Should I fix my old car or cut my losses?
A massive repair bill on a ten-year-old car forces you to weigh using cheaper used parts against walking away entirely. The decision stalls when you do not have the money right now and the mechanic refuses to separate the repairs to make it more affordable. This leaves you stuck, unable to tell if the quote is reasonable or if you should take the vehicle elsewhere.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Researching used parts from salvage yards to lower the parts cost.Did this help you?
- 2Asking family members with mechanical experience to help with DIY installation to save on labor.Did this help you?
- 3Asking the mechanic to at least separate safety-critical items from the rest of the list.Did this help you?
- 4Taking the car to another shop for a second opinion.Did this help you?
- 5Calling a local dealership to compare hourly labor rates.Did this help you?
- 6Asking the shop if they will install cheaper, customer-supplied parts.Did this help you?
- 7Doing the repairs yourself to save on labor and parts markup.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“We’re looking at potentially spending over $7,500 on a car that’s nearly 10 years old.”source ↗
“I’m devastated because we just don’t have that kind of money to spend on repairs right now.”source ↗
“Would you personally repair this vehicle with a used part, or would you cut your losses?”source ↗
“Am I completely screwed here, or is this something that can realistically be repaired affordably?”source ↗
“Is this reasonable, or should I take it elsewhere? Mechanic seems to be firm about not seperating out any of the repairs needed.”source ↗