The Debate: Keep Fixing The Old Car Or Get A New Car?

There's nothing quite like the feel of purchasing a new car. Well, for me the feel of purchasing a used car, new to me.

A couple of weeks ago, I had to make a decision. Do I continue to pour money into a car that's paid off, but is an expensive fix with whatever happens to go wrong with it or do I purchase another car? My car was a Volvo. I bought it used (6 years old and about 74,000 miles at the time of purchase.)

I've heard great things about Volvos and also that they can be expensive to repair. But the price was right, and it was just the type of vehicle we needed (like a small station wagon) to fit our Greyhounds in.

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It gave us a few years of worry free driving, but as time goes on, parts in any vehicle begin to wear out. And it became an expensive repair run for a few years until it go to the point that to keep it running, I would have to spend a few thousand dollars for parts and repairs. Since I'm no mechanic, that would be my only route to take.

I had to weight the option of pouring more money into a car that is 13 years old, not knowing what else may be at the brink of needed repair, or throw in the towel and move on to another, newer vehicle.

After a lot of research and debate, I decided it would be best to move on and find a car that's just a few years old. And I found a 2018 that fit the bill. One that has the room to squeeze a couple of Greyhounds into. Now that I've had the car for a few weeks, I'm glad I made the decision to trade my old car in.

Did the same thing a few years ago when I let go of my 2001 van. Rust and repair bills helped me make that decision to let it go. I was kind of sad to give it up, since it gave me about a 13 year run.

For my latest car purchase, I got a good trade with the Volvo, and even my insurance didn't go up as I expected it to do. Not sure how that worked out, but I'm not complaining. And yes, I opted for a warranty that will keep me from having to pay  out of pocket when the time comes for repairs. It's nice to be driving a vehicle again where everything works and there are no strange noises coming from every part of the car.