Submitted by GachaJay t3_11ee7qk in personalfinance

Hey all,

I am debating if it’s worth getting a new car or not and was hoping someone could offer their own opinions.

At the moment I have a 2016 Hyundai Sonata 4S that has a sensor out in the back left wheel. This caused the ABS and traction control lights to turn on. It would cost $900 to repair at the dealership. I also have never gotten new tires or a tune up on this vehicle since I bought it (they barely pass inspection atm). The trunk also got broken into at one point so all the rubber is shredded at the handle. The only other notable thing about the car is it only has 38k miles on it. I drive less than 2k a year and 90% of those miles are going 70mph or over.

The reason I am considering selling this car instead of repairing it is because this version of the Sonata is constantly being hit with law suits and recalls (or at least my mail box suggests so) and has generally been considered to have a bad engine life. When I get up to 80mph it starts to vibrate to a degree that makes it harder to stay straight. If it wasn’t for the concerns related to the brand and make, I’d just repair the car as best possible and move forward.

But, my credit (800+) is great and we have the monthly money to afford most any everyday car, within reason. We live very frugally. I was looking at switching to a Hybrid and the new 2023 Prius caught my eye as well as the Kia Nero. I wouldn’t complain if I ended up with an Accord either. I like the Prius the most but enjoy golf and the reviews suggest the trunk would be an issue for golfers.

I’m debating the new car over a used because : 1) I put very low miles on my car so I’d rather not inherit someone else’s use of the car 2) the tax credits 3) the added packages new cars get over slightly used ones in terms of maintenance and safety features.

I’ve debated EVs but don’t have a garage and my house has plastic siding, which seems like a bad idea long term to mount a newer EV charger if they get replaced down the road with something less bulky or noticeable.

Would you suggest just taking on the $400-600 monthly payment of a new vehicle or stick with what I have?

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Annonymouse100 t1_jadgh0t wrote

Do you need a car? If you are only driving 2k a year, and are contemplating $500 a month for a car payment/insurance you are talking about paying $3 a mile. In my area you could take Uber/Lyft/cabs or even a private towncar for less then that.

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GachaJay OP t1_jadzgas wrote

This is an interesting though. I’ll try to look and see if there is availability tomorrow morning and how long the expected ride may be. I live in a smaller city where Uber isn’t as routine.

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Annonymouse100 t1_jae2q3y wrote

In a smaller town you may have better luck arranging a private driver.

I would discuss it with your Uber/Lyft driver and also see what livery options are available. Gig drivers only get about 1/2 of the fare despite being private contractors, and arraigning to just call a responsible driver when you need it (or have them pre-scheduled) will result in better reliability and cost over time, since you are not at the will of the app and the driver can pre-plan to be there.

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theoriginalharbinger t1_jadgmgg wrote

> I drive less than 2k a year and 90% of those miles are going 70mph or over.

Then... drive what ya got. You're going to have time-based depreciation like nobody's business.

> Would you suggest just taking on the $400-600 monthly payment of a new vehicle or stick with what I have?

At that, you'd be paying on the order of $3-4 a mile, just because the fixed costs (insurance, registration, time-based depreciation) are gigantic in comparison to the miles driven.

Were I in your shoes, I'd buy a used Leaf or something similar if you don't like the Hyundai. I can't think of any good reason to buy a new car and sink hundreds a month into something that only will get driven a couple hundred miles.

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Liquidretro t1_jadh23l wrote

No it doesn't make financial sense to buy a new vehicle when you need $2000 worth of normal maintenance and repairs on a 7 year old vehicle that you drive only 2k miles a year. You barely drive at all. All cars are going to need maintenance, and bad tires is likely the cause of the vibrations. There is no reason you need to be visiting a dealer for any of this other than recalls or warranty work.

Most likely, the value of the car has already factored in the problems that it may or may not have, but step one is figuring out what it's actually worth.

You give us no idea of your financial status other than your credit score is good and that's an important part of can I afford a new car. I also don't understand why you would be considering a Kia if you had issues with Hyundai, they are the same parent company and share many components. The Toyota and Honda seem like much more reliable choices.

I doubt you would see any real savings from a hybrid with the very few miles you drive, and highway speeds. Any savings you did see would surely be eaten up in internet, increased insurance and registration costs from the new car.

Remember for tax credits you have to earn enough to take advantage of them too. Pretty sure Toyota is out of their allocated credits too https://electrek.co/2023/02/03/which-electric-vehicles-still-qualify-for-us-federal-tax-credit/

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yeah87 t1_jadhovn wrote

>At the moment I have a 2016 Hyundai Sonata 4S that has a sensor out in the back left wheel. This caused the ABS and traction control lights to turn on.

Who cares, this isn't important. If it bothers you, the part is $15 and you can put it in yourself.

>When I get up to 80mph it starts to vibrate to a degree that makes it harder to stay straight.

You need an alignment. It's about $80.

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Liquidretro t1_jadivh6 wrote

And new tires since they said they were bald, likely 7 years old with 40k miles on them.

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iNFECTED_pIE t1_jadhe5r wrote

Given how little you’re driving it, and how low the mileage is I’d just get the car fixed. It’ll basically last you forever with that kind of annual use.

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BoxingRaptor t1_jadinq4 wrote

> It would cost $900 to repair at the dealership.

Unless the car is under warranty, and you're going in for a covered repair, you don't take it to the dealership if you can avoid it.

Anyway, everything you have mentioned here is relatively inexpensive to fix, and tires are a "wear item" that you'll eventually have to replace on ANY car.

I would keep driving it until you have an ACTUAL problem with it, like the engine issue that you mentioned. The car shaking when you go over 80mph is likely because you need an alignment, which again, is something you'll need to do periodically on any car.

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GeorgeRetire t1_jadiq07 wrote

> it only has 38k miles on it. I drive less than 2k a year
>
>
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>Would you suggest just taking on the $400-600 monthly payment of a new vehicle or stick with what I have?

I would suggest keeping the car you have.

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OdorousRope5 t1_jadlkx1 wrote

I have this exact same car.

The price for the sensor repair is a rip off. You’re getting reamed if you pay that. I had mine replaced for $300, which is probably still too much.

The back handle dry rots easy, it wasn’t broken into.

You hardly drive, you need to just get it fixed

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ReddSaidFredd t1_jadz03t wrote

I’m guessing the OP posted this while the salesman was talking to his manager.

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Optimal-Effective t1_jadkoig wrote

you want to take on a new car with higher monthly payments (also higher other costs like insurance) instead of just paying to fix and maintain the current one?

>I also have never gotten new tires or a tune up on this vehicle since I bought it (they barely pass inspection atm). The trunk also got broken into at one point so all the rubber is shredded at the handle. The only other notable thing about the car is it only has 38k miles on it. I drive less than 2k a year and 90% of those miles are going 70mph or over.

you neglect your current car and wonder why it is not good and your solution is to take on a new car and spend more money than just fixing your current one?

just trying to provide some perspective. You can spend a few thousand now getting your car in better shape or way more on a new car that you might also just let go to shit?

you are thinking in terms of monthly payments and not in terms of total cost. that is how most people in trouble financially especially with cars.

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GachaJay OP t1_jadzxds wrote

I don’t wonder why it’s not good to be fair. I never questioned how well I cared for it. A car isn’t something I put much value into, I just wanted to know the most cost effective and safest option.

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Puzzleheaded_Act_985 t1_jadksza wrote

Yeah, this is a no brainer, if you don't drive more thank 2k a year why take on debt or waste your money. You probably don't even need a car as some have mentioned, but obviously depending on where you live or what you do I'm sure it's nice to have.

Wheel speed sensor should not cost $900. For as infrequently as you drive it I probably wouldn't worry about though it does disable your abs so factor that into your safety or usage equation. Worn tires can also cause vibration, so I'd say tires and an alignment should fix your vibration issue.

I dunno how bad the engjnes reliability is, but keep the oil changed regularly, every 6 months or so regardless of mileage and run it regularly and it should last. Just take the money you would spend on a new car now and invest it so when/if the engine goes you can just dump this car and move on if you need to.

I'd look into selling it and doing short term rentals or turo or other car sharing services. I assume you live in a city with such low mileage, so between depreciation, insurance, possible parking costs, registration/taxes, it seems like you could just borrow cars and save money long term.

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Trick_Hearing_4876 t1_jadmfb2 wrote

No way new. Repair what you have. Have you done any maintenance on it in the time you’ve had it?

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apathyduck t1_jadokox wrote

No, you shouldn't. There's hardly ever a good case to buy a new car because of the depreciation alone.

You can DIY your speed sensor with simple tools and the help of YouTube videos or probably buy the sensor yourself and have a mobile mechanic install it for less than $200. I don't know about your particular vehicle but these sensors are almost always externally accessible and replaceable with simple basic wrenches and sockets. That shuddering you're feeling at 80 sounds like a tire or wheel balance issue, something you've admittedly failed to address and need to do. Tires aren't cheap, but you need them and they're way cheaper than financing + depreciation on a new vehicle.

Maintain your vehicles, it's always more expensive when you don't and you're going to end up paying for it one way or another anyway.

Believe it or not, the recalls are a good thing - it means your manufacturer is standing behind the product unlike a lot of other manufacturers who do everything to try and get out of repairing their design flaws.

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EfficiencySafe t1_jadpvfl wrote

Dealership are the most expensive places for maintenance, After the warranty go to a non dealership for repairs, For the recalls go to the dealership. I would just repair the car wheel sensor and tune up the engine and replace the oil with 100% synthetic oil (Non Dealership) and keep driving it until it rusts out, A vehicle is a depreciating asset just to go from A-B.

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Proper-Scallion-252 t1_jaee719 wrote

I'd consider certified pre-owned over brand new, often times you're paying a lot more for something whose resale value plummets the minute you pull off the lot.

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DaJointEffort t1_jadh95m wrote

With current interest rates anything you would put your hands on would be expensive. I would change to a newer car and would stick to toyota or honda. If ypu dont drive a lot of miles and stay under 10k u can also look for option of leasing. Sometime companies offer better interest rates like gmc is offering 2.9%. Toyota prius is a gr8 buy...i have rav4 prime plug in giving 80plus in gas mileage. Also look for a little used under 10k miles. Will save you decent amout of money.

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