Car Fix/Replace Decision

[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.

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?

 

[Katsmeow]

I would replace it.

 

[REWahoo]

+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.

 

[FIREd]

I would replace it too.

 

[W2R]

Replace it! And get that $800 from the salvage yard if you can.

 

[FreeAtLast]

+3 Replace it.

 

[Texas Proud]

+3 Replace it.

+4

 

[powerplay]

+5 Replace it ,especially since she is financially able to do so.

 

[easysurfer]

I take the 5th because I own an old car that I keep on fixing instead of replacing.

 

[73ss454]

I'd replace it and I think you sould buy her something brand new.

 

[Bestwifeever]

BMW?

 

[Nords]

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?

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.

 

[harley]

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.

 

[Telly]

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.

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.

 

[jclarksnakes]

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.

 

[donheff]

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?

 

[frank]

I would also get some other opinions. just because one mechanic says its so doesn't mean it is. exactly what part is needed?

 

[travelover]

Holy frame fraud batman! I had no idea cars don't have frames anymore.........

It's worse than that. They got the carburetors, ignition points and even the distributors.

 

[donheff]

It's worse than that. They got the carburetors, ignition points and even the distributors.

Yeah, that I knew about but frames?

 

[travelover]

Yeah, that I knew about but frames?

Rest easy, good old pickup trucks still have 'em. At least real pickups.

But then frames are over rated. Ever see this video?

 

[Walt34]

I'd take the $800 from the scrap yard and replace the car.

 

[BigNick]

Definitely get a second opinion. (Of course, that may be "And the car is ugly, too". )

I'm trying to think how the chassis/frame would even get bent, without an accident. If this is a consequence of an accident with poor repair, presumably the insurance company would want to know about that.

 

[travelover]

Leave the keys in the ignition and park it in a bad neighborhood.

After taking out full coverage insurance, of course.

 

[REWahoo]

'when you face a repair that's half the book value of the car, it's time to get rid of it'

That's the basic rule of thumb insurance companies use when deciding to repair or "total" a car after an accident...

 

[ERD50]

I'm curious where T-Al weighed in on this.

For myself, I would prefer my kids have a fairly new vehicle that gives me some assurance that maintenance and safety issues will be minimal for as long as possible. That goes triple if they are more than a short drive away from home. It can be a real pain to deal with repairs, worry about getting taken on repairs, etc.

Not only would I suggest she replace it, but I'd suggest that she spend more than $6,000 on the replacement (it sounds like that won't be a major financial hurdle). Sure, one can buy a $6,000 car and get plenty of low-maint miles on it. But spend $10,000 and all things being equal, you'll get to keep that car longer, avoiding the whole shopping issue, and have less maintenance per year you drive it (on average, assuming maint goes up as a car ages). I'd bet the overall cost of ownership delta would be minimal. Plus, it will likely have better, more modern safety features than an older car in the same class.

The only way I'd put $3,000 into a car that would then be worth $3,300 would be:

1) I really could not afford a dollar more than $3,000 w/o considerable pain.
2) I was confident that after the repair, this (now) $3,300 would provide more function for me than if I applied up to $3,800 on a different car ($3,800 is the $3,000 you would have spent on the repair, plus the $800 from scrapping it). edit/add: And since the bent frame (uni-frame?) was unknown, there certainly could be other unknowns)

-ERD50