Allstate Auto Insurance

About Old Cars

Date: Mar 17, 2005
Contributor: Hugh Urbano

Weigh expenses before you make decision on aging automobile

With the median price for new cars hitting $26,000, hanging on to your dented, rusting junker may seem like the better deal.

Not only do you save on the purchase price, but you avoid often hefty sales taxes as well as new registration fees and higher auto insurance.

On the other hand, these upfront savings could pale next to the expense of keeping your car humming well into old age.

Cars with 100,000 miles or more are especially problematic, mechanics say. The transmission could fail, for example, costing $3,000 to $4,000 to replace. And for a junker, worth only a fraction of that amount, the repairs may not be worth it.

Plus, new cars typically carry a three-year or 36,000-mile warranty, keeping your expenses -- the monthly loan payment -- predictable in the short term.

"Before you make the decision to try to keep an old car running, you really need to get an assessment of whether it's worth trying," says Bob Cerullo, author of "What's Wrong with My Car?" (Plume, $13).

Find a mechanic who, for a flat rate ($150 is reasonable), will assess the brakes, engine and general condition of the car. "Unless the mechanic is very unscrupulous, he'll tell you if it's a piece of junk," Cerullo says.

You can also learn about recurrent problems through surveys of other drivers, available on JDPower.com and Edmunds.com.

Thanks to improving technology, cars built in the last decade can last up to 200,000 miles, according to Consumer Reports' most recent reliability survey.

But that life span largely depends on how diligent you are with regular maintenance.

The owner's manual should be your first resource. "If it says required maintenance, do that," advises Mike Quincy, automotive content specialist for Consumer Reports. "Suggested maintenance mainly helps dealers make money."

Required maintenance will include when to replace parts such as spark plugs or an engine's timing belt.

It will also specify upkeep as routine as an oil and filter change, which helps remove dirt and other contaminants from the engine.

"It's the most important maintenance," says Bob Weber, an ASE-certified master automobile technician and syndicated columnist. "It really goes a long way in keeping the engine working."

It also happens to be one of the most affordable: about $20 to $30 every 3,000 miles -- or even cheaper if you are handy enough to change the oil and filter on your own.

Keeping the transmission in good shape is also critical to the car's longevity. Follow the manual's advice on when to change the fluid (typically every 35,000 miles to 50,000 miles), a job best done by a professional for less than $200.

Brake repairs can amount to a few hundred dollars or more and are often the result of wear and tear on the lining or pads. A mechanic can easily check for this when you rotate the tires, which should be done every other oil change.

At home, test the tire pressure using a $3 gauge -- a loss of even five pounds can shorten a tire's life considerably. And don't forget to pull out a penny to measure the tread. Put it in with Abraham Lincoln's head upside down; if any of his hairline is showing, it's time to get new tires.

Finally, wash off road salt and wax the exterior to help seal out moisture. Similarly, crumbs and dirt will bite into a seat's fabric, so clean the interior.

"You are trying to stave off the deterioration," Weber says. "Anything you keep clean and maintain is going to last longer."

Regardless, there will come a point when your old standby is no longer redeemable. If you're spending more on repairs than you're putting away for a down payment on a new car, it's better to upgrade right away.

Otherwise, set aside $20 to $50 a month for maintenance and do right by your car. "A lot of people just want to turn the key," says Bob Cerullo, "but you pay for that in the long run."



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