Help me make a life decision, please. (1 Viewer)

[kinnie]

Should I buy a new car?
I currently own a 2003 Honda Civic. Her name is Bertha (important info).
Anyways, Bertha has 180,000 miles on her.
The maintenance light is on and I've been dealing with tire blowouts for what seems like a year now because I'm an unlucky person ig.
I'm interested in putting a down payment on a new car. I don't have the best credit either (not even mine btw).
I've got money saved up but I don't know if it's best to just wait until Bertha dies or at least until she reaches 200,000 miles.
Bertha has also been paid off. I'm also about to start a new job that pays more.
So I guess I'm looking for ya'lls opinion on this because I like to seek out advice here and there.​

 

[JimmyBacon]

Should I buy a new car?
I currently own a 2003 Honda Civic. Her name is Bertha (important info).
Anyways, Bertha has 180,000 miles on her.
The maintenance light is on and I've been dealing with tire blowouts for what seems like a year now because I'm an unlucky person ig.
I'm interested in putting a down payment on a new car. I don't have the best credit either (not even mine btw).
I've got money saved up but I don't know if it's best to just wait until Bertha dies or at least until she reaches 200,000 miles.
Bertha has also been paid off. I'm also about to start a new job that pays more.
So I guess I'm looking for ya'lls opinion on this because I like to seek out advice here and there.​

Yeah buy a new one and keep both cars

 

[Ahsoka]

What kind of a state is your current car in? I know that yous say you've had blowouts but how does it run? My main thing is that if it's not functioning well it might be worth having a new one so that you don't get stuck in a station where you're carless, like my family had when my dads old car stopped working.

 

[kinnie]

Yeah buy a new one and keep both cars

I'll probably end up trading Bertha in. I'm hoping she's worth at least $1k.

 

[kinnie]

What kind of a state is your current car in? I know that yous say you've had blowouts but how does it run? My main thing is that if it's not functioning well it might be worth having a new one so that you don't get stuck in a station where you're carless, like my family had when my dads old car stopped working.

I mean she runs fine. She's missing a hubcap. A few dents and scratches here n' there. I finally got a replacement for the driver's side door handle.
One of the windows is jammed so it won't go down at all. So it's not like she's a crippled old lady. I'm just ready for something newer.
I thought about taking her to a car shop to have her inspected and if it's going to cost me more than $500.00 to have her worked on then I might as well just get a different car, ya know?

 

[Ahsoka]

I mean she runs fine. She's missing a hubcap. A few dents and scratches here n' there. I finally got a replacement for the driver's side door handle.
One of the windows is jammed so it won't go down at all. So it's not like she's a crippled old lady. I'm just ready for something newer.
I thought about taking her to a car shop to have her inspected and if it's going to cost me more than $500.00 to have her worked on then I might as well just get a different car, ya know?

Yeah that makes sense.

 

[kinnie]

Yeah that makes sense.

Few words but very impactful. Thank you sensei.

 

[yeji]

just follow what you think is best

 

[kinnie]

just follow what you think is best

But only you know what's best for me.

 

[yeji]

But only you know what's best for me.

awww you are too sweet
but yeah I think for any bug purchase you should think about multiple things like how your finances are looking, if there is something else you need to replace that might cost a lot etc.

 

[kinnie]

awww you are too sweet
but yeah I think for any bug purchase you should think about multiple things like how your finances are looking, if there is something else you need to replace that might cost a lot etc.

Hehe, thank yee you love~
Hmm...true. I've been thinking about just keeping Bertha until she breaks down for good that way I'll have saved a decent amount of money for a new car. It's just the temptation tho!

 

[dnb]

I'll probably end up trading Bertha in. I'm hoping she's worth at least $1k.

Good luck!

I don't know if a 2003 Civic, 180k miles with a maintenance light on will be worth $1k, though. There are used car value calculators at edmunds.com and kbb.com that you can try out.

Just wanted to mention two things:

1. Given the pandemic and DMV/RMV shutdowns, it might take a while to get a registration and plates for a replacement car. Keep this potentially long lead time in mind if you are thinking of going car shopping.

2. Towards the end of a calendar year, new model year cars get rolled out to dealer lots. Dealers become more eager to get rid of the previous model year's models. So if you're car shopping at the end of 2020, the dealers may start offering discounts on 2020 cars as they try to clear parking spots for the 2021 cars that are arriving.

 

[kinnie]

Good luck!

I don't know if a 2003 Civic, 180k miles with a maintenance light on will be worth $1k, though. There are used car value calculators at edmunds.com and kbb.com that you can try out.

Just wanted to mention two things:

1. Given the pandemic and DMV/RMV shutdowns, it might take a while to get a registration and plates for a replacement car. Keep this potentially long lead time in mind if you are thinking of going car shopping.

2. Towards the end of a calendar year, new model year cars get rolled out to dealer lots. Dealers become more eager to get rid of the previous model year's models. So if you're car shopping at the end of 2020, the dealers may start offering discounts on 2020 cars as they try to clear parking spots for the 2021 cars that are arriving.

Oh wow, I never knew that. I'll have to give that some consideration then. My ideal purchase would be between $5,000-$10,000 tho so it would most likely have to be a used vehicle. It would be quicker to pay off and I don't think any car should be worth more than $10,000 in my opinion. Unless you have the money even though it's still a waste because cars only go down in value anyways. Idk, as long as it's reliable and can get you from point A to B then that's fine. I'm hoping to score a newer car, preferably a year 2013 or up. We'll just have to see!
Thanks for sharing! ^^

 

[dnb]

Oh wow, I never knew that. I'll have to give that some consideration then. My ideal purchase would be between $5,000-$10,000 tho so it would most likely have to be a used vehicle. It would be quicker to pay off and I don't think any car should be worth more than $10,000 in my opinion. Unless you have the money even though it's still a waste because cars only go down in value anyways. Idk, as long as it's reliable and can get you from point A to B then that's fine. I'm hoping to score a newer car, preferably a year 2013 or up. We'll just have to see!

Sounds like a plan. If your upper limit is $10k then you should be able to find a decent used car. I've found cargurus.com to be very helpful in showing prices and mileages of used cars in my area.

More food for thought: If you're willing to stretch your budget a bit, I'm seeing some good new car sale prices on truecar.com. 2020 Kia Rios have sold for $15k, 2020 Honda Fits for $16k.

In any event, good luck with car shopping!

 

[kinnie]

Sounds like a plan. If your upper limit is $10k then you should be able to find a decent used car. I've found cargurus.com to be very helpful in showing prices and mileages of used cars in my area.

More food for thought: If you're willing to stretch your budget a bit, I'm seeing some good new car sale prices on truecar.com. 2020 Kia Rios have sold for $15k, 2020 Honda Fits for $16k.

In any event, good luck with car shopping!

Yeah, I actually am familiar with cargurus and also carfax.
Ooo...sounds tempting.

Thanks again!
I'll definitely let you know if I end up getting something soon~

 

[dnb]

Yeah, I actually am familiar with cargurus and also carfax.

Yesss, you are on your way.

Ooo...sounds tempting.

Definitely. I've found that car shopping can be fun if you don't mind putting in the time to do research.