Should I sell my unused second car or keep it as a backup?
People struggle to decide whether to offload an extra car they never drive or hold onto it for peace of mind in case their primary vehicle fails. This dilemma forces them to weigh the stress and unexpected maintenance costs of keeping the vehicle against the comfort of having a backup plan.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1relying on rentals or Ubers if the primary car breaks down
- 2saving up over time for desired purchases instead of dipping into savings or selling assets
- 3Getting a full independent mechanical inspection immediately after purchase
- 4Having the warranty/seller cover major repair costs
- 5Returning the vehicle within the return window
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“this is where i’m unsure of what to do- carvana covered every repair except for the tires, cabin filter and oil change. $2.5k total in repairs that they did. i have a few days left before i have to decide if i’m going to keep or return it. a part of me is thinking that since it has so many new parts now, i should keep it lol. another part of me is pissed that i even had to go get all of this bs fixed.”source ↗
“yeah that’s what i’m thinking too. i’m probably gonna return it- i don’t need more stress 😭 i’m gonna stick to hondas i think”source ↗
“Should I dip into my savings to buy these things or sell the 2017? I never use it anymore, but I really like to the idea of having two cars in case something happens with one of them”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 32How do I know if getting another pet is a mistake?
- 63Is it worth fixing an old car when repairs cost more than it's worth?