My mechanic thinks he's a comedian. I went in for an oil change today. He took my keys from me today and said, "Ok, I'll have it back to you in 3-4 business days." -_-
At the end, he was going over all the recommendations, which wasn't much, and then he added, "But if you win the lottery, get a new car instead."
So, no second opinion is needed. He just caught me off guard with his flippant remark. He probably says that to everyone, but my van is a decade old and has seen better days for sure.
Actually, usually it's car salesmen who want you to by a new car. Mechanics would rebuild the whole thing for you if you let them and it would cost a fortune, but if a mechanic says it's gonna end up costing you way more than the car is worth to fix it then at least he's being honest. He has nothing to gain by you getting a new car unless of course he works for the service department in a dealership in which case he is trying to sell you a new car.
I usually wind up with pretty good mechanics. I'm lucky in that department. That was one of the things that freaked me out when I got my divorce- that I'd wind up getting screwed over every time I go in because I don't know cars. But, they actually do take pretty good care of me. When I don't understand something, they explain it, and when I don't have the money for everything, they help me prioritize repairs.
I explained my question in my answer to Sharonna. I do think there's some truth to what he said- I know I need to start working toward a new vehicle, and I'm starting to save... you were on the VW Bus thread. ^_^ My van is 10 years old and is only worth about $2,000 now. Realistically, if they tell me to sink more than $1,000 into anything, it isn't going to happen. I would just trade it in and forego my Bus dream for the time being.
Hmm...it's tricky because a good mechanic will be honest to everyone and a bad one can screw anyone. Once they get your vehicle up on a hoist in the back they can start breaking things if they think they can fool you into replacing more stuff. You're kinda at their mercy unless you really know your car. Sometimes I take my son with me when I have to wait for a repair just so they see that I've got a little mouth to feed and I need a safe vehicle and I don't have a ton of money. I'd like to think they would relate and be a little more careful not to break extra things while doing repairs and not overcharge me. So far I think it's worked. I kinda like my old truck though so I'd rather fix it occasionally than have a major truck payment and higher insurance if I had a new one. That's only because I think this truck's cool though. So I keep it.
The only other thing I can tell you is that trading off an older vehicle to a dealership is just giving it to them. They WILL adjust the price of your new car to accommodate whatever they "Say" they are giving you on your trade. I've dealt with those salesmen a ton.
If you want anything at all for your van just sell it privately or online and get whatever cash you can for it otherwise you get nothing in a trade.
Good luck with everything. : )
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at September 22, 2017 2:42 PM MDT
I'm fairly brain dead when it comes to cars. However in the past, I knew it was time to pack it in when either a) I was never sure if the car was going to start in the morning or b) The cost of repairs was starting to equal the cost of a car payment. And a + b was a dead giveaway that it was time to retire old Betsy and start shopping.
I got a ticket for a leaking gas tank and was also required to have a mechanical inspection to ensure the vehicle was fit for the road. Mechanic told me the frame was so rusted and weak that if they put it on the hoist the thing might collapse. Yup, new car -or rather a new beater.
WM BARR . =ABSOLUTE TRASH 