My wife and I are planner, saver types; we also had good fortune of
being born to families who stressed hard work and education and as a
result, we both have good careers, and have become financially
comfortable, without any inheritance :) Spouse was able to switch to
1/2 time, as one child started kindergarten last year, and seocnd will
start next year.

One of the elements of frugal planning is that, until we got quite
secure, we only buy what we needed, not what is advertised. So we
stayed, 1 car family, from 1996 thorugh 2004. During this time, the
1996 model Honda civic was driven an average of 25K miles/year. In
2004 we got another car (smallest SUV), and since then the 1996 civic
has been driven about 4K/year.

I have done every scheduled maintenance, without fail, and oil changes
all along, so the car runs (and has always run) without any issues,
and the emissions are very low, always only 2% to 5% of the levels
required for SMOG. So that's not at issue.

Now the civic paint is peeling, and a cheap repainting at Maaco is
estimated at $800. The car will hit 180K miles in a few weeks, and is
due for the major maintenance + the timing belt + water pump stuff
that is done at every 90K miles. All of this is estimated to be about
$1500. I estimate tires and brakes also, probably within a year, for
another $700 or more. So, within a year, it will add up to
$800+1500+700 = about $3000.

The car is probbaly worth 3500 due to mileage + usual wear and tear
after 14 years (& some dings), but no mechanical problem. We would
like to keep this car (we are not itching for a new car smell), but
does it make sense to put $3000 into a $3500 car? How critical is to
replace timing belt and water pump stuff every 90K?

We can afford a new car, without loan, and it won't impact our other
savings, yada, yada, but I feel crummey having to "throw-away" a
perfectly good car...

I would appreciate how prudent people who post on this newsgroup make
such decisions...

Thanks.

Bhoot Nath

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