When Is An Old Car Not Worth Repairing in 2022?

[shipo]

When a control arm fails at speed it is definitely a bad thing, but not as bad as you imagine. Typically the side of the car still intact maintains more leverage over the direction of the vehicle than the side which failed; the reason for this is the wheel on the side which fails looses it's aspect ratio to the road surface and as a result, looses much (but not all) of it's ability to control the direction of the vehicle.

My wife and I lived in the NYC metro area for about 10 years and I cannot tell you the number of cars I saw on the FDR, the West Side Highway, and on the Cross Bronx which had clearly suffered a control arm failure and yet had been safely navigated over to the side of the road and on to the shoulder. The flip side is I don't recall ever seeing or hearing of an accident which resulted from a control arm failure. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure control arm failures do lead to accidents, but my bet is nine (or more) times out of ten, the reason why there was an accident following a control arm failure is because the driver panicked.

A kind of relevant anecdote; when I was learning how to fly a number of years ago, my Ground School instructor said something along the lines of:

"You're on short final in a driving rain storm, a bolt of lightning strikes your left wing and all of your instruments short out, one of your passengers starts to freak out, another plane enters the runway in front of you preparing to take off, and then your engine quits. What do you do?"

The participants in my class offered all manner of suggestions, however, by then I'd read the classic "Stick and Rudder" from cover to cover, so I raised my hand and said, "Fly the damn plane." My instructor repeated my answer to the class and said, "Damn right!"

Circling back to a control arm, power steering failure, or any other sudden vehicle failure when driving; don't panic, stay calm and navigate as best as you can.

[Zombie13]

All good advice.
And cool explanation about the failed side's aspect ratio relative to the road surface (I am actually thinking, reduced surface area contact).
A similar scenario, when driving in snow: if you start to rotate/move in the wrong direction, I take my foot off the gas and brake, and loosen my grip on the steering wheel; let the car sort itself out. Fighting it makes it worse.
Ok; thanks everyone!

[Clay3007]

Thank you Clay3007, for your comments!
Neither my husband or I are adept at auto repairs, so I appreciate your professional perspective.

I'm curious -as a mechanic , what is your opinion of Nissan cars?
When we bought our first of 3 Sentras back in 1999, we were very pleased with our choice, and that vehicle worked well for many years, even though we had to remove the heat shield, and it survived and remained fully drivable after an accident where the insurance company declared it "totaled". But since we bought my husband's current 2013 model, we have had to already repair it many, many times and since the start of the BK13 alone, we have spent probably 7K + to keep that car running. of course, during a bankruptcy this makes sense, given how difficult it is to obtain permission to incur new debt, but once the discharge and closing are awarded, it just doesn't seem financially sound to continue to pour money into my old 18 year old car!
We have no intention of ever buying another Nissan, as the quality is no longer what it once was.

Im a little biased as general motors has provided for our family for many years. Both of my grandfathers worked at the gm plant where i live and several uncles work there so its been all gm here or at least the big 3. I don't have much experience with Nissan but i love Volkswagens. No a days i feel like all the cars are built to be thrown away and make you keep buying new, the new viscous cycle they have us in.

[flashoflight]

Wow, I cannot think of a more expensive way to have a car at one's disposal.

I should clarify. Assuming the car has a long list of expensive problems that you won't spend money to fix and would instead devote to a replacement car fund. How many people spent $1k at the mechanic only to have the car die of something else or need tire changes. That could have been $2k towards the replacement vehicle.

[Barbisi]

flashoflight I agree 100% with you! We have been there and done that and all it does is waste precious resources that could have been better allocated elsewhere (like towards a new car down payment!)
BTW, that is exactly where we are with my 2005 Sentra, hence I started this thread.
IMHO, when one is not a car guru like shipo , one is left with only frustration and repairs that one can no longer afford as well the chance of a fatal accident.

[shipo]

I should clarify. Assuming the car has a long list of expensive problems that you won't spend money to fix and would instead devote to a replacement car fund. How many people spent $1k at the mechanic only to have the car die of something else or need tire changes. That could have been $2k towards the replacement vehicle.

I couldn't disagree more strongly. Spending $1,000 on repairs for a car you own free and clear, and maybe $3,000 on the same car next year, is many orders of magnitude less expensive than buying what passes for a "moderately priced" car these days. Said another way, a monthly payment on a middle market car is roughly $500 per month or $6,000 per year; I haven't had a "new" car since 2009 so using the last ten years as my "look-back", I have spent on average of about $1,250 per year on maintenance (both scheduled and unscheduled) on my used cars, this includes consumables (which are required on new(ish) cars as well) such as tires, brakes, wiper blades, and oil changes.

[Zombie13]

One strong factor in the decision is the mechanical aptitude of a person. Some folks are mechanically inclined and enjoy/get satisfaction out of repairing their own vehicle, whereas others are not mechanically talented, don't have the time or possibly self-confidence, patience, skills, etc. I do think, it can be much cheaper in the long run if one can *successfully* repair their own car. The *successfully* is a BIG part of it. If they screw it up, it can be very costly. And that's what eats at self-confidence: self-doubt. As an example, I watched a youtube video where a professional mechanic showed how to replace struts on a 2013 sentra, every... single... step. And I thought, hey that looks pretty straightforward. Buuuut... can ***I*** do it? <self doubt steps in>. I know I could. But, do I want to, and do I have another resource readily available: Time? I reason, it will take me longer than a pro mechanic to do the job. How much longer? That's the question and concern, since... once I take the parts apart, there's no turning back... and I need the car to get to work. Can I get it done in time? Or am I gonna screw myself due to overconfidence?

[shipo]

One strong factor in the decision is the mechanical aptitude of a person. Some folks are mechanically inclined and enjoy/get satisfaction out of repairing their own vehicle, whereas others are not mechanically talented, don't have the time or possibly self-confidence, patience, skills, etc. I do think, it can be much cheaper in the long run if one can *successfully* repair their own car. The *successfully* is a BIG part of it. If they screw it up, it can be very costly. And that's what eats at self-confidence: self-doubt. As an example, I watched a youtube video where a professional mechanic showed how to replace struts on a 2013 sentra, every... single... step. And I thought, hey that looks pretty straightforward. Buuuut... can ***I*** do it? <self doubt steps in>. I know I could. But, do I want to, and do I have another resource readily available: Time? I reason, it will take me longer than a pro mechanic to do the job. How much longer? That's the question and concern, since... once I take the parts apart, there's no turning back... and I need the car to get to work. Can I get it done in time? Or am I gonna screw myself due to overconfidence?

Prior to 2009 I did virtually all of the repairs and maintenance on my cars, then I got busy, real busy; since then I've had time to change the oil a dozen or so times, but beyond that, it is better/faster/cheaper to pay someone else to do the work.

[Carmella]

shipo I am slightly going off topic since I am bringing up my car problems. I like your plan of fixing car to keep it going. But since were not mechanics and don't know any mechanics I do not feel comfortable trying to get the 2011 to run again. We will try to sell it when we get the title.

We are getting a new to us car to replace my totaled 2017, but my plan is to keep that "new to us" car running, keep up with all the maintenance and keep it in the best shape possible to keep it healthy and running for a while.

My husband needs a car and I would like to do the same for him. And we might try in the spring to get the court to allow another car purchase. That car will be maintained as well if we get it on the last leg of BK or after BK.

My plan future which is kind of messed up since the 2017 is gone...is to get a brand new car a few years before my full retirement age (not that I will fully retire at that age I don't plan on it) and then to maintain it and keep it maybe the rest of my life depending on how many driving years I have left.

In the end I do really agree with the idea of keeping a car as long as possible, but once they have many problems I don't feel comfortable trying to get them all fixed up and continue to use it since we are mechanically inept. But a new car which has one owner that keeps the care up I totally get even when it hits ungodly high mileage or putting $$ in that sounds like a lot, but is cheaper than a payment.