[Guest]

Okay, as some of you might know, i'm currently in the process of getting a new car. It's just the matter of finding one. I'm looking for a 2001, 2002 SEL off of the B Lot of the Ford Plant in Dearborn (some of you might know what the B Lot is, i won't get into now) But here's my thing, the more and more i think about...i don't think that i could part from my car. There's honestly nothing wrong with it, besides that the fact that i'm patiently waiting for the trans/engine to go on me. I've bonded too much with Bruce, and i've put so much money in him.


So what i'm asking, in your opinion...do i keep bruce, or get a newer, more reliable car? I'm gonna be driving about 20 minutes to downtown detroit for school in the spring, and at night none the less (about 4 times a week)...and my mom wants me to have a newer car. There's just so many things that i wanted to do to my car, but i know that i could do them to a gen 4 taurus. I'm just torn in two. And i'm moving to Tennesse too, to add to the list of complications.


Thanks for your time.

 

[96Sleeper]

Think about it hard. In the end the descion has to be made by you. But would you want someone else to have Bruce and tear him up? Think about it.

 

[Guest]

If it ain't broke don't fix it

 

[firespirit]

Take a look at me. Broken front end, broken door, non-working pass. side window, 84K miles, broken oil pan gasket....

Im still keeping her. lol... sooooo Yeah, depends on how much love you have for the car.

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[Capital Punishment]

Ok people, were talking about cars here, not people.

Cars are objects, you shouldnt have strong, signifigant emotional bonds with them so much as to prevent you from making a wise financial decision.

Anyway, how about keep driving bruce untill she dies, while in the meantime you save up money for when she does die? Sounds wise to me. That way you get maximum use out of your current car. Also, if you want, you could save up money for a better, maybe even a brand new taurus, if thats what your heart desires.

 

[Smola97GL]

Originally posted by Capital Punishment@Jan 4 2004, 12:46 AM
Ok people, were talking about cars here, not people.

Cars are objects, you shouldnt have strong, signifigant emotional bonds with them so much as to prevent you from making a wise financial decision.

Anyway, how about keep driving bruce untill she dies, while in the meantime you save up money for when she does die? Sounds wise to me. That way you get maximum use out of your current car. Also, if you want, you could save up money for a better, maybe even a brand new taurus, if thats what your heart desires.

I 2nd it.

 

[afi292]

I personally would get rid of your car if you do not feel safe driving itanymore... i personally did the same thing...except i had a Jeep Cherokee...it was a 99, and things started going out on it...so i traded it in for my taurus so i wouldnt get stuck breaking down in the middle of nowhere/stuck paying for repairs... but the decision is entirely up to you!

 

[Jazzhead]

If I still feel confidence in a car's reliability, I really hate to get rid of it. The most recent car we bought was a 2000 Concorde to replace a '90 Cutlass Supreme. The Cutty is long in the tooth and the paint was peeling, but the damn thing has never (knock on wood!) given me any significant mechanical problems since the day it was new. Just change the fluids regularly and put gas in her - it's been that way for 14 years now.

So I sprung for the extra $400 to keep up the insurance and parked the Cutty in the woods. And in the past year, I've had a blast restoring its exterior and interior to showroom-new condition. Last time I had it serviced, the mechanic marvelled at its condition. It's a reliable daily driver with, as Neil Young once sang, trunks of memories, still to come.

" Long may you run, long may you run
Although these changes have come

With your chrome heart shining, in the sun
Long may you run."

 

[taurus3254ja]

I say if "BRUCE" isn't giving you any problems and is still running fine, stick with him until you can save for a newer Taurus/Sable . In the mean time just keep up with the preventative and regular maintenance and get a AAA Membership incase you need a jump or a tow at any time. Good Luck!

 

[saerandy]

From a reliability perspective you're probably fine. There are only a few major catastrophic things that could go wrong to the point where you would be completely stuck - In other words, most problems will be ones that get progressively worse over time versus "BANG you're not moving".

Putting aside the emotional attachment aside for the moment, there's some good reasons to buy at the moment. There are a few 2002 SESs going for around $8K at the moment, and at that price it's a steal. Interest rates are excellent, but will be going up at the end of the year. The new car would be under warranty so you could stop worrying about potentially major expensive repairs & focus on school. Remember, the time to be selling your car is while it's running, not when it needs a new transmission. And you could call your new car Bruce as well. . . Or maybe not.

Bruce would trade in at about $2500? Assume a 2002 SES at $9000 out the door. That's a net of $6500 financed at 6% that's about $168 on a 48 month loan.

As long as Bruce doesn't develop any catastrophic problems, his value is going down very slowly versus the 2002's values which are going down quickly (you could probably get in to a 2001 SES for less than $7500)

Some might suggest putting aside the estimated monthly payment and building a 'fund' to put down on a 2002 when the time comes. Quite frankly, the amount you would set aside (in my opinion) wouldn't be worth it.

Let's say for a moment that you go down that route. 5 months from now you've got $850 in the cookie jar. Bruce decides it's time to dump the transmission. Assuming you sell as-is you'll be lucky to get $600. Add $600 to the $850 you've saved and the new car will now cost you $192 a month.

Or take that $850, kick in another $1300 out of your pocket, fix the car, and sell it for a net gain of zero.

Sorry for the long post, but all this to say that if you can afford a new "used" car you're better off doing it. It's also better to do it on your own terms versus having your back against the wall.

Good luck!