Mark Bole <m...@p...net> wrote:


>Let's not go to extremes. Unless you are on financial life support, buy
>a newer used car when the annual cost of repairs to the old car exceeds
>50% or more of the car's resale value. And don't forget to drop
>collision insurance well before that time.

Let me suggest that the resale value of the car is relevant only if you are
going to resell it. If you are going to keep driving it, then the issue is the
cost of repairs vs. the net cost of buying another car.

>It's not just the finances, but the personal safety issue of avoiding
>mechanical failures while driving in commute traffic, or being pulled
>over because your car looks poorly maintained on top of some other minor
>violation,

Reliability and safety are real issues, but are hard to quantify. That makes it
easy to justify an unnecessary trade-in.

>plus the image of reliability and sensibility you project to
>your neighbors and co-workers (unless you are lucky enough not to have any!)

Or lucky enough to have neighbors and co-workers that don't judge people by
their cars. "Those that matter don't mind, those that mind don't matter."

-- Doug

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