Okay, so we all remember how Chuck, the redoubtable owner of Chuck’s (Awesome, Incredible) Auto Service, opined that the work needed to keep the aged Dog Chariot running would come to some $1,300. And how this led me to speculate that now may be the time to raid my Car Savings and purchase something newer, jazzier, and more fuel-efficient.
Well. Yesterday the Chariot had its second major surgery down at the car hospital, and the mechanics handed over their bill:
$786. And change.
Say what? “Did you include the price for fixing the oil leak last week?”
“Yup. This is the total.”
Good thing I didn’t decide to trade the thing in, eh?
My decision to keep it was based on the theory that $1,300 is a far cry from the $20,000+ a new car will cost. Think of how much farther a cry $786 is!
Awesome! This will mean I just may not have to raid the long-term living expenses fund to pay the bill.
I’ve got about $538 left in the budget, to last 22 days. That’s more than enough if I don’t eat out or diddle away money on clothes or buy booze or indulge in any similar distractions. Somehow I think I can get restrain myself for three weeks. Let’s say I have $200 left from the regular discretionary budget by the end of the June/July cycle: that leaves $586 to scrounge up somewhere.
Conveniently, about $1,700 remains in emergency savings, despite the dental bills, a large chunk of which were paid for out of that cookie jar. Of course I don’t want to draw it down by $600 (give or take). But I certainly can. It gets replenished at the rate of $200 a month, so if no more ridiculous things happen (yeah…), it will be back to normal in three months and looking flush in four or five months.
Meanwhile, the boys down at Chuck’s believe the car will run pretty much trouble-free for another 50,000 miles. One of them thinks it could run well for another 100,000 miles!
I put about 10,000 miles a year on a car. At that rate, the Dogmobile will last another five years.
In five years, I’ll be 71 years old (holy gawd!). If I buy a new car then, it should run at least ten or twelve years, maybe longer. By then, it’ll be time to quit driving.
In other words, if the Dog Chariot runs another five years, the next car really will be the last car I’ll have to buy. Hallelujah!
Not that I’m in any hurry to shuffle off this mortal coil… But among my favorite things to do, buying cars ranks up there with…oh, having a root canal without anaesthetic. I just loathe dealing with car salesmen. Much, much worse than dentists!
And…I have enough savings to buy one, count it, (1), more vehicle in my lifetime. If I buy a car now, it probably won’t last until I’m forced to get off the road. Unless things magically get a lot better (and between you and me, I believe the exact opposite is in the works), I can’t imagine how I could possibly come up with the cash to buy even a second-hand car in 2021.
So, driving the Chariot until it falls apart like the Minister’s One-Hoss Shay is going to work out. Very nicely.
🙂
Image: Colorized car engine. en:User:Amal. Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License.
The estimate was $1,300 but ended up charging you only $786? Plus, he assures you the car is good for another 50,000 – 100,000 miles? Your mechanic is worth his weight in gold. If I were you I would just marry him and keep him in the family. 🙂
I just read Living Rich by Spending Smart by Gregory Karp. He says the rule of thumb is that if the repair is less than half the trade-in value on the car, go for the repair.
I can’t believe how calm you are about being forced off the road eventually. Yes, it is inevitable but I just met a 95 year old drive the other day. Scared the shit out of me lol