Bought it new in 2007 and now has over 200k.
Having vibration issues and very serious problems going up hills with extra passengers, coming to a complete stop and can’t even get up the hill in reverse, potentially dangerous. Took it into a Dealer Repair in a moment of confusion. They say the IMA battery is at 30% and that’s why it can’t pull up a hill. Also that three engine mounts need to be replaced. They also want to clean the throttle. IMA Battery: $3,600 Throttle: $300 3Mounts: $1,700 With tax I’m looking at about 6 grand. I’m pretty sure I might be able to get a lower price on everything but the battery. This car has been good to me and is otherwise in perfect order and just seems to keep chugging along. I know I could put that money towards a better used one but I like this car and know the original owner. Weighing my options and looking for opinions and insights. Thanks.
This is tough call. Normally I’d say walk away from a car with over 200K miles that needs this much work.
However, it sounds like the car still meets your needs and, of course, you know it as the original owner.
I’d get at least one more quote/estimate for the work you mentioned above. You might be surprised.
lots of ads for battery refurb places. Maybe a tweaked battery pack will work?
I would not put 6000.00 into a 12 year vehicle that would only be worth 2000.00 to 3000.00 in really good condition. At that age and mileage there are many things that will need repair even after this major expense .
Trade in in average condition is $1700. Average book retail is $3000. Start deducting needs and you have a negative value. $6000 would be better spent on a new or newer car. Cost new $23000? 200,000 miles is 12 cents a mile depreciation. Time to start over. Get new car reliability and safety features.
Yep, here’s the way forward. Spend $6000 on a car worth $2000 but if you can get another 50-100K out of it, you’ll break even. Or dump it and get a new car. Depends if you like the color I guess. The battery is probably the reason the resale is so low but if it can’t go up hills anymore, just gotta try and find a flat route.
let’s assume that reconditioned battery plus mount plus labor will get to $3500 or so if done by independent shop, not a dealer
at 12 cents a mile calculated by @Ben_T_Spanner, it will take around 30K miles to break even, depreciation wise
still, nobody will tell what will break next and how much it will shift the scales… at 200K miles bets are pretty much off
The $1700 for the mounts seems a little steep. Shop around some more on that one. Other than that, it seems like this is all needed to return you Civic-H back to good performance. Unless there’s a rust problem on the car, and provided you like the car, suggest to schedule the work. A lot to be said for avoiding new-car payments, and new car insurance and registration rates.
Actually, you might be able to save money on the battery too. There are companies out there that will replace only the damaged cells in your hybrid battery, saving you money. I saw one of those companies advertised on the side of a Prius on the highway the other day. You might be able to look one up in your area.
Regarding the other things, I’d go ahead and get the throttle cleaned just as preventive maintenance, and if you have broken motor mounts, you should get those fixed too.
I’ve been where you are, kind of. I paid $1,200 for a new head gasket on my 1998 Civic even though the car was worth less than that. Whether you should depends on a lot of things, like what kind of driving you do and your finances in general. I figured that if I spent $1,200 on a head gasket and the car lasts two more years, it would justify the expense of the repair. Right now I’m on year three with the new head gasket.