We have a 1989 Buick, that has served us well. We know we need a new car (maybe not new but newer) but we just hate the idea of car payments, something we haven't had to have for about 24 years. This time we will have to finance a car and just don't want to do it.
So, last week, we took the car in for a tuneup. They found several things that were on the verge of being dangerous and needed to be repaired, steering column issues, front brakes were almost to the metal, transmission problem, etc. So we decided it would be cheaper to get it fixed than to have car payments. So we had $1300 worth of work done. Groan.
Over the weekend, the car started having a problem with the idle, and it was making a funny clicking sound in the rear, so we took it back. It has to have new rear shocks and the muffler is rusted through, and the idle needs to be replaced, and there is a part on the internal computer that needs to be replaced. Almost another $1000.
This time I put my foot down, and refused to put that much more money into an old car with 140,000 miles on it. So we are just having the shocks done, and will sell it or trade it in soon, for a better car.
I have to have a car to drive to Wenatchee tomorrow with Joy and Steve (we are going to a "meeting" of sorts, over there for the weekend). Obviously, my car is much too dangerous to drive, so today I rented a brand new Buick LeSabre. Man, is that a sweet car. I may not take it back. **kidding** But I could definitely get used to it.