One thing you have to think about is future repairs and preventative
maintenance.
Have you done the major services? Tune ups, t-belt, water pump etc.
3K is not an absulutely horrible cost IF the majors have been done. If not,
then you have to add those costs also.
Then there are the personal issues. Do you like this car? Love it? How about
the interior?
Can you afford the payments for 3-6 years? Do you want to have to make them?
There really isnt a "break-even" standard with so many variables.
The best thing to do is go with your heart.
Good luck.

Since you know what's wrong with it, can you do any of the repairs
yourself?   Post the estimate here and let the group critique it.

Dave asks a good question.  How many have to be done NOW?

Also:
How many are just maintenance related?  Tires, belts, hoses, battery,
etc.  Those are wear items.  Use quality stuff and you'll probably need
to replace 'em on the new car sooner.

Does it still pass the "does is still fit your needs and wants" test?  
That's a pretty open ended question.  Size?  Style?  Color?  Overall
condition?  Reliability?  

The financial test I like is "For a replacement, how many car payments
is the repair?"  If the payment is $200/month, 3k is 15 months.  If you
don't have to repair anything for more than 16 months you're money
ahead.  Remember you're using your money up front, so you don't have it
for those 15 months - add interest and 'opportunity costs'.  Spreading
out the repairs reduces that 'hidden cost'.

BTW, I think lease deals are the biggest ripoff if you're going keep the
car.  Even if you're going to get rid of it, you're paying extra to be
extra nice to the car and get rid of it.  

Other stuff figures in too...  You don't own a new car until it's paid
off, but you do this one.  Property taxes in your state may be higher on
a new car.  Sometimes significantly higher.  Some of the best deals in
years are out there now, IF you qualify.  Auto technology will change
dramatically in the next 5 years if the bozos in Washington DC have any
say in it. (and they don't really, but that's another topic)

Mark
'95 Jetta GLS (sold)
'08 Jetta SEL

I heard a study many years ago that said it's almost always cheaper to
repair a vehicle than to replace it. If you "want" a new car, that's
fine, but it will never be the best economic choice. Especially when you
factor in the hassles, wasted time, and expenses of licensing, taxes, and
insurance with a new vehicle. And unless you pay cash, you'll need to
factor in finance charges over the life of a new loan.

I currently drive a 1976 Rabbit with over 400,000 miles on it. I bought
it 21 years ago for less than $1500, and with proper care, it still looks
and runs as good as the day I bought it. In fact, it's probably in better
condition now than when I bought it. I figure I'll keep driving it until
it's wrecked or it needs a critical part that is no longer available. So
far, neither has been a problem. Over the years, I'm sure I have invested
thousands of dollars in parts and repair costs, and while I would never
get any of that back in resale, I'm certain the combined costs are still
way less than the cost of a single new vehicle. But more important, I
simply like my car. It's fun to drive, easy to repair, and still starts
and runs reliably. And it still gets better gas mileage than many of the
new cars sold today.

Ironically, while my car was considered a cheap econobox a few decades
ago, these days it seems everywhere I go, someone stops to check out my
car as if it's some kind of classic. There's nothing fancy about my car,
there just aren't many 70's era Rabbits on the road anymore. So I get
lots of folks stopping to talk about the nostalgia of cars they used to
drive. :)

Since I have never paid more than $2000 for a vehicle, I can't even
fathom a $3000 repair bill. I've always done my own repairs, so I have no
concept of what most folks have to pay to repair their vehicles. But I
know several folks with brand new cars that have just as many mechanical
problems with their new vehicles as I do with my old car. And the newer
cars almost always cost more to fix.

Just my perspective...

Anthony

There is no such thing as break even on any car, new or used.  A car for
transportation is not a financial  investment.  You take your chances with
the unknown, the future, as far as corrective maintenance while keeping a
used car.  In that unknown you must consider parts availability, the cost
for acquiring whatever parts, and accumulative repair costs over the time
you keep that used car.  If the used car is in a substantial accident, the
repair costs could easily exceed the insurance payoff minus owner buyback.
If you can avoid this portion of it, you should be ahead moneywise in
keeping and maintaining this used car versus accumulated payments on a new
car over the same time period  I'm talking many years here.  Otherwise...

With rare exceptions, this is always true.

On May 14, 1:41 pm, thefro...@gmail.com wrote:

There are only three non-emotional reasons to replace a running/
repairable vehicle.

a) Technology, especially with respect to life-safety.
b) The cost of repair exceeds (for sure) the cost of an equal-or-
better vehicle readily available.
c) Your needs have evolved - a two-door econobox may not be the right
choice for a family car.

Writing for myself when choosing a daily-driver, the absolute
necessities will be:
1. Anti-lock brakes
2. Multiple Airbags
Given what I do for a living, add:
3. Traction Control
4. ESP and
5. AWD.
If that were to change, I would see less of a need for #5. But the
rest of them are potential life-savers.

My wife transports the grand-kids on occasion - she gets 1-4 above,
but has the option of not having to drive in slop, so AWD is not a
necessity.

Our VW camper has 1, 2 & 3 - quite enough given how and when we drive
it.

Technology is a wonderful thing, and it saves lives. It also adds
weight and cost and reduces absolute efficiency, but so be it.

But, the bottom line is that it is your decision, based on your needs.
$3,000 ain't half-bad for a reliable, economic vehicle with a good
track-record. And 82,000 miles (some point between 80 & 90K) is a
transitional point anyway when things like rotos, bearings, even
calipers will go, perhaps ball-joints, tie-rods, struts and so forth.
But if you do all that, you are good for another 80+K with good
otherwise maintenance. Vehicles are treadmills - the cost of ownership
never quite stops, only happens in different ways. Either a payment,
or a repair. Mostly repairs are cheaper than the payments all other
things being equal.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

On May 14, 12:41 pm, thefro...@gmail.com wrote:

Unreal, $3000.00? What are they going to do that costs that much? Get
a second opinion, then fill the tires, change the oil and keep driving
it
3000 is insane
IMHO