Figure how, monthly, how much this present car will cost you vs. a new car and car loan.

I empathize. Subarus are supposed to be more reliable than that, aren't they?

On second thought, you may be able to get a low-or-no interest loan on a new car, which would save a lot of money.

Subarus are supposed to be more reliable than that, aren't they?

That's exactly why I bought it. It really hasn't been so great. I know a lot of people who love theirs and never need to do anything to it: makes me wonder if I got a lemon (bought it used as I always do).

My grandfather calls these "Car Payments."

Like, when a capacitor in my Focus's AC system went out, a $5 part with $200 worth of labor.

Or when the steering column locked up, we had to get that fixed too.

Or when I hit a curb and had to have half of the suspension on my car replaced, that was 2 grand. Which was about half of what my car is worth.

You drive your car every day, putting wear on it and stuff, all that stuff you just replaced lasted 10 years, so logically you are good for another 10 years or so.

Also, this economy is bananas, you don't really want more debt do you?

get it into just running shape and trade it in. we had a 1999 Subaru that had similar issue-creep and our mechanic instructed us to trade it in, and we got more in trade than we would have gotten in private sale. good luck

issue-creep

Ha! Perfect name for it.

Do you need a new car? Why not take the $3500 and buy a decent used car?

by "new car" I mean "different car." I have never bought a new car and never intend to.

The problem is I don't have "the 3500" so I'm looking at a loan even for a new-to-me car, no matter what.

Do yo have the cash on hand for the repairs? If not, compare your credit card (?) rate and consider your existing balance for charging more repairs against the terms of a potential loan for a larger ammt.

Mileage? I have a 97 Toyota with a bunch of nitpicky, annoying problems, like the door locks freezing up in severe cold. But it's got under 100,000 miles on it, and starts reliably, so I can live with the many, mostly cosmetic, defects. 3,600 for a low-mileage Subaru might be a good idea, but not high-mileage. Because of the economy, there are a lot of great deals on new and newer cars. If you trade at a dealership, don't get it fixed. They're just going to move it on, and they can do the work cheaper.

Good thoughts. A car loan rate would be better than my present credit card rate. Mileage is Over 170K.

Thanks. I'm thinking I might limp around a little bit and trade ASAP. The more I think about it, the less it makes sense to keep sinking money into an older, mid-to-high mileage car that is going to need replacement within the next 3 years anyway.

Engine rebuild around 200k - 250k. Find a buyer for the fresh tranny, prepare to abandon subbie. Literally; the entire car will need rebuilt around 200-250k... Used Honda/Mazda/Nissan/Toyota is the way to go.

When we bought our (slightly) used Impreza, our mechanic said not to expect much beyond 120K. I think you're on borrowed time.

The pain of a new car payment is worth being able to drive around sans mechanical worries. That alone is worth plenty to me, far more than the monthly payment. I've done the home mechanic thing out of necessity and much prefer to drive a new, very, very reliable vehicle.

Oh, and it is sooo nice.

Everyone I've ever known with a Subaru has had it in the shop way too much. Don't drink the Koolaid. Everybody says, oh, but so and so, their Subaru is in perfect shape for 36 years and blah, blah. I swear, every single person I've ever known with a Subaru, which is a lot, because in Asheville you're not really a person without a Subaru with a kayak on the roof and a border collie wearing a bandanna in the passenger seat, has had nothing but unending mechanical woes. Trade it in for a Toyota.

I say this having just decided to sink $1500 into my 10 year old, 165,000 mile Saturn because I could come up with that and not endless car payments. I don't know. The world is ending in three years anyway, right, so you really just need it to last until 2012. ;-)

a Subaru with a kayak on the roof and a border collie wearing a bandanna in the passenger seat

Holy fuck, you just described my dream life.

Thanks, mgl. It's probably best that dreams die this way -- snuffed out by trusting friends who have the evidence. Probably the kindest option.

*sniff*

in Asheville you're not really a person without a Subaru with a kayak on the roof and a border collie wearing a bandanna in the passenger seat,

That's true of northern New England as well. It used to make me feel good that I drove the national car of New Hampshire - I fit right in. And it DOES manage the snow well - that part of the Kool-Aid I'll concede - it drives great in all kinds of snow. It's the falling apart the rest of the time I can't handle anymore.

My brother, who just recently got his cert. as a deisel mechanic, just wrote me a long note saying basically the same thing about Subarus, and that what's likely going on is that the previous owner "beat the shit out of it" or it wouldn't have so many piled-on structural problems when it should still be doing basically OK.

I had a Toyota before and I think you're right about them, mgl - foolish to switch makes, it was Kool-Aid, and it's time to suck it up and start over. It sucks, because I was SO looking forward to getting rid of the car payment and diverting that cash to pay off my remaining debt - but a working safe car is, in my life, just a necessity unless conditions changed drastically, and I don't want that to happen. So I think it's time to start shopping around for a decent new-to-me Toyota or Honda with under 100K miles on it. This car's just been a headache most of the time, parts always wearing out. My old Toyota I drove into the ground, and it never needed a single darn thing outside regular maintenance.

Whew. It's not about cars in the end. It's about not wanting to work harder and harder just to stay in the same place...you know? But if I can't get around, I lose ground anyhow. So it's a tradeoff like everything. I took the car home today without authorizing the work, and will limp around on it while I start shopping - and basically get it traded in on (hopefully) a decent price and a manageable loan by summertime.

Damn, though. Thanks for helping me think about it.

Subarus are supposed to be more reliable than that, aren't they?

Ranked 7th out of 34 makes, according to Consumer Reports (and better than anything American). But the '99 Forester (overall they say the model is "one of the better small car-based SUVs") is only fair reliability for a used car (after the '03 redesign it improved), with the engine and drive system having big black dots signifying the lowest reliability levels.

I would say cut your losses and move on. Debt or repairs, both are carrying costs and should be evaluated accordingly.