Hello;
I own a 2005 honda crv with 172000kms. It needs $3000 in suspension work and very likely a catalyst converter and oxygen sensors. Should i invest all this money or buy a new car? Im very very torn and would appreciate thoughts on the matter. Cheers sarah
Get a new one, or a newer one.
I guess you had your exhaust problem solved and now you have repair costs that will exceed the value of your vehicle. How are you going to feel if you spend that much money and shortly after that you have more repairs to pay for. Only you can answer that .
Get a second opinion. Sometimes the person that is telling you that you need all this has a hidden agenda. Do not tell the second person the conclusions the first person told you, let them start from scratch.
BTW, did you go to them for this assessment or was it a “free” service for something else you had done, for example, did you take it in for an oil change and the oil change tech is telling you that you need all this work?
Details are important here.
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172000km is only 106875 miles
As for that presumed P0420 code . . . if the shop is saying it needs a cat AND the oxygen sensors, it makes me wonder if they did a thorough diagnosis or just pulled codes
As for “needs $3000 in suspension work” . . . exactly how bad is the ride? Is it bouncing like a yo-yo after every bump? Does it sound like an old bed spring? Is it killing the tire life or is there a hard pull?
As @keith said, it might be good to get a second opinion on both issues
Don’t forget if you get a new car, your insurance costs will go WAY up, especially if you’re a homeowner and need to protect your assets. You might be shocked what it costs to sufficiently insure a brand new car
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You have a 20yo car with about 107,000 miles on it, should be lots of life left in the drivetrain, but what about the body and under carriage, is it rust free, or lots of rust??? Unless the vehicle is all over the road and hard to drive, most of that $3,000 is probable mileage based strut assembly’s/shocks, cracking bushings (not torn), ball joint/tie rod boots cracked (still tight), maybe same with axle boots cracking, meaning you can eat that Elephant a bite at a time…
Or did you take it in for noise and alignment and they said everything is loose and falling apart?? As Keith said, we need more details and post a pic of the report…
If all else checks out on the vehicle. and the maintenance is up to date, then the $3,000 is only $250 a month for one year, hard to buy a new(er) vehicle that is not going to need repairs soon for that amount… If you have the budget to buy a new(er) vehicle with the increased cost of insurance and want to treat yourself to a more up to date vehicle, then go for it!!! A new vehicle will have a good warranty on it, but a newer used vehicle will either not have a warranty, or about to run out of warranty, and it might be getting close to needing maintenance such as tires, brakes, fluid changes, that will have to be paid for while making that car payment (unless you paid cash)… So think about all the pros and cons, and only you can make that decision…
Your vehicle, your money, your decision!..
EDIT: looks like db4690 is a much faster typer than me… lol
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My answer is this: you are going to face this very same question every time something breaks on the car. The car is at its highest value today, and there are people out there looking for a car like yours. They are DIY-ers who can avoid the high labor costs. Investigate what wholesale and retail are for your car, split the difference and sell it at that price.
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I agree with those who stated that you need a second opinion in order to know whether these repairs are really needed.
However, before you decide whether to ditch this vehicle in order to buy another one, you need to seriously consider the issue of rust, as Dave mentioned. If the vehicle is rust-free (or if it has only minor rust damage) and if the vehicle has been excellently maintained, then I think it would be foolish to replace it simply because it needs some repairs.
On the topic of maintenance, if your CRV has an automatic transmission, I hope that the trans has been serviced at least a couple of times over the years. If not, you could be looking at a transmission overhaul in the near future, and the cost of that work–in addition to the repairs that you already mentioned–might make it more logical to buy something new, or newer.
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You have to decide what it is worth to you…
Next year, I get to register my 2001 Dodge Ram 2500, 4x4, with Virginia Antique Plates… Reduced insurance costs, reduced registration costs, and reduced property Tax… One time $50 cost for plates and it is recouped the first year… You just have to have a second vehicle with a regular registration (not also antique plated…) for daily use… Still have three daily use vehicles…
We also kept our 1985 Toyota Corolla (bought new) for 40-years before donating it to Eggleston Services.
All the advice of the members is what you need to consider in your circumstance, learn from others experiences and mistakes…
Good Luck!
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Hold onto a car long enough and maintenance costs will exceed its value. Trading up means not only more modern bells and whistles but more advanced safety accessories. Even expensive repairs when amortized over a year are cheap compared to a car loan. Only 100K miles in 20 years? Your car should have another 20 years at that rate, as long as it is safe to drive and still satisfies all your needs. Personally kept a Honda Civic for 25 years and 405K miles before my cost/benefit analysis went under water.
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As others have stated if the body is rust free, then repairs for $3000 on a low mileage Honda as compared to how much for a new Honda.
1999 Mercury Grand Marquis 117000 k. No rust.
I would sell car and buy 10 yr newer.
You state the car’s mileage in kilometers and not miles, so I’m guessing you’re not in the US. But my thoughts may still apply…would $3000 even cover the sales tax and licensing on a new car?
If the car is in otherwise good condition and you still like it and it meets your needs, fix what you have.
Another thought on this…
A family member of mine has a 2002 Chevrolet pickup that he bought brand new in 2002. He’s one of those “until the wheels fall off” kind of guys, for better or worse.
The truck has had issues for years with the flashing check engine light sporadically, and as of late it’s gotten to where it won’t start and run reliably. Family member has insisted on taking the truck to the Chevrolet dealer its whole existence. He’s poured money into the truck supposedly “fixing” the problems, but they always come back. As of late he’s been seriously contemplating putting a “new engine and transmission” into the truck, in an attempt to “fix” the issues. I think he said the estimate was around $10-12K for that work.
Recently when he took the truck back to the dealer to look at the same issues, they flatly told him “we’re not interested in working on anything over 20 years old”. This actually stopped my family member in his tracks. Admittedly, there are other independent mechanics around. But my family member can’t seem to think past the Chevrolet dealer. I think this has finally been the “nudge” he needs to consider buying something new(er).
I share this story because, eventually, and sometimes unexpectedly, time will catch up to your 20 year old car. Newer ones tend to be more reliable, have better features, and perhaps even safer. The “yardstick” is a little different for all of us. But it’s also important to have a little fun, too, in life. Trying to chase down mysterious mechanical issues in a 20 year old car is no fun at all.
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A friend recently was given an expensive diagnosis for a suspension related symptom she had noticed in her 2004 Toyota Sienna.
Her experience reinforced my belief in having a solid and ongoing relationship with an independent mechanic, because loyalty to a shop results in superior service. In 40 years, I’ve used a grand total of 3 independent mechanics, and only because the first one (30 years) died much too young. He had become a true friend, as well as a trustworthy mechanic. The second decided to move on to repairing big trucks for much higher pay than he was making in his own shop. I have never had a repair done at a dealership or a tire and brake chain shop.
So… my friend took her car to the same building where she had previously had good results. But that small local business (two shops) had recently been bought by a chain company with a truly idiotic name (“Big Brand”…you can’t make up this stuff). It was basically a tire and brake and oil change operation with minimally skilled “mechanics.”
I had had one horrible experience at this place myself a year ago when I needed a flat repaired. It was enough to NEVER return there, not even for a flat repair.
Big Brand quoted my friend something north of $2000 for shocks and struts. Having already had a look at her car myself and finding nothing obvious, I was skeptical of that diagnosis.
Meanwhile, her hubby had for several years been using a locally owned and very popular REAL REPAIR SHOP. The key point here is that he was a regular customer.
Even though I use a two-man locally owned shop that only works on Toyotas, I encouraged her to go the shop her husband has used for years, for another diagnosis. I forget the details, but this second shop found NO problem with the parts cited by the new chain business. Instead they found a real problem which Big Brand had not noticed… and fixed that. It was still pricey, but at least they fixed what was wrong. And thus she’s safer.
My point is that I think most small shops will treat loyal customers far better than one-and-done customers, which is what happens at random big brand chain where customers are anonymous and the mechanics are barely beyond trainee level.
So my advice is to ask a few friends if any of them have ongoing relationships with a locally owned shop. Pick one and take your 20 year old car there for diagnosis. Then decide about fixing or buying something newer. And either way, pick a shop and be a LOYAL CUSTOMER. There is a huge difference!
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Contrary to popular belief, I know hundreds of very loyal customers that have been using the same big chain shop mechanic for sometimes 20+ years, it doesn’t happen in every shop, but way more than you think, a top notch mechanic can work at any shop chain or not… I can think of at least 3 national chain shops/mechanics within a 20 minute normal traffic drive from my home… The company has many A1-A8 + L1 ASE master technicians and most of the bigger shops at least have one, some have multiple…
I also know of many loyal customers to a sales person that they trust to double check everything…
Also, a good/great shop no matter who/what it is can/will always do what we called show and tell, meaning take the customer out to the vehicle and show them what you are telling them so they can understand it better… Or take pics/video for the customer if a drop off and unable to see it in person…
Exactly.
There is also higher turnover in the big corporate establishments so that service writer may not know you from Jack even though you’ve been there dozens of times.
When I look for service, I prefer the small shops that are actually a bit messy with a chair or two off in a corner surrounded by parts/tires/the old wiper carousel from 20 years ago etc. The staff has been there forever and the owner is often involved with the clientele.
Recently, I had to find a new shop to do my yearly emissions/safety inspection. I hate this with a passion and will avoid any large chain doing it. The guy I had gone to for years was run down by a truck while crossing the road. Sad situation. But he had a shop like I described. No nonsense, just honest work.
Asking around, I finally got a recommendation to go to this new place. From the moment I walked in, I knew this was it. Somewhat disorganized appearance to the “waiting area” and a buzz with activity. While they were doing the inspection, a guy came in that was obviously not just a long time customer but one that everyone knew and was friendly to. They had done some work on his brakes that were noisy. They dressed the rotors and inspected everything. When he asked about the damage, they said no charge.
They ended up having to replace the rear wiper blade on my van. Tried gerry rigging up something from their inventory because they didn’t have the exact part but ended up having the local parts store drop one off. Looking at my bill, they charged retail for the wiper. I’ll be back…
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I sold my 16 year old Toyota and was glad I did. I sold a 20 year old Volvo and was glad I did. New cars or some a couple of years old are so much better now.
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