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03-25-2012, 08:07 PM
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#1
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Car Fix/Replace Decision
DD's (Jenny) car has a somewhat buckled frame part that makes it dangerous to drive. This is something that had been there, but wasn't detected when she had the car evaluated three years ago. The cost to repair is $3,000. The body shop says it will be fine after the repair.
The blue book value of the car is about $3,300. It has about 115,000 miles on it. Jenny figures she'd get $800 if she sold it to a salvage yard.
The two options are (1) scrap it and buy a used new-to-her car for $6,000, or (2) fix it. She's leaning towards the former. She can definitely afford to buy a new car.
What do you think?
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03-25-2012, 08:09 PM
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#2
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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Join Date: Jul 2009
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I would replace it.
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03-25-2012, 08:14 PM
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#3
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
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+1
I wouldn't spend $3k on a car worth only $3k for basic mechanical repairs, much less a frame straightening job. Use the money to help pay for a replacement.
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Numbers is hard
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03-25-2012, 08:16 PM
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#4
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 12,901
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I would replace it too.
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03-25-2012, 08:18 PM
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#5
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,500
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Replace it! And get that $800 from the salvage yard if you can.
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03-25-2012, 08:19 PM
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#6
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Apr 2008
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+3 Replace it.
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03-25-2012, 08:49 PM
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#7
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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 Quote:
Originally Posted by FreeAtLast
+3 Replace it.
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+4
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03-25-2012, 08:58 PM
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#8
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,608
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+5 Replace it ,especially since she is financially able to do so.
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03-25-2012, 09:15 PM
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#9
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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I take the 5th because I own an old car that I keep on fixing instead of replacing.
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03-25-2012, 09:22 PM
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#10
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: LaLa Land
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I'd replace it and I think you sould buy her something brand new.
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03-25-2012, 09:31 PM
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#11
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 17,774
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BMW?
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03-25-2012, 10:06 PM
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#12
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TromboneAl
The two options are (1) scrap it and buy a used new-to-her car for $6,000, or (2) fix it. She's leaning towards the former. She can definitely afford to buy a new car.
What do you think?
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I'm wondering what could possibly make someone even consider (2).
But then my father-in-law would be crawling around under the car right now with a crowbar and a hammer, muttering to himself about the bahstids trying to steal his three grand to fix a little bent metal.
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03-25-2012, 10:21 PM
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#13
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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I had a car with a bent frame once (due to no fault of my own, the light was green and she turned right in front of me, I swear!). The body shop also promised me it would be fine after they fixed it. But I had to replace my front tires every year after that. A little shimmy that they couldn't get rid of. In other words, option 1.
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03-25-2012, 10:57 PM
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#14
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,395
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TromboneAl
DD's (Jenny) car has a somewhat buckled frame part that makes it dangerous to drive. This is something that had been there, but wasn't detected when she had the car evaluated three years ago. The cost to repair is $3,000. The body shop says it will be fine after the repair.
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Too nebulous to comprehend. A "somewhat buckled frame part that makes it dangerous to drive"? What part? The last cars sold in the US that had frames were the Mercury Grand Marquis and the Lincoln Town Car. Unless she's driving an old Crown Vic cop car 
So I have to assume that this was spoken of very generically... very. So what happened three years ago? And what happened now, that this was discovered? A roving band of gypsy body repairers crawling under cars in the grocery store lot (hey lady, I'll fix yer car for ya if ya gimme 3 grand, it's really bad, it'll kill ya the way it is!) 
Without more detail, I don't see how one could evaluate anything about it. Or avoid a scam.
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03-25-2012, 11:39 PM
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#15
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jun 2006
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Telly
Too nebulous to comprehend. A "somewhat buckled frame part that makes it dangerous to drive"? What part? The last cars sold in the US that had frames were the Mercury Grand Marquis and the Lincoln Town Car. Unless she's driving an old Crown Vic cop car
So I have to assume that this was spoken of very generically... very. So what happened three years ago? And what happened now, that this was discovered? A roving band of gypsy body repairers crawling under cars in the grocery store lot (hey lady, I'll fix yer car for ya if ya gimme 3 grand, it's really bad, it'll kill ya the way it is!)
Without more detail, I don't see how one could evaluate anything about it. Or avoid a scam. |
Good information but you probably forgot that the Corvette and the Lotus Elise both have frames. Both use hydroforming techniques building their frames so they do not look much like the old ladder frames. I believe there are several other currently available sports cars that also have frames.
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03-26-2012, 05:33 AM
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#16
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Washington, DC
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Holy frame fraud batman! I had no idea cars don't have frames anymore. I assumed that after an accident you needed to check whether the frame was bent - happened to me in 67. What do they call the frame now or is that what "unibody" construction means?
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03-26-2012, 05:37 AM
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#17
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: dubuque
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I would also get some other opinions. just because one mechanic says its so doesn't mean it is. exactly what part is needed?
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03-26-2012, 06:08 AM
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#18
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by donheff
Holy frame fraud batman! I had no idea cars don't have frames anymore.........
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It's worse than that. They got the carburetors, ignition points and even the distributors. 
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03-26-2012, 06:19 AM
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#19
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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Location: Washington, DC
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Yeah, that I knew about but frames?
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Idleness is fatal only to the mediocre -- Albert Camus
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03-26-2012, 06:48 AM
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#20
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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Join Date: Mar 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by donheff
Yeah, that I knew about but frames?
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Rest easy, good old pickup trucks still have 'em. At least real pickups. 
But then frames are over rated. Ever see this video?
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