PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

My Bonneville blew the motor, I got a replacement block and swapped it. Sold it. Got a SAAB and have been happy ever after.

I think you'll know when you want to sell the car (either it's "that time" or excessive repairs)

Put another way:

I bought my '97 SSE for 700 dollars. All it needed "to get it mobile" was an AC compressor (or compressor delete pulley) and a new belt.

To date, I've dropped about 2 grand more into it. That includes the L26/4T65e/PCM conversion, mounts, tires, steering, sound system, and a very cherry interior. I plan dropping another 2k in the near future for everything else I want done (full exhaust, paint and body, tint, subframe mounts, maybe new rims).

So you figure about 5 grand on a 13+ year old car. But it's a 13+ year old car that will go another 13+ years easily, and is EXACTLY the way I want it. It'll be the work transporter and over-the-road car for when I travel to Tennessee, to ease the mileage being racked up on the SS. It'll be the trainer car for my son too (he's already eyeing it to be his when he turns 16...and he just turned 10!). Would it be worth it to anyone else to it like this? Hard to say. Was it worth it to me? Absolutely.

When to call it quits is question I've wrestled with over the Grizz for the last year.

I've put $7,000 into this car over the last two years.

I love driving this car. The new engine is so powerful.

The average cost of driving an average car (driven 15K miles) for a year is about $4,000 all in.
About $400/mo
So having owned it for two years, we have gotten our money out of it.

A new Bonne equivalent will cost on average about $600/mo in the beginning but will decrease after the first three years to about $300/mo

I have it for sale now. Asking $3,600 and dropping the price by $400 every month until it sells.
When the insurance runs out in September, it will go to the scrap yard if it hasn't sold. By then it will be worth $1,200. and still have a new engine and brakes.

Answer: When the cost to keep the car running and insured (a) is more than the monthly car payment and insurance of the car I would buy to replace it (b).

As long as b is significantly greater than a, you will lose money. Keep in mind that I don't view cars as an investment (something to buy only to sell later). I see them as a total liability, meaning that because they only decrease in value, the less money I can put into them means the more money will remain in my bank account. The only time I broke this rule is when we had another child and the car seats wouldn't fit in the car.

I don't think I could ever give up on either of my cars for various reasons.
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My goal is to keep at least three of my vehicles running as long as possible and try to avoid buying new ever again!!

.....except if someone comes out with a rustproof 6 cyl turbo 4WD that weighs max 3500 lbs, carries 4 people with luggage, gets +30 mpg and does the quarter in 13 seconds.
I think it's coming........

If the running costs of a newer car will be less than the costs with my Buick. It's cheap to buy, insurance is cheap because it's a Buick (lol), parts are cheap and available everywhere, and the car has sentimental value since it was formerly owned by my grandfather. It's been 2 years I've had it, and I haven't had the heart to remove several of his touches from the car.

I may get a new Buick if it meets my current and future needs. Having a new car with a warranty might be nice for a few years if I want to get established in my career. Wrenching time/space is hard to come by these days.

You will never get all of your $$ out of your car if you sell it. Decide if it is worth the extra $$ to have something newer and always try to put yourself in a better car. If your going to spend the extra $$ it may as well make you happy. Personally I like keeping things until they totally fall apart. It's the only way you will ever get the full use of anything. I was thinking of selling the '88 a little while back, but then thought about all the time and effort I put into pulling her up from the wreck she almost was and I couldn't do it. Right now she's been saving my butt because the truck and the 01 are in the shop. I love her.

Ya it's all about love and happiness........lalalalalalalalalala.

I love my vehicles. They make me happy. Most of the time.

If a newer more attractive one came along, I could be accused of being an "Infidel".

EWC88 wrote:$400 is for: Shocks/Struts, Shocks/Strut mounts, Oil pressure sending unit, and ANOTHER window regulator and motor

I look at the costs this way: At 150,000 miles, ANY car may need Shocks/Struts, mounts, an oil pressure sending unit, or window regulators. Even the new car you may buy will likely need these things when it hits 150,000 miles. For me, if the costs are things any car will need, I spend the money and get it fixed. Brakes, tires, occasional sensors, shocks, that sort of thing is all standard wear and tear.

The big ticket items: Drivetrain and rust / collision damage, are to me, the potential dealbreakers. If I'm needing to sink enough into a car to make up a decent down-payment on a newer car, I seriously consider the newer car, especially if the old car for any reason doesn't meet all of my needs (like when I needed to go from a 2 door car to a 4 door for an expanding family, or if I needed a vehicle with towing capability, or cargo-hauling).

If a car is basically junk, and it would STILL be junk after I sunk all the money into it to get it running as good as it could possibly be made to run, then I junk the car.

But for you, with a new engine and tranny, if the rest of the car isn't junk, then that's going to be $400 well spent. You can buy those window motors all day long at salvage yards and learn to install them yourself to save money. Buy a few for spares!

Parts are dirt cheap at pull-a-part yards. These cars are common as well. There are 3 at the brand-new pull-a-part yard here that's been open for 6 months or so. More established yards have many more.

Ditto on whether the car needs more in repairs than you're willing/can pay to do. If it's that much and you have enough for a newer car, unless there are other reasons to repair the car, it's time for a new one.

EWC88 wrote:
$400 is for: Shocks/Struts, Shocks/Strut mounts, Oil pressure sending unit, and ANOTHER window regulator and motor

Edit: Yes it is paid off, have been ever since I got it (dad bought it for me). I mean I don't have to worry about the tranny because I have a lifetime warranty on it but everything else on the car makes me nervous lol

IMHO shocks struts and sending unit are reg maintenance so whatever vehicle you get will eventually need it
as for the window motor .... did you go new or used? if new is it under warranty?
car is paid off keep it