Do you know ahead of time?
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
United States
July 22, 2009 1:08pm CST
I often take surveys that ask the question "Do you plan to buy a new or used vehicle within the next 12 months?" And my answer is usually no. Had you asked me 2 days ago whether or not I'd be in the market for another vehicle in the next few months I would have told you no. The soonest I would have thought of shopping for another vehicle would have been next Spring when we get our taxes back.
However, my van just broke down again, less than a week after finally getting it back from the last time it broke down. Granted we put used parts in the van which is why it's breaking down again, but, it is over 10 years old, and the fuel injector, which is what is currently wrong with it, is not the only problem. Aside from the fuel injector it also needs new brakes, new tires, the power steering is going, and I am having a problem with the cooling system. Considering the car is over 10 years old, it makes more sense to replace the car than to make all those repairs!
So I decided yesterday, after the car broke down again, that now we're in the market for a new car.
Do you make the decision to buy another car in advance or at the spur of the moment because you're having trouble with the car you own?
2 people like this
12 responses
@ersmommy1 (12588)
• United States
23 Jul 09
We haven't had many problems with cars,knock wood. We have had no choice in the matter in a last minute situation. We have had 2 cars hit by drunk drivers while parked. Thankfully we were not in or even near them at the time. If we had to we would
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
24 Jul 09
No its always a spur of the moment thing with a car, it is definately not something I plan for but the way we go through cars I think I should. We have just had to fork out the last of our savings for a new car, with hubby having a new job that involves travelling we had no choice. I lose count of the amount of cars we have been through in the last ten years!! I wonder is the car or the driver haha fingers crossed that this one lasts a long time because we aint going to be able to afford another one for some time.
@GreenMoo (11834)
•
17 Jan 10
I wouldn´t normally go looking for discussions this old, but I knew I remembered you writing something like this a long time ago so I went searching for it today after my own car went BANG!
I certainly didn´t have a new car on my horizon, so I sympathise horribly with having had to replace yours. Perhaps if I´d been saying ´yes´ in all those surveys some car manufacturer might have asked me to test run one of their new offerngs!
@WilliamC87 (163)
• United States
23 Jul 09
for the most part i wait untill there is somethingwrong with my current vehicle b4 wasteing time investing in a new one....my car is also over ten years old and i am not having any problems with it....everytime something was wrong with it i took the time to make sure to get it fixed....the only time i do look into buyin a vehicle ahead of time is if i see some kind of good deal on a used one..... around these parts in town almost every house has a vehicle in the yard with a for sale sign on it so i end up checkin out alot of cars...not that i have the money really...but im all for getting some kind of deal on a nice vehicle.....
@killersss (638)
• India
20 Sep 09
no i don't think ahead of time, when my car starts giving me problems then i start thinking of buying a new car. when i buy a car i at-least think of keeping it for 3 years or maximum 5 years. i don't think a car starts giving you problem before that's why i don't think ahead of time
@sacmom (14192)
• United States
23 Jul 09
No, not usually. And the only time I do know is when I've been saving up for it. But even then one of the times I did so went to get a motorcycle for my husband instead. So it took longer than I would have liked to have gotten a car. Though I eventually got it. Now the darn thing just sits in the driveway. 
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
22 Jul 09
My last car I bought on the spur of the moment. My other one was getting old and on the verge of many repairs.....my son invited me along to go see where he bought his and I ended up buying one....I love it and since I was trading in somewhat of a sporty car my insurance went way down. That was an added bonus.
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
22 Jul 09
My hubby is the same way with his vehicles. He's gone thru tooo many! Like last fall he bought this 01 Nissian like a goof with over 130,000mi well lowe and behold we take it to emissions and it starts having problem after problem. Mind you it's also not the first vehicle we've had problems with after Emission testing. So then he had to get something different wich has now put us way way over our heads in payment and extremely upside down in value. *shaking head*
And YES that question about buying a vehicle in the survey's drives me absolutly BATTY! How many times can a person possibly answer the sam frig'n question?
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
22 Jul 09
It just depends on the car. We weren't intending to get rid of my Toyota, but then we tried to go camping, three of us, in a Camry and decided that we really needed a mini-van. And once the twins came, we really needed one.
@thedailyclick (3017)
•
22 Jul 09
The last time I had to replace my car it was a spur of the moment thing. The car had become so unroadworthy that it was a case of enough is enough and had to bite the bullet and look for another one before it was completely kaputt. Despite knowing that my old car was well on it's way to the scrap heap and I knew that I needed to be putting whatever I could away for the enevitable day, I ended up sinking those savings into costly and pointless repairs just to give the old banger a few more weeks life.
@hagirl (1295)
• United States
23 Jul 09
With me it depends upon how much the cost to get it fixed will be. It sounds like you are ready because to fix those problems will be more expensive as buying another vehicle. I try to plan for big scale decisions as a vehicle would be but sometimes fate decides for you as in your case.
