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.
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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