEM or good aftermarket parts for a beater car is near impossible.
"You'd have to drive the frickin' thing to the moon, mathematically." Easily done really, the moon is only 240,000 miles away.
@@michaeldalton8374 true lol
My 04 impala just past 250000. Going to drive like no one else so letter I can drive like no one else.
3800 series 2?
Just got an 06 with 120k
when the repair cost more then buying another beater its worth it.... blow a motor / head gasket an a beater isnt worth fixing.
Because $5k is somehow more than $25k. American logic.
Michael Dalton used cars exist
ground hog Don’t sell it, scrap it. If you need to put 5k on a car, you’re better buying another used one instead.
Dave I like how you mention the “hassle factor” of an older unreliable vehicle, however I believe that portion of the "mathematical equation" is being downplayed tremendously. The cost of repair is often times much more than just the repair itself, it's the down time, renting a vehicle while yours is in the shop, it's being stranded on the side of the road (which can cost you your life, I’ve seen several people hit and killed while stranded on the side of the road), it's medical bills due to an accident caused by an older vehicle that doesn't have safety features built in, it's being continually late for work because of another breakdown. I think it's much wiser/safer to buy a newer pre-owned vehicle that's already taken the huge depreciation hit, and keep it for 10+ years, then repeat.
This.
My beater car threw its timing chain tensioner last week. The dealership wanted $5,3000 for a engine replacement with 173,000 miles on the replacement engine. I had 257,000 miles on that car. My car was 1999 Nissan Sentra. I put over $3,000 in that car over the last two years. I'm currently working on getting a newer car.
The beater life is not worth the headache if you are mechanically inclined, or your friend is a mechanic. Find OEM or good aftermarket parts for a beater car is near impossible.
A civic is way more dependable than any Subaru.
Subaru´s are known to be expensive to maintain, in any country. And are far less reliable than Hondas.
@@Wen6543 They can blow head gaskets .
This made me feel proud of my 94 Toyota pick up :)
Thank you dave, cant stress this enough. Too much money is spent on cars
I have a 2000 Honda Accord SE that I bought in Sacramento and drove it home to Riverside and has been a reliable car. Have driven the car across the border several times without any issues. I just keep maintaining it.
It comes down to reliability. If it still starts up, runs and there are no major issues then I say keep going with it. What you don't want is something that is constantly breaking down.
reliability is key is some professions and if you have a car that breaks down, there may be a risk of losing an account due to a junker may not be wise.
I agree. If you need a reliable vehicle you need to think of replacing it more often, especially if you need it to make money for work!
mine was: i had 2000$ in bank
1300$ for new tires, muffller and springs.
also road tax 500$ for that car
=1800$
bought an other beater car for 1500$, road tax 78$ = 1578$ (1year waranty)
also sold the old beater 300$
so that's a saving off 1800-1500=300 +300(trade in from old one) =600$
this year my muffler broke, and on this car it's only 120$ for a new one
calculating it all, it costs me the same for this car for 2 years, as it would for the other one for one year.
fuel economy is about the same, but the new one got a lot less hp than the old one.
it also takes almost double the time to get from 0 to 60 mph
But, then again, i don't care, i'm slowly getting out of debt
Muffler lol? just straight pipe it dude loool
It's also based on your time. The time off from work dealing with repairs etc. And time is way more important than money.
The moon is only about 252,500 miles away...Honda’s will run well past that if taken care of....my 97 Honda Accord has 398,000 miles on it and I sold it still running.....
Michael Laur - I have a 2016 Honda Accord Ex (paid
off) with 55k and I’m already freaking out for having a lot of miles in it. Riding my 2008 Dodge Charger with 191 k until the wheels fall off ✋🏽
There can also be a loss of income with having a car off the road and not being able to drive to work.
honda will run well past 200k if cared for.. even if did need an engine eventually total bill would be about 3-4 months of payments on a new one. not to mention new one drops in value so fast its not worth it.
my 98 accord has 280,000 miles
Toyota beats Honda - I maintained both and Toyota is hands down easier to DIY repair. And according to Consumer Report, Toyota is the most reliable brand out there
agreed. Honda used to be top then they started cutting costs. pretty much avoid any Honda with an automatic transmission from the year 1999-2006. auto trans failures then avoid all Civics from the year 2006-2008 due to cylinder head cracks and rear suspension defects. i'm on trans #2 on my 2003 Civic and about to have to throw in trans #3. if I had a 2003 Corolla it would still be rolling on all original drivetrain b/c Toyota wasn't cheap and didn't put the filter internally to save a few bucks on the chassis design. that's right, on my Civic transmission the filter is internal and the only way to clean the filter is to drop the transmission, open it up and by that point if you're doing all of that it's likely bc your trans is shot and it's too late anyways. $500 in parts to rebuild, or for $400 on eBay you can have a pulled trans from japan (check VIN compatibility so you don't get error codes). free shipping. tested and guaranteed to run
Whenever a car becomes a safety issue regardless of the money savings that when you get rid of it
I can't buy a car I'm with the high mileage club Gona drive till the wheels fall off never say die! 225k Ford ranger
I am the Juan and Only it's a 2000 Ford ranger I'm at 227k now 😂 haven't had a car payment in over 15 years baught it cash back in 2010 for $4k it had 133k
Same here! Bought my '01 4.0L XLT used with 130k miles. Has 194k now. Tows and hauls like a champ. Determined to see it past the 200k milestone. Great little trucks!
Im 500 miles from 200k club on 06 Rav4. Bought used with 40k miles around 2010....runs good
Bought my 1990 ranger for $1500 cash 6 years ago, 340,000 miles on it! It's getting pretty tired now though
I had 348,000 on my 87 Ford Ranger before I had to replace it. Done about 4 full oil changes during this time, used Mobil One, every 3000 miles replaced the oil filter and added 1 qt of Mobil 1, sometimes I wonder if I would of hit 400,000 miles if I would of done a 5th or 6th full oil change. Only thing is the darn brakes, and clutch wore out about every 150, 000 miles.
My 2003 Beamer has 315.000km on it. Still works fine. Took its from Germany to Italy and back this year
150k miles on my 02 Hyundai Santa Fe, and I have absolutely no desire to move up in car. I don't even think a 1 million dollar net worth would motivate me to get a newer car. It works and it's paid for. That's all I need.
When your monthly repair bill is the same as a payment on a new car. Also, think of reliability. Stuck in a dead car sucks.
My beater car threw its timing chain tensioner last week. The dealership wanted $5,3000 for a engine replacement with 173,000 miles on the replacement engine. I had 257,000 miles on that car. My car was 1999 Nissan Sentra. I put over $3,000 in that car over the last two years. I'm currently working on getting a newer car.
The beater life is not worth the headache if you are mechanically inclined, or your friend is a mechanic. Find OEM or good aftermarket parts for beater car is near impossible.
I beg to differ, given for a particular situation: I bought a 2002 Honda Civic brand new in 2002. In Fall, 2013, the transmission suddenly developed a catastrophic failure. The vehicle had 183+K on it, at the time that it died. The transmission design on my particular vehicle (assembled in Chicago) was later known to be a bad design which was later known to fail suddenly/spectacularly. Faced with a $2,200+ trannie replacement on a rebuilt transmission which was more than likely going to fail in just over 1 year, I chose to abandon it and buy another vehicle. Sure enough, a local garage bought my Civic and placed another transmission in it, which promptly failed in less than two weeks of installation. Bullet ducked, IMO. If the transmission/torque converter wasn't an ongoing issue, I would've replaced the faulty module in a heartbeat, but the problem was down to a bad transmission design, affecting multiple years and models. Throwing good money after bad, so to speak...!
Cannot agree more!
My beater car threw its timing chain tensioner last week. The dealership wanted $5,3000 for a engine replacement with 173,000 miles on the replacement engine. I had 257,000 miles on that car. My car was 1999 Nissan Sentra. I put over $3,000 in that car over the last two years. I'm currently working on getting a newer car.
The beater life is not worth the headache if you are mechanically inclined, or your friend is a mechanic. Find OEM or good aftermarket parts for beater car is near impossible.
Had a friend that their van died the month after it was payed off. Repair bill was $1500-$2k to fix. Instead of handing the bank their title and getting a 6-8 month loan to fix it and drive it who knows another 2-3 yrs before a major breakdown they traded in and got right back into payments. Repairs are cheaper than payments!
Those Hondas would go over 300k drive it nice doesn't need much maintenance
brs rafal cue the legendary corolla. just avoid those 1999,2000,2001 or around there style and year of honda odysseys they have an inherent transmission problem by design (mines going into the ground at 221k slipping accelleration, hesitating decelleration)
TheBishop12 just sold my 1996 Honda passport because of the transmission problem. It's almost dangerous when a transmission constantly slips when you need to accelerate.
Just bought a 2004 Honda civic GX (natural gas)
32mpg average
Gas is $2.25-$2.50/gallon (California)
$500
Put 2k into it and it's running like a champ
Exterior: 7 out of 10
Interior: 7 out of 10
Super happy.
$12 fill up I get about 150-200miles
No car payments.
Don't care about having cool v8.
Freedom.
It's very interesting to see how different things are in the US.
I live in Rome Italy, and I will bring an example (in US dollars): whenever you buy an used car, you pay minimum $ 650 in tax to the "state", just for buying the car. This is obviously a burden for many people and one of the reasons why we have maybe the highest car average age in Europe, as you should pay for this every time you buy a used car.
Ownership tax, for a normal diesel car is around $ 300 per year. If you car provides more than 150 hp, then it gets progressively more expensive.
Insurance depends highly on where you live, your age and whether you caused accidents in the last 5 years. As an example, for a 02 Volvo S40 1.9D I pay in excess of $ 1,100 per year in Rome, with 0 accidents and 30 years of age.
Diesel costs at minimum $ 1.90 per liter which is about $ 7.26 per US gallon. No one drives petrol/gasoline anymore as it costs 20% more than diesel.
Every other year you should get the car tested for pollution, about $ 100 should be delivered to the "state" for this.
The average salary in Italy is $ 34,000, of which nearly half is eaten up by income tax. IVA (kinda like "Sales tax" in the US) is at 22 % on most products.
Hope this was of any interest.
Greetings from Pizzaland!
As such, with what you’ve provided for information, if you can’t use mass transit, a Vespa scooter is a good investment if you can’t walk there and back, and don’t need to take others or carry much.
Mama mia!
@@CarlaQuattlebaum exactly 💯. Things have changed since my 4 years old comment
I have a 2003 Mitsubishi lancer. 255 K miles on it. I maintain it and I've learned how to work on it. Never had a car payment at 39.
Nobody:
Absolutely nobody:
Dave : Drive it down till the wheels fall off 🤣
Safety as well matters, if uou move up to something with safety features especially. Long ago cars didn't have ABS or airbags, for instance
I had a car for 18 years. Everyone asked... even my mechanic....when was I going to get rid of it. I would say I'm going to drive it till it pukes in the road. Well friends it finally did. Had a huge storm and 2 trees came down on top of that car in the driveway...18 years later.
My beater car threw its timing chain tensioner last week. The dealership wanted $5,3000 for a engine replacement with 173,000 miles on the replacement engine. I had 257,000 miles on that car. My car was 1999 Nissan Sentra. I put over $3,000 in that car over the last two years. I'm currently working on getting a newer car.
The beater life is not worth the headache if you are mechanically inclined, or your friend is a mechanic. Find OEM or good aftermarket parts for a beater car is near impossible.
Many friends did that. Bought a classic beater, restored it to the max., works like new, and is still cheaper than new. But this takes time and some car know-how. If you don't want the hassle of building and restoring your car, just buy a gas-and-go one that wouldn't break the bank.
I completely agree about paying cash for a car, so don't get me wrong; my point is not everyone will be able to ever make 150K a year. Work with the income you do have, and only buy what you can afford with cash! I love Dave's point about everything you own that has motors should equal less than 50% of your income!
Patricia its simple and easy just act your wage
koolyo2foots That's right! ☺
My dad has about 30 cars and just our Cadillac is worth about half of his income
The exception here is RUST. If it’s rusting out to the point it’s unsafe, you gotta get something less rusty. Still used in cash of course.
Mercury Grand Marquis. 240,000 miles, very few issues, I'll drive it till the tires fall off.
my logic in buying cars
- first 5 years your paying for it,
- next 5 years your getting your money's worth
-next 5 years your saving money since your using it longer and longer
When it comes to fuel efficient cars i get not spending the extra thousands however gas being cheap now does not equal gas being cheap in the future.
It doesn't matter what I have but my wife has a 2003 Chevy Malibu and she wants out. We just purchased s new home so we're raising our emergency fund first then saving cash for a new'ish car. Dave, your plan works! I'm 30, just graduated college and paid for my wife to become a realtor cash and now we're making bank at jobs we love!
Same thing I tell people when they ask me if they should repair or replace their furnace. What you are buying is reliability
My wife and I buy brand new vehicles, paying cash, at about 150k miles, which is usually every 10 to 15 years in our case. 150k miles is about when the vehicle starts needing repairs, in my experience (not counting maintenance like oil/fluid changes, brake pads, etc.). Sure, we could probably drive them to 200-300k miles, but it's simply the "hassle factor" of the vehicle being in the shop that is the main deciding factor.
I've gotta disagree here. I drove a 1998 Chevy lumina with 130k miles KBB value of $900 and it was costing me $600ish per month to keep it running. I gimped it to a dealership and told them give me a thousand for it towards a Hyundai accent. Still driving it 6 years later no repairs except routine maintenance. There is a time to get rid of a car. When cost of maintenance > value of car.
Dave is forgetting to factor in rental car prices or ubers while the car is getting fixed. It can take weeks or even months. Thats a lot of money.
Sales tax on a new/newer vehicle will often be more than the cost of repair on an older vehicle.
I like how you say you can buy a new car. But only once you have reach a certain point in terms of savings. I love how your advice is always caring and for the best for your listeners.
The issue is less about "cost of repairs' and more about "inconvenience of getting it repaired". It's odd but cars never seem to break down on a Saturday when you have nothing planned. Always seems to happen on really important days. If you are in the shop every month, then maybe it's time to move on to a bit nicer car. Not a new car or a year old car. Just nicer and more reliable than the one you have. But if it's in the shop every few months for $300 here and there. Keep it a bit longer. If the repair costs more than the car is worth, move up too.
180,000 on a 05 honda is still baby miles on cars like that. Unless you aren’t on top of the general maintenance and alignments and tire changes the car will become a used and abused car but people still buying these cars, these years with these miles for over $3k. I’d keep the car as long as you can.
Dave. I live in Ohio. My cars always rust away before I can wear them out.
Dan Dearman I live in Ohio also and have never had a car rust out on me.
Make sure to wash it in the winter, this helps a lot because it removes the salt off the car.
Wash it when ever it gets salt and wax it every season (every four months) fix any scratches before they rust out
Some people cover the underbody with oil or ATF to prevent rusting
I drive a 2006 Jeep Liberty, has 276K on it, and despite its quirks, it’s been really good to me. And I only spent $500 to buy it.
In my area a two-year old Toyota Corolla with 15-25k miles on it is only about $3,000 less than a new one. I keep my cars for at least twenty years so I always buy new.
a 5 year old corolla base model goes for about $8K in my area. definitely doable
230k om my 2005 vw but its modified and i maintain it myself very well
Great video . Gonna keep driving my 2001 Yukon gmc 220k+ miles.
For me, I think the technology really does get better within 6-7 years time. Safety, reliability, gas mileage, features. I think I've ditched every car at like 150K miles.
When the car starts annoying you and you find another deal too good to pass up
My daily driver in a ‘91 Civic wagon with about 295K miles on it. I can work on it and I enjoy doing it and learning to do more.
There is something to be said about doing your own maintenance and repairs. I'm not sure I'd purchase a car that I couldn't maintain.
drive the car until you gotta replace the transmission.
So no Dodge products.
I have a dodge
Great car
Even then you could find a lower mileage used transmission and just have that installed at a shop if rest of car in good shape.
why do you draw the line at the transmission? my Civic transmission went at 78K miles and i bought a pulled transmission from JDM with 55,000 miles on it for $400. i paid my local mechanic (4) labor hours @ $70/hr to drop the old one and put the "new" used one in. now i have 220,000 miles on the Civic
^ THIS. used transmissions are cheap. $400-$800
Got a Nissan Altima and it broke down on the side of the interstate so now I’m here, its funny Dave mentioned it.
I will say, on the note of the gas mileage, having a small 4 banger vehicle vs a large v8 anything will help tremendously in gas costs.
Corolla LE Eco. 42 mpg, baby.
Dave knows a LOT about personal finance he is THE MAN...Greetings from Bulgaria Dave !!!
I disagree on this one point. When the repair is more then the value of the car it’s time to get another car.
I agree, but it can be a good used car purchase
If you like the car the repair cost justify buying a new car if you don’t like the car wasting money on it is pointless
Cheap gas? Not right now
My mazda protege has 323,000 mi but it still goes
I miss my 2000 Mazda Protege. It did smoke when I started it on cool/cold days.
I drove my 2002 Mazda protege over 15 years and then finally sold it for $1000 to a neighbor, he loved it.
Hi I'm from England. I totally agree. I drive a 2002 Ford. I could buy another car but am sticking with this one. I will always wait and see what happens on it's annual test.
Welcome Paul :)
i buy toyota or nissan. almost always get 300,000 miles out of them before they are a putt around town clunker.
93 Civic been giving an issue every two, three months. Doing repairs myself turns the repairs into about $500 annually. Liability insurance of about $40.
Another factor is how much time you are spending for repairs.
I’ve put 10k into my 3k 2006 accord Honda with 260k miles and can’t seem to sell it finding it hard to keep it when every 90 days there’s 2 1000 dollar repairs.