Few purchases are as monumental as buying a new or used car (just about the only thing that’s bigger is buying a house). When you buy a vehicle, you’re counting on it lasting for a good long while. Generally speaking, most people want it to last until either their life circumstances change and they need a different vehicle, or until the wheels fall off and the engine dies forever. If you’re in the latter group, you need to do everything you can to make sure your car stays reliable for as long as possible. Other people may have fancier, shinier cars with more bells and whistles, but you have a solid, steady car that can get you where you’re going without much fuss. Until it starts to show signs that it can’t, which leaves you with a tough choice to make.
Does it constantly need repairs?
The older a car gets, the more often it needs to go into the shop for some fixes. Some of those fixes are relatively quick and easy to make, while others are more complex and take longer. For an instance of the former category, think of your car lights. Some Chevrolet cars tend to burn out tail lights, headlights, and others pretty quickly. It seems like the older the car gets, the less life there is in the lights. You sneeze, and bam, your front left turn signal needs replacing. This is annoying, but it’s a relatively quick fix. You may be able to repair it yourself, but you can also feel free to take it to a well-trained automotive technician.
Then there are bigger deals like the alternator. Without a working alternator, your car just isn’t going to function. When your car won’t start, your best hope is that the battery needs replacing, since that’s pretty easy. If you hear a click-click sound when you turn the key in the ignition, though, then there’s a decent chance you need a new alternator, and that’s quite a bit more expensive. You can replace your alternator, of course. Alternators should run properly for about 100,000 miles, although some run for a bit less. So it’s not something you should need to replace often.
One big repair every couple of years might be manageable, but it becomes an issue when you start needing repairs every few months. That can really make the costs of continuing to drive your car start to add up. So when do you know when it’s time to give up? For many people, it’s when the amount of repairs they need surprasses the current value of the car. Or if your car seemed to be nearing the end of its natural lifespan anyway, you have to think about just how much use you’re going to get out of it. If the answer is “not much,” it’s probably time to bid your car a fond farewell and head to the dealership for a new ride (or at least a ride that’s new to you).
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