I have a 2006 Volvo S40 and I have 84000 miles, my mechanic recently told me I need a catalytic converter, brakes and tires- I drive 90+ miles each day- I am wondering if it is worth it to repair my car or trade it now for a more reliable car??
What makes you think this is excessive? Tires wear out, brakes wear out and catalytic converters eventually wear out. Nothing in your list is anything but an maintenance item. If these are the only “problems”, then you are getting pretty good use out of the car.
I have a 2003 S60, and had my share of maintenance. Like you, I drive mostly highway. I am presently at 145k, these are great cars once you replace everything that is expensive. I have owned my car for 6 yrs and changed my tires 3 times, brakes and rotors twice and many other this and thats. In my experience, you really have to keep Volvos maintenance up to date or more problems occur.
You just passed the 80k mile warranty on the cat, too bad. But how do they know the cat is bad? As for brakes and tires, nothing unusual there. But don’t get a new cat unless they can show it’s bad, rather than a sensor problem.
Fix it. Those are all maintenance items. The catalytic converter failed early. You should get a second opinion. It could hve been damaged by hitting something, and you can confirm that by looking at it, or a bad sensor as mentioned earlier. The emissions system is monitored by a computer and sensors. If you post the codes that led the mechanic to believe the converer is bad, we can help yous ort throught them.
Keep it. Do the required maintenance and it will last you another 80K. One thing you should look into is the timing belt and water pump. I am not sure if your engine requires a timing belt (most do) but that would be the only other thing to keep track of. You could look in your owners manual and see the service interval for timing belts there too.
I said “Keep it.” Unless you just would rather dump it and have more payments and that “new car smell.” But that would only be if you can afford it! Repairing is almost always cheaper then buying new.
The S40 does have a timing belt on either the 2.4L or 2.5 L engine, but neither is an interference engine.
If the car is paid for and otherwise meets our needs, I’d keep it. Those are maintenance items.
However… I would start saving cash for regular expensive repairs. My sister has a 1998 Volvo, and no kidding, I think it costs $500 just to get it into the shop door. And it seems to need to go frequently.
Good luck.
trade it in, NOW! When your new car needs new tires or brakes, trade that one in too. Shoot, when the tank runs empty and needs gas, just trade it in.