Cars: what to do when they die

[Carpet_pissr]

tl;dr version: Can't decide whether to fix or sell an '08 SUV with a bad transmission.

I've done a lot of reading over the past week about this problem, and still unsure what to do. Thought I would post here to see what you guys think:

2008 Mazda CX-9, GT (V6),
2WD
116K miles
Leather interior, nav, rear DVD, top model trim, etc.
single owner, all maintenance records, regular oil changes, etc.
ZERO problems with car EXCEPT:

massive transmission failure within past year, local shop quoted $4800 since they have to just replace the entire part (thanks, Mazda!) That price is in line with what I saw online from other Mazda CX-9 owners.

I have always bragged about how amazing this car has been since we bought it, i.e. NO problems, drives great (and still drives great btw, no other problems other than the tranny - "other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?" ).
But thinking how many modern cars are designed to go 200K+ miles, I am rethinking my praise. A failed transmission at 100K is not "great", I guess.

Given the crazy high prices in used market currently (and recent spike), I was reconsidering fixing the Mazda, but the primary thing holding me back: it gets about 16MPG thanks I guess to age, but primarily that gas guzzling V6, tuned for "zoom zoom". It had a poor MPG rating even for its time, when it was new, and now, with age...oof.

Peddle.com is offering me $2270 and will come to my house to pick it up, which sounds great, honestly. I really don't have the time for a lot more than that. That's assuming they are legit, which they seem to be.

Any strong opinions on fixing vs selling?
Quotes to get a new transmission have come in between $4500-$4800
Car without transmission problems is probably worth $5-$6K

Any experience with Peddle (or other online sites that I assume are just wrangling local junk/auction dealers)?

[Jaymann]

116k does not seem like many miles for a 2008, but sunk cost fallacy...

Maybe time to go electric?

[Holman]

I don't know cars, but I have to imagine that when the transmission goes, other important things are going to fail fairly soon.

Maybe have someone look very closely at the engine and other parts to make sure they've got plenty of life in them? But what will probably go next is the electronics.

[Jaymon]

everything on that car is out of warranty now. all the breakages will come from your pocket.
a new car comes with a new warranty, and much better mileage. Also, peace of mind that you are not waiting for the next shoe to drop.

but obviously, it comes with new car cost.

[Isgrimnur]

I usually sell it to a guy at the shop. They usually have someone that wants a project car.

[coopasonic]

...and they've been trying SOOOOOO hard to get in touch with you about your cars warranty.

[LordMortis]

I don't know the car market right now. I hear it's insane used or new. Normally a Tranny would be enough for me to say, done. Another car. The cost of repair knowing that I have more repairs coming and the need for reliability would say it's the end could all go into the cost of the next car. Today, I don't know anymore.

I was asking myself the same thing over winter when I had to pay $180 for new battery for 2009 Focus with 130,000 miles, knowing that this is the beginning of an increased maintenance cost cycle. Tires are coming soon, handling is getting worse, which some suspension component will go bad before long, brakes are getting soft etc... etc... But I can't get another new Focus type car for under $13,000 any more, so the game changed a bit and I'm keeping of for the moment.

[dbt1949]

I would think in terms of how much a replacement car is before writing off a repair job that costs a lot.

[hepcat]

1 877 KARS FOR KIDS, 1 877 KARS FOR KIDS DONATE YOUR KARS TODAY!

bet you can't read that without singing

[LawBeefaroni]

But thinking how many modern cars are designed to go 200K+ miles, I am rethinking my praise. A failed transmission at 100K is not "great", I guess.

Is this manual or automatic? For an automatic it seems not great but for a manual, it depends. Assuming an 2008 is auto but you never know.


If you can get $2300 for it as-is, seems like a decent deal to avoid all the associated time and cost of getting it repaired.

[pr0ner]

1 877 KARS FOR KIDS, 1 877 KARS FOR KIDS DONATE YOUR KARS TODAY!

bet you can't read that without singing

[ImLawBoy]

1 877 KARS FOR KIDS, 1 877 KARS FOR KIDS DONATE YOUR KARS TODAY!

bet you can't read that without singing

Normally I'm strongly opposed for publicly calling for someone's banning.

I'm happy to make an exception in this case, though.

[LawBeefaroni]

1 877 KARS FOR KIDS, 1 877 KARS FOR KIDS DONATE YOUR KARS TODAY!

bet you can't read that without singing

You forgot the main hook:

K-A-R-S kars for kids
K-A-R-S kars for kids

[EvilHomer3k]

We had a 2008 Pathfinder where the transmission went out at 130,000 miles. Only issue we ever had with the car. Went through the same thing. I priced other, similar vehicles and they were going to cost us at least 7k. It cost us 4500 for the transmission. We found out that there was an issue with the radiator that we should have known about but didn't. The radiator mixed tranny fluid with antifreeze and destroyed the tranny. Replacing the radiator fixes the issue.

We replaced the transmission (and radiator) because:
1. A used car would cost more than the repair and who knows what is wrong with that car
2. We loved that car. Best car we ever owned.
3. We knew the history of the car.
4. Once fixed the issue doesn't happen again.

That was last June and it's still doing great. So much, in fact, that I traded my 2012 Dodge Charger for a 2012 Nissan Pathfinder (my son got his drivers license and wanted the 2008 pathfinder instead of the 2012 charger). Now we have two pathfinders.

So I would check to see if those vehicles have recurring issues after you fix the transmission. Check Mazda forums, reddit, etc. Find out the general longevity of them. Find out how much it costs for the repair (nissan's transmissions are expensive - no idea on mazdas). Look at new/used cars to see what replacement will cost. Then decide if it's worth it to you based on your research.

[hepcat]

[hepcat]

1 877 KARS FOR KIDS, 1 877 KARS FOR KIDS DONATE YOUR KARS TODAY!

bet you can't read that without singing

Normally I'm strongly opposed for publicly calling for someone's banning.

I'm happy to make an exception in this case, though.

[hitbyambulance]

Given the crazy high prices in used market currently (and recent spike), I was reconsidering fixing the Mazda, but the primary thing holding me back: it gets about 16MPG thanks I guess to age, but primarily that gas guzzling V6, tuned for "zoom zoom". It had a poor MPG rating even for its time, when it was new, and now, with age...oof.

i would get rid of it just for that

[Kraken]

Myself, I'd put that repair money into a down payment on a new car rather than feed it to a 14-year-old machine with high mileage. Yeah, you'll have payments again for four or five years, but IMO it's worth it to restart the worry-free clock for another 14 years (with a little luck).

Wife's Honda is 11 years old with 68,000 miles, and I hope we won't have to replace it until self-driving EVs are real. My car is only 3.5 years old with 6,650 miles so I hope it will outlive me.

[coopasonic]

Myself, I'd put that repair money into a down payment on a new car rather than feed it to a 14-year-old machine with high mileage.

Same but maybe a late model off-lease. If you are ok with a 14yo car you are ok with a 2yo car and can potentially save a pile of money. My wife's 2013 minivan with close to 100k miles was hit last night and we are having a similar discussion

[Smoove_B]

I'm beginning to think I don't make car decisions like other people.

[malchior]

I'm in the get what you can for it and sink the money into another newer car camp. I take reliability over most other factors. Another factor I'd think about is not sinking money in excess of the value of the car to get it operational again.

[Grifman]

Bad timing. The car market is booming, many people are paying list price now as there is a car shortage due to a chip shortage - yeah, electronics! Not the best time to be buying a new car. But I would not that much money in a car that old. I'd buy another used car.

[coopasonic]

I'm beginning to think I don't make car decisions like other people.

To be fair I don't do it like I suggest either!

[dbt1949]

Our latest car is a 2003 model we got new and we haven't had any newer once since.

[Carpet_pissr]

I'm beginning to think I don't make car decisions like other people.

Explain.

And thanks to all so far for the weigh ins. I’m avidly reading and considering each one.

But like with my family, I’m getting strong, completely opposite reactions.

“Why get rid of a car that should have at least 100k miles left on it? Just find the cheapest place that will fix with a warranty and move on!”

“It’s worth how much? And costs about that much to fix? 2008 you say? Why are you even asking such a stupid question?! Sell that pos!”

[Smoove_B]

My car was purchased new in 2003. It's a Subaru wagon.

In 2012 when I hit ~105K miles, I was told (during routine maintenance) that my head gasket was leaky; this was apparently a known potential issue for my car (the year it was manufactured). Prior to that point, I had done nothing other than scheduled maintenance; zero issues.

I spent ~5K in 2012 (car was paid for in full by 2007) with the thought that if I managed to get another year out of it, I just punted on a year's worth of new car payments.

It's now 2021 and I'm still driving the same car; just about hit 200K miles. Over the winter I gave it a $1000 service and tune up (timing belts, hoses, etc...) and that's that. Other than typical maintenance (oil, filters, breaks, tires, an alternator, car batteries), I've never had a problem.

I was actually thinking of buying a new car last summer / fall, but then realized it would be sitting around collecting dust - so I spent that money on the tune up. While I know I'm not a normal car customer outside of a pandemic, the idea of buying a new car and making payments right now (for me) to sit home and do nothing seems weird. Maybe if i had to drive somewhere daily I'd feel a little different.

I hate car payments and I hate giving fat stacks over to own a car. Not having a car payment in (checks calendar) 14 years has been fantastic. I am not sure I quite trust buying used (I've heard horror stories), even if it's certified.

I'm not a typical driver I guess (~11K a year) so if you're a crazy commuter, my philosophy might not apply. And my annual driving average has gone down significantly, this last year I might have driven 1000 total. Maybe.

[Bakhtosh]

How much would you have to spend in the next year? 100k is usually a big milestone for cars - timing belt, serpentine belt, engine service. Will you need new tires soon? How's the exhaust system looking?

If you took the cash offer and put it down on a newer car, what would your monthly payments be?

Feel free to add fuel costs for each vehicle for even more of a complete picture. Insurance will normally go up on a newer vehicle. Make you know what type of fuel is recommended.

How many months of driving your repaired vehicle would it take to come out ahead? If you blow a head gasket during that window, would you be in big financial trouble, or would it just be a PITA?

[Jaymon]

There are a number of small SUV style cars for 25k or less, which is about $500 a month, depending on down payment and financing. And they all have pretty good mileage. Nearly every brand makes one now.
I was recently in the market, so I had done a lot of looking. A hybrid will add 5-10k to the price, and raise mileage, depending on what kind of hybrid it is.

[hitbyambulance]

it's much easier to go all 'ship of Theseus' on a bicycle to keep it running forever

(but probably most people would consider the frame to constitute the core of the original bike)

[gilraen]

My biggest calculation would be whether the repair cost is more than the value of the vehicle. I drive a 2002 Hyundai Sonata - bought used in 2003, for cash. It already had almost 27k miles on it (it was a corporate car, not sure how they racked up so many miles, but it was in great shape otherwise). It's now at about 200k miles. Over the years, I replaced the timing belt (once), brake pads and rotors (twice), had the A/C rebuilt, and I vaguely recall one major transmission repair (guessing around $3500, but that was years and at least 90k miles ago).

I consider batteries and tires to be standard wear and tear and don't keep track of replacements.

At this point if engine or transmission go, I wouldn't repair it. Anything else...I might still consider it, depending on the cost. If I had a lengthy commute, it would be a different consideration. But even before COVID, my commute was about 5 miles, and now I work from home. Other than driving to the mountains to go skiing, there isn't much stress I put on my car these days.

[Carpet_pissr]

But thinking how many modern cars are designed to go 200K+ miles, I am rethinking my praise. A failed transmission at 100K is not "great", I guess.

Is this manual or automatic? For an automatic it seems not great but for a manual, it depends.

Sorry, it’s a six speed automatic.

[Kraken]

I hate car payments and I hate giving fat stacks over to own a car. Not having a car payment in (checks calendar) 14 years has been fantastic. I am not sure I quite trust buying used (I've heard horror stories), even if it's certified.

You are indeed my opposite. I budget a permanent car payment. If I'm not making actual car payments to a bank, I'm making them to my savings account. (Even though it's really just one savings account, I use a notebook to divide it into distinct car account, vacation account, medical account, house account, and some other imaginary buckets, and I budget each bucket every month.) The car account covers maintenance and repairs and taxes and fees as necessary, but its real purpose is to accumulate a down payment on the next car. Then when our eldest car threatens to shit the bed, and the car account has a comfortable enough balance, the stars are aligned for a new car.

When Wife's old Subaru Forester was facing $5,000 worth of repairs and maintenance at around 110k miles, the car account had enough to buy a Honda Fit in cash ($15k at the time). Spending $5,000 of that to keep the 'ru going would have been dumb. It was sending signals that it would want more repairs after the immediate $5k.

So "cars" is a level-funded monthly budget item -- the only variable is whether I'm paying myself or a bank. A $4,800 repair like the pissr faces now would mean taking it away from the next car. It might not look that obvious if you don't have an imaginary car account, but that doesn't make it less true. To me, it's smarter to pay the money to a future car than a past one. If your car is 13 years old and has a lot of miles on it and suddenly wants a lot of money, it's a past one.

[Carpet_pissr]

OK guys, you asked questions, here are the answers:

1. What's it worth w/o the transmission problem?
Probably around $5800-$6K tops

2. How much is the transmission repair?
Quoted $4800 or around there

3. Anything forecast to go wrong?
Not that I can see...replaced timing belts already (though I wouldn't consider that MAJOR)

4. How much would a replacement car cost?
?? I mean, I have bought new for the past 3 cars we bought. Definitely would buy used this time. $15K? $20K?

5. How much would a car payment be?
Would pay cash, no financing

Man, I am REALLY going back and forth. Great arguments on both sides. I guess it's time for a poll.

Did I mention that I was already looking for a used car for my 16YO to drive when this happened? So technically, I'm looking for TWO cars right now. BEST TIME TO BUY EVAR! It's the equivalent in % of buying new gaming graphics cards for all the computers in your house. Right now. Like, high end, RTX cards.

And I will state one last time that the gas mileage SUCKETH. 16-17MPG around town (which is where it would be driven, not highway miles on this one). Our 2015 Honda Odyssey (MUCH heavier and MUCH bigger) gets 19/27 I believe.

Everything I've read recommends to buy a new (to you) car if the repair costs are equal to or greater than the value if the problem didn't exist. It's REAL close on that one. So close that you really have to consider the gas mileage I think.

[Kraken]

I guess it's time for a poll.

I am a sucker for polls because they give me the illusion that somebody cares what I think.

[hitbyambulance]

And I will state one last time that the gas mileage SUCKETH. 16-17MPG around town (which is where it would be driven, not highway miles on this one). Our 2015 Honda Odyssey (MUCH heavier and MUCH bigger) gets 19/27 I believe.

Everything I've read recommends to buy a new (to you) car if the repair costs are equal to or greater than the value if the problem didn't exist. It's REAL close on that one. So close that you really have to consider the gas mileage I think.

which is why this vehicle should be taken out of the genecar pool. no longer should it be allowed to pollute this earth. sell for scrap and bring it to the crusher!

[coopasonic]

You let the insurance company take care of it apparently. Our 8 year old minivan got hit on Tuesday and insurance totaled it so now we are car shopping.

[Smoove_B]

You are indeed my opposite. I budget a permanent car payment. If I'm not making actual car payments to a bank, I'm making them to my savings account. (Even though it's really just one savings account, I use a notebook to divide it into distinct car account, vacation account, medical account, house account, and some other imaginary buckets, and I budget each bucket every month.) The car account covers maintenance and repairs and taxes and fees as necessary, but its real purpose is to accumulate a down payment on the next car. Then when our eldest car threatens to shit the bed, and the car account has a comfortable enough balance, the stars are aligned for a new car.

I kinda do the same thing. At one point, I was doing exactly that, but now I just have money set aside for "stuff". It still bothers me to hand over a stack of cash for a car down payment and I strongly believe recurring monthly payments are a slow, painful death.

To me, it's smarter to pay the money to a future car than a past one. If your car is 13 years old and has a lot of miles on it and suddenly wants a lot of money, it's a past one.

I get that sentiment as well. I think what's also controlling my behavior is that I drive my car to a university campus weekly (well, I did in the before times) and need to park it in a public lot. If I purchased a new car, I'm confident within a day it would be dinged, scratched and rubbed - because my current beater is. I'm confident I would detonate if that happened, so this car makes more sense.

What will likely happen is my wife will get a new car and I'll take her old one. Even still, I'm reluctant to give up the wagon because it's so damn useful.

Sorry, op, likely not helpful.

[ImLawBoy]

This thread is suddenly relevant to my interests. The Audi wouldn't start this morning. At 17 years old, I knew this day was coming, but at less than 55K miles, I was hoping to put it off for a bit longer. Actually, it might just be a battery thing - I haven't had the chance to try jumping it yet. If it's anything other than the battery, though, it's likely not worth the expense of repairing.

[stimpy]

In response to the thread topic:

NSFW

Spoiler:

You post hot pictures of yourself along with endless comments about how sex starved you are.....

[Carpet_pissr]

In response to the thread topic:

NSFW

Spoiler:

You post hot pictures of yourself along with endless comments about how sex starved you are.....

OK?
Am I missing a joke?