- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Cost of repairing car vs. its' actual value
Posted on 7/19/21 at 1:33 pm
Posted on 7/19/21 at 1:33 pm
Hey MB, I wanted to get some thoughts about this situation. I drive a mercedes I bought from my parents that has about 160,000 miles on it. A few years ago, Carmax quoted it as $2,000 which was the amount I paid to my parents. I fortunately have not had to drive more than 10,000 miles the past several years, as I have been very busy with work.
Just this past week the alternator dies. I have it towed into the shop, where they also reveal one of the front CV joints is bad, and one of the tires is worn down super low. [Last summer I had the other CV joint repaired and they made no mention of the left side at that time]. On top of all this, the windshield has been cracked, which I have been meaning to get fixed. Below is my estimate:
Alternator-$800
CV joint-$700
Tire-$200
Windshield-$200
All said the repair costs are going to end up totaling roughly $2000. I'm still over 2 years away from making the big bucks. Also the used car market is pretty hot right now. At what point should I ditch this vehicle and move on to the next?
Just this past week the alternator dies. I have it towed into the shop, where they also reveal one of the front CV joints is bad, and one of the tires is worn down super low. [Last summer I had the other CV joint repaired and they made no mention of the left side at that time]. On top of all this, the windshield has been cracked, which I have been meaning to get fixed. Below is my estimate:
Alternator-$800
CV joint-$700
Tire-$200
Windshield-$200
All said the repair costs are going to end up totaling roughly $2000. I'm still over 2 years away from making the big bucks. Also the used car market is pretty hot right now. At what point should I ditch this vehicle and move on to the next?
This post was edited on 7/19/21 at 1:34 pm
14
Posted on 7/19/21 at 1:43 pm to ArmydawgMD
That's 2-3 months payment on something new. I'd repair and get on down the road. Literally and figuratively.
I just sunk about 1200 into my 07 ram 2500's steering box and front end bushings and new driver's seat foam and cover. The dealer told me I had a half million mile motor and I'm not going to get cheated.
I just sunk about 1200 into my 07 ram 2500's steering box and front end bushings and new driver's seat foam and cover. The dealer told me I had a half million mile motor and I'm not going to get cheated.
Posted on 7/19/21 at 1:45 pm to ArmydawgMD
quote:That’s pretty cheap if you can drive it a few more years. It’s also way cheaper than most of your other options even if you only drive it a few months.
All said the repair costs are going to end up totaling roughly $2000.
Posted on 7/19/21 at 3:27 pm to ArmydawgMD
Almost always makes more sense to repair than to buy a newish vehicle
Posted on 7/19/21 at 3:33 pm to WDE24
quote:
That’s pretty cheap if you can drive it a few more years. It’s also way cheaper than most of your other options even if you only drive it a few months.
Agree; that's not a particularly expensive repair bill, especially for a Mercedes.
The most financially sound thing you can do is keep your current car running; especially considering the used market right now. Granted there are exceptions like engine or transmission failure, but barring a catastrophe like that, keep what you have on the road.
You never want to have a $25k+ solution to a $2000 problem.
Posted on 7/19/21 at 4:12 pm to ArmydawgMD
Go by what you would pay to replace it.
Or, go by whether you would pay $2000 for it right now.
Or, go by whether you would pay $2000 for it right now.
Posted on 7/19/21 at 4:18 pm to ArmydawgMD
Buying a new (or used) car because your current car needs repair work is typically what you tell your wife to justify your new Tahoe.
There are limited situations where it’s reasonable though. This doesn’t seem like one.
There are limited situations where it’s reasonable though. This doesn’t seem like one.
Posted on 7/19/21 at 6:23 pm to ArmydawgMD
How much will it be worth today in good working condition? Used vehicles have gone up a lot even this one.
Posted on 7/19/21 at 9:30 pm to ArmydawgMD
I’d fix the older car. No more than your going to get for it I may keep it even when you break down and buy a nee one.
Posted on 7/20/21 at 5:21 am to ArmydawgMD
If this quote is from a Benz dealer you can probably save half by getting the work done elsewhere. Some Benz mechanics will go out on their own when they see what their customers are spending on oil changes, etc.
Posted on 7/20/21 at 6:28 am to ArmydawgMD
In many states, insurance will cover a cracked windshield 100% on replacement. Might check your coverage.
What year is this car?
What year is this car?
Posted on 7/20/21 at 6:32 am to ArmydawgMD
Don’t worry about the CV joint. If you didn’t know it was bad, then it will likely last you a good while at your current mileage pace.
Posted on 7/20/21 at 6:45 am to Doctor Strangelove
quote:
If this quote is from a Benz dealer you can probably save half by getting the work done elsewhere.
The dealer wanted $1600 for the alternator. I noped out of that one quickly
quote:
In many states, insurance will cover a cracked windshield 100% on replacement. Might check your coverage.
What year is this car?
This is true in my state if you have collision, which I decided against early on based off my car's value. Guess that decision was a wash. Its' a 2007.
At this point I am going to proceed with the repairs, but where I am worried about getting bit in the arse is down the road if another set of problems comes about and that cost is another $800. The consensus on here has been to repair it this time, but it is no guarantee this car will make it a whole year without more repairs. Is it still smarter to repair again and again vs. a newer, more reliable lightly used car in the long term?
Posted on 7/20/21 at 7:15 am to ArmydawgMD
quote:
. Is it still smarter to repair again and again vs. a newer, more reliable lightly used car in the long term?
A lightly used car is what 300-400 a month minimum + more on insurance. Will your car require 4-5k a year in repairs to get you from point a to point b?
Posted on 7/20/21 at 7:39 am to ArmydawgMD
$800 for an alternator sounds crazy high. But I get its foreign and may cost more, but on a chevy truck for instance, thats a 150$ part max and probably 100 in labor to replace.
Posted on 7/20/21 at 8:03 am to Elusiveporpi
quote:
$800 for an alternator sounds crazy high. But I get its foreign and may cost more, but on a chevy truck for instance, thats a 150$ part max and probably 100 in labor to replace.
Depends on the model, and if that is the price for it installed. Most Mercedes alternators are over $300 and some run up to over $700, but that's for the AMG models. Alternators can also be a real pain to get to on a lot of more modern Mercedes. $800 if it's the installed price doesn't seem out of line.
The alternator is almost surely a Bosch part, you can check FCP Euro to see what going market costs are Euro parts.
Posted on 7/20/21 at 8:32 am to ArmydawgMD
quote:
At this point I am going to proceed with the repairs, but where I am worried about getting bit in the arse is down the road if another set of problems comes about and that cost is another $800. The consensus on here has been to repair it this time, but it is no guarantee this car will make it a whole year without more repairs. Is it still smarter to repair again and again vs. a newer, more reliable lightly used car in the long term?
I'll go against the grain here and caution against repairing a 15-year old Mercedes with 160k miles. The chances are relatively high you'll run into future repairs with this vehicle and they will not be cheap. If this was a more reliable brand/vehicle, the repairs would make more sense.
Are you comfortable driving an older vehicle or even a "beater" for a bit until the broader used car market settles down? There are still plenty of options out there that won't cost an arm and a leg, it just depends on what you're willing to sacrifice.
Posted on 7/20/21 at 8:49 am to ArmydawgMD
The answer to your question depends upon what you intend to spend on your replacement vehicle.
Are you paying cash for the newer vehicle or financing?
If financing, what will the monthly payment be? Times 12 months?
Compare that option to $3000 of repairs in the next 12 months. Dont include service (tires, oil, brakes, etc as you can have that on any vehicle).
If your monthly payment is over $250 on the newer vehicle, then sink the money into the current one. Your downside risk is being without a car during the repair process.
Are you paying cash for the newer vehicle or financing?
If financing, what will the monthly payment be? Times 12 months?
Compare that option to $3000 of repairs in the next 12 months. Dont include service (tires, oil, brakes, etc as you can have that on any vehicle).
If your monthly payment is over $250 on the newer vehicle, then sink the money into the current one. Your downside risk is being without a car during the repair process.
Posted on 7/20/21 at 9:01 am to ArmydawgMD
quote:
At this point I am going to proceed with the repairs, but where I am worried about getting bit in the arse is down the road if another set of problems comes about and that cost is another $800. The consensus on here has been to repair it this time, but it is no guarantee this car will make it a whole year without more repairs. Is it still smarter to repair again and again vs. a newer, more reliable lightly used car in the long term?
Always a worry. A Mercedes can become a money pit in a hurry. I think I would make that decision based on it's history of problems and maintenance. Perhaps do a bit of internet research to see if this particular model has known issues that you've yet to encounter. When I've made decisions like this in the past, I usually held on to the vehicle for too long instead of cutting my losses.
Posted on 7/20/21 at 9:09 am to playmakers in space
quote:
I'll go against the grain here and caution against repairing a 15-year old Mercedes with 160k miles. The chances are relatively high you'll run into future repairs with this vehicle and they will not be cheap. If this was a more reliable brand/vehicle, the repairs would make more sense.
If it was a 15 year old Audi/BMW I'd say dump it in a heartbeat, but Mercedes in general are built extremely well by comparison, especially older models. We have a '99 SL500 and it's amazing how well built it is and how smooth it runs. There's some worse than others obviously as far as models go, but if got to 160k relatively trouble free miles, these are pretty minor fixes to get it going for probably tens of thousands more miles before needing any real unusual maintenance/repairs again.
$800 could be slightly high for an alternator because it should beno more than a 3 hour job typically depending on what needs to be removed to get to it. A typical shop can easily charge you $100-$125/hr labor so that can be $350-ish labor on top of the $300 alternator. $800 sounds a tad high, but not completely unreasonable, they are upcharging for parts for sure.
But $2k in relatively routine repairs wouldnt worry me much on a 15 year old 160k mile Mercedes honestly as long as it's been maintained well.
This post was edited on 7/20/21 at 9:10 am
Page 1 of 2
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News