Hard to say, another used car might be an option.

Trade in probably would not be high.

 

Used is an option, but I would like piece of mind with a factory / certified pre owned warranty.

 

Honda coworkers? Like mechanics?

 

Nah fellow engineers - I work in the Marysville Auto Plant.

 

It can be a difficult decision. I'm going through the same thought process with a 12-year-old Ford C-Max. It has been relatively trouble free but it needs some things and I'm not sure if I want to spend the money. I would probably replace it, but I am not a mechanic and most of the repairs would be me paying someone else to do the work. I'm also at a different stage in life than you and can afford it and value trouble free performance. Good luck with your decision but you are right that at some point you need to stop throwing money at it.

 

It's also difficult because I'm in the midst of paying off student loans, paying other bills and living with my parents - no rent for now but I need to sit down and further do finance calculations on expenses. Another point is I need a reliable car to get me to work daily and don't always have the time to work on my car. A new car could take that away for a bit, although then I would be slaving away on a loan. Also, I would have to leave this amazing forum and move over to DriveAccord - I would really like an Accord SE or Touring if I went that route. Other than the recent repairs and AC replacement, my V has been worth every penny. She got me out of a sticky situation with my first car and I've spent much of my teen and young adult years with it. It will be hard to part with it, on top of it once being my Nana's car.

 

2003 CRV owner here with 328k miles.

I found the first 8 years and 100k miles relatively repair free (except for the Black Death AC compressor, covered under goodwill since it was like 2 months out of warranty when it happened). After the 8 year mark, once every 3-4 years-ish, something larger expense ($2000 ish) occurs.

We’re a 3 car, 2 driver household for now. The extra car is a “travel/camper”van. Useful bc I do a decent amount of DIY, and if a daily driver car needs to be down for a few days for something, it’s okay. Saves on the hassle to get a rental car and also saves on not needing to use overnight shipping for parts.

If you kept the older car, I’d keep reserve money around in case it’s one of those times a more expensive repair is needed.

 

Thanks for the response - I have an emergency fund tucked away incase something else decides to break. That timeline is about accurate for my CR-V too excluding recalls - 1.4k for compressor / clutch / relay replace around three years ago. This car is my only one I have - and it is getting to the point where I'm crap out of luck once I'm living with my fiancée in September.

 

I faced aa similar situation with my 98 Accord. It only had 74,000 miles on it but the tranny started to go and the cost of a replacement would have been the value of the car. You drive out the dealer's lot and get rear-ended and now you have squat. I bought a new Civic then. Got some money on a trade because it was otherwise in good shape.

In my opinion, never put more money in a car than it is worth.

 

Will definitely not put more in than it's worth. Understand it is a 15 year old car so it won't be perfect, but it's incredibly frustrating to have multiple issues stack up. Guess it is a test of patience and troubleshooting for me. Currently dealing with intermittent AC and mode door getting stuck. I had some HVAC foam spat out at me too, which I think could explain my driver's air mix and mode motor getting stuck occasionally.

 

This year has been an awful year of repair costs for me, having put in alittle over 3k to address a bad rear caliper and alternator smoking up. I've also had to replace the tensioner twice and AC compressor within my ownership of the vehicle since acquiring it at 92k in 2019. Repair costs are easily above the value of the car at this point.

3,000 US dollars? An alternator is around $200. I don't know how you can have so much in repairs. I have almost 300,000mi on my 2004 that I've owned for about twelve years and I have under $2,000 in repairs. It may even be below $1500. I've replaced the starter, both fans, front axles and the entire a/c system. I can't think of any other repairs I've done. The issue is you have to be able to work on the vehicle yourself sometimes. They are pretty easy to work on.

I am nervous about other things going wrong in the future such as struts and engine mounts / rubber lines in the engine, and they don't seem like fun jobs to handle. There is also a small power steering leak I will need to address.

I wouldn't worry about the struts. Engine mounts aren't too expensive. Power steering leak? Have fluid will travel.

 

3,000 US dollars? An alternator is around $200. I don't know how you can have so much in repairs. I have almost 300,000mi on my 2004 that I've owned for about twelve years and I have under $2,000 in repairs. It may even be below $1500. I've replaced the starter, both fans, front axles and the entire a/c system. I can't think of any other repairs I've done. The issue is you have to be able to work on the vehicle yourself sometimes. They are pretty easy to work on.



I wouldn't worry about the struts. Engine mounts aren't too expensive. Power steering leak? Have fluid will travel.

I had to get alternator fixed at a local mechanic because I didn't have the time or space to work on it. The V is my only car, and I was forced to borrow my sister's car who was away at college while it was worked on. I won't have this luxury when I move out. I didn't want to pay for labor but I was forced to due to my situation.

As for engine mounts - over $1000 for new OEM's - I do not trust any Anchor mounts seeing reviews of them. Might have to find a junkyard set in good shape when time comes.

I have a separate post over in general as I'm debating just starting new because I need a reliable daily - and I feel like I'm getting $1000 repair every two years now with my V... Ugh... I really shouldn't complain though as I enjoy no car payment.

 

I feel your pain. Unfortunately, if you take the warranty out of the equation, a new car of any make cannot be regarded as an upgrade, at least not in terms of dependability. And (as if the manufacturers know the reliability foibles of their newest offerings) available standard warranties look shockingly skimpy.

 

Agree, I'm trying not to go new route for a longgg time. It is extremely tempting though, but I quickly sober up when I see the sticker price.

Current plan is keep the V, and try to network with coworkers to use their garages until I can get my own place with a garage. Might dedicate a day every few weeks to inspect / fix anything of concern on my V. I'm set to acquire a bunch of tools from my father when I move out. It's cheaper to keep and even fix my V than deal with a car payment ontop of my expenses.

 

To start it doesn't matter what car you get or have. The cost to fix can be high. Brand new cars have lots of issues just do the study. New cars have high costs and payments unless you pay the $ in cash, check etc. and own it free and clear.

In the OP's case, yeah if you can't DIY those not so difficult repairs, then its gonna cost a bunch. So I guess high mile older cars are not for a NON DIY person, unless you have one of those rip off extended warrantys. At least if a person spends $5k on a repair for a car they own and have no payments on, maybe the outlay is done for a few more years. If it was payments it would be that much at least every year.

 

Not that I don't want to DIY - it's just not always feasible for me right now. Which is what I kinda noted in just borrowing friend's garages.

 

In my opinion, never put more money in a car than it is worth.

Certainly everyone should have their own view of when/whether to keep or replace a car. But I disagree with this statement.

If a car is worth, say, $500, then if a repair costs more than $500 (even just parts DIY), it is time to replace the car by this thinking.

The real comparison, economically, has to be what does it cost to keep the car running vs. what it costs to replace it. Yes, there is the unknown of what it may cost in the future to keep it running. Decent, reliable used cars are pretty pricey these days. I just purchased a 2010 RAV4. $10500 plus tax and fees for a 15 year old car (it was pretty clean, through and through). Back in 2020 (just before pandemic prices went nuts), I purchased a 2006 CR-V. Again, a nearly 15 year old car, but the price was just $5200 plus tax.

OP might have to put up with living with the minor inconveniences of his existing car until he has the time, space, tools, and/or wherewithal to accomplish the needed repairs, as long as he keeps up with the oil changes and checking fluids. Not trying to be condescending, but that's how most of us started out. I did more than a few oil changes in the parking lot of my frat in college during some unpleasant weather.

 

This lines up with my thoughts as well. There is nothing less expensive than a paid off car you can do most if not all of the repairs yourself.

After a point, its residential value is of no consequence. The determining factor becomes the cost to replace it. As long as the repairs and parts necessary do not exceed the cost of having to replace the operating vehicle, they’re reasonable and worth spending to keep the vehicle in operation and avoid the cost of replacement.

I had a ‘08 V, after 13 years of use it had over 354k miles when it was replaced. It was still operational and its replacement cost was high. It was a tough decision to sell, but it was made. Despite its age and high miles it never experienced a mechanical failure that left any user stranded. Sure, AC failed, tires/brakes/filters/fluids had to be replaced , struts had to be replaced-but it never stopped working or moving.

OP-I would keep your V and try to maintain it further, less than 200k it has a lot of life and miles left in it and should continue to serve you well. Otherwise you have to consider the cost of replacement, which even if used is high.

 

Find a mechanic that will let you bring your own parts save a lot of money. Tell them you will pay 5% surcharge. Half the local mechanics will do it.

 

Most mechanics hate that. I wouldn’t offer any warranty and would tell the customer it there’s any problems with installation they’re paying extra.

 

Learn OR only own a car you can work on.
Why would anyone spend about 100% more on labor over the Parts price?
I was taught how to work on cars and how things on a care literally works before i was old enough to drive. My son was taught the ssme.
Im not sure what you consider a high mileage car...250K miles? 350K miles?

 

Learn OR only own a car you can work on.
Why would anyone spend about 100% more on labor over the Parts price?
I was taught how to work on cars and how things on a care literally works before i was old enough to drive. My son was taught the ssme.
Im not sure what you consider a high mileage car...250K miles? 350K miles?

It's different when one - you do not have the space to work on it and two - it is the only car I own. I was mainly just really annoyed with repeated issues but I've come to accept that is par for the course with a 15 year old car.

 

I was wondering the same thing about a year ago. I had a 2011 EX-L that had roughly 130k miles (I had purchased it new in 2011) and it seemed that there may be repair bills on the horizon. Over the years I had saved up about $35,000 because I figured at some point I was going to have to purchase a new car. So I sold my 2011 to a friend last December for $7,000 and used that to buy a new car.
My intuition proved correct because it seems my friend has had to have a lot of work done on it since then and I get to see it quite a bit. We had quite a lot of adventures together for the 13 years I owned it and I always tease my friend about how he’s treating my car.
I think the general rule of thumb is don’t spend on repairs more than the car is worth.

 

I really want to have a garage, as I think through looking at new and used cars the best route now is to just keep fixing my V. I know all the problems with it and don't want to get something where I do not know the problems it might have.

That's prudent. It is always a risk with the purchase of a new (to you) used car; maybe it was taken care of, maybe it wasn't. You don't really know until you own it for a while. A one-owner car, with service records, is one thing. A multi-owner car is something else. Even Carfax can't tell you everything. And usually a dealership - of any kind - knows almost nothing about a used car.

 

For one it sounds like a couple repairs u paid for were excessively high priced, the caliper and alt.... so to make this remotely feasible get a good honest, independent mechanic. At this age decent quality parts, not necessarily OEM will often suffice. Also unfortunate for your situation, DIY really is the only real way to keep a car running indefinitely. The caliper failure is troubling and possibly points to preventive maintenance you may be lacking - in an older car you need near fanatical preventive maintenance, Like flushing your brake fluid, cleaning, lubing. Frequent changes of rad fluid, PS fluid, tranny fluid, transfer case, rear diff, etc. New car isnt a cure all, you will pay fairly big $ monthly versus the occasional big dollar repair. Bear in mind $300/mo IS $3600 in year, adds up fast. Also a NICE LOW MILES used 2 year old car will have the balance of factory warranty....If ur buying a babied, quality car a warranty wont be needed... none of my Hondas needed any warranty work within the factory 3/36 period.

BTW for your current car, some repair shops have loaners, and there is always UBER/LYFT....

 

For one it sounds like a couple repairs u paid for were excessively high priced, the caliper and alt.... so to make this remotely feasible get a good honest, independent mechanic. At this age decent quality parts, not necessarily OEM will often suffice. Also unfortunate for your situation, DIY really is the only real way to keep a car running indefinitely. The caliper failure is troubling and possibly points to preventive maintenance you may be lacking - in an older car you need near fanatical preventive maintenance, Like flushing your brake fluid, cleaning, lubing. Frequent changes of rad fluid, PS fluid, tranny fluid, transfer case, rear diff, etc. New car isnt a cure all, you will pay fairly big $ monthly versus the occasional big dollar repair. Bear in mind $300/mo IS $3600 in year, adds up fast. Also a NICE LOW MILES used 2 year old car will have the balance of factory warranty....If ur buying a babied, quality car a warranty wont be needed... none of my Hondas needed any warranty work within the factory 3/36 period.

BTW for your current car, some repair shops have loaners, and there is always UBER/LYFT....

I think the caliper failure was mainly caused by excessive corrision as I am in the Midwest and I don't think I did a good enough job in keeping rust away from those components (laziness), and I'm now aware of what needs cleaned / lubed when the brakes are changed. I'm nearly caught up on maintenance, the only thing I need to find time to do is do a few more ATF changes to get 99% fresh fluid. I'm also setting a plan and budget in place for 200k miles which I will reach by the end of the year. I'm going to stick with my V for now, as I don't like what I am finding on new/used market for what I want in a car.

 

I have a 2014 CRV EX with 78000 miles and use it for commuting. It still handles like new. I considered trading it for a slightly newer one with leather to get rid of getting shocked every time I got out of it, but it sounds like I should keep it to get my money's worth out of it.

 

Absolutely worth holding onto. Mine has 251000 now…

 

Something to consider. If you’re faced with a $500 repair and the “value” of car is $500 and you’re trying to decide whether to replace the car or pay for the repair, remember that most people won’t be in the market for a $500 car. Most will be looking to upgrade to something better, overall, than what they have.

 

... remember that most people won’t be in the market for a $500 car. Most will be looking to upgrade to something better, overall, than what they have.

How does this information affect the decision of whether or not to repair the car, Ted?

 

With the recalls now, and the massive new vehicle failures, and the extra gizmo's on them I would never consider a new car. Most used cars have had body damage of some sort, it took many months to find one that did not. Also if the damage isn't fixed in a shop that reports it to carfax or how ever that is done, you won't know about any damage unless you know what to look for.
Its super tough for a non DIY person, that is not high on the $$ food chain so to say. You could spend $3000. or more for a used engine replacement and have the transmission crap out a week later.
But then could find a what ya think is a good low mile newer used car and end up dealing with that same thing in a month or so after getting it. I see things like that all the time in forums etc.

 

Others have provided good answers and you are in a good situation in that you can do some of the maintenance yourself. My situation was a bit different so I'm posting this also for others who might be thinking about getting a new(er) vehicle. I traded in a 25 yr. old Accord EX-L V-6 with 130,000 miles on it. Had all required maintenance and cosmetically was in great shape. However, it was going to need some semi-expensive repairs. My primary concerns:

1) The PCM (second one for this vehicle) was almost 15 years old - would a replacement be available in the future? (The PCM was OEM, but not the correct one for the V-6 with its heat sink issue - that's a whole other story.)
2) Reliability was becoming a big concern - each time I got in the car I was asking myself if I could actually get to my destination. That was causing some stress.
3) I live in SUV land. The ability to see in a sea of SUVs was becoming a safety issue. (I test drove a new Accord and the seats were even lower, even when adjusted to their highest setting.)

I now have a 2025 CR-V. My insurance costs doubled. Vehicle registration fees/tax went up 10 times, although that will go down as the vehicle ages. Repair costs will be more in the future because of the safety features in new vehicles. Fuel economy is slightly better. But I do have a reliable, safer vehicle. I do miss having the garage door opener integrated into the vehicle. Passenger seat is too low. Also, it was a PITA to get good information from Honda to ensure vehicle tracking was not connected and my information was not being sold to data brokers.

If I could have done my own repairs, I would have also considered a used Gen-6 CR-V. That being said, would have checked for recalls and all the available service bulletins first, and the maintenance records on the vehicle.

 

Hello I just recently purchased a 2002 2nd Generation Honda CRV LX FWD for $3,000 cash with a 181,000 original miles and it is mechanically sound the K24A 2.4L DOHC i-VTEC 4-cylinder engines are undefeated, the Japanese engineering of this engine is Perfection and I will easily get between 200,000 - 500,000 miles on the original engine and transmission.

I retire in 2years and it will become my daily driver, I have owned 5 vehicles in my lifetime from Mercedes Benz, BMW, Ford, Saturn and Volkswagen and the 2nd Generation Honda CRV too me are the most reliable ever Honda CRV.

I am going to invest about $3,000 in parts and using mobile mechanics to complete the work I am going to have done, replacement of all Front/Rear Bearings, the Struts, Brakes & Rotors, Calipers, complete Front Suspension replacement, I have watched enough Youtube videos to do all the fluids myself using only Honda recommended fluids and I am keeping my Honda CRV, one of my four adult daughters will inherit it one day!!!

Its a trade off, not having a car payment and having an older vehicle with lower maintenance or having a newer car payment with insurance for almost $1,000 a month or more. I haven't had a car payment since 2003 and these newer vehicles are trash with so many problems after purchasing them within 4yrs.

Good luck on your decision younger person!!!

 

Agreed that 2.4l engine and transmission are among the best designs out there for "doing what they were designed to do, for a long long time". Better than anything else I know of. And NO TURBO... We Have it in our 2013 CRV and still running flawlessly. On your vehicle 'rebuild'. I/we did a few 80s and early 90s vintage Civics (Also outstanding platforms) as you describe. I think you said bearings- the soft parts in the suspension are bushings, and there are a lot of them and yes they DO need replacing. Go with a product as similar to OEM as possible, I know on the CRX we used some 'performance urethane' bushings-they don't last as long and are stiffer than OE- it changes the ride. Struts, IDK, I used KYBs. Also do all your soft parts while at it, serpentine belt (and the idler and tensioner pulleys), all the coolant hoses (even those REAL hard to reach ones on back of engine...!) New brake lines while you are at the calipers. Transmission and engine mounts will be getting soft and old (done those too) you can usually 'see' this as the engine will rock a bit when shifted from N to D with the brake on. You can also get vibration when idling in D when the mounts get old and brittle. How are the half shafts and boots ? Generally a failure is preceded by a split boot- evidenced by bearing grease (black, nasty) slung about the front. suspension.... Happy rebuilding !

 

Absolutely that is the reason, I purchased the 2002 2nd Generation Honda CRV LX FWD because the investment verses the outcome is tremendous.

I have always wanted a 2nd Generation Honda CRV and with two years until retirement there isn't a better time.

Youtube DIY videos have saved me thousands of dollars over the last 20yrs and all I am interested in now is having a daily driver without high yearly maintenance.

I have owned the best of the best vehicles in my lifetime trust me and I don't need a vehicle with speed, I need a vehicle with consistently and the 2nd Generation Honda CRV LX FWD is exactly what I need!!!

 

Hard to say, another used car might be an option.

Trade in probably would not be high.

Without looking at anyone elses' replies... any other used car is a crap shoot. The CR-V is a known quantity to you. I'm in a similar boat... my '04 now has 172k. It's got an exhaust leak that will need to be handled before it'll pass inspection in August. Contemplating doing the whole shebang ... cat and all... to get rid of a consistent "poor catalyst efficiency" check-engine light. But, boy howdy, that's a big chunk o' change for a 21-year-old car! But I love it, and it's been dead-nuts reliable for the eight years I've owned it. With used-car prices today, I'd probably need to spend 2-3x as much as I paid for her in 2017 to get anything likely to be as good.

I had to get alternator fixed at a local mechanic because I didn't have the time or space to work on it. The V is my only car, and I was forced to borrow my sister's car who was away at college while it was worked on. I won't have this luxury when I move out. I didn't want to pay for labor but I was forced to due to my situation.

As for engine mounts - over $1000 for new OEM's - I do not trust any Anchor mounts seeing reviews of them. Might have to find a junkyard set in good shape when time comes.

I have a separate post over in general as I'm debating just starting new because I need a reliable daily - and I feel like I'm getting $1000 repair every two years now with my V... Ugh... I really shouldn't complain though as I enjoy no car payment.

Remember; the average new-car payment is now $700 a month! That's $1000 every forty-five days!

 

...any other used car is a crap shoot

So true. It took me 6 months to find a used car that I was reasonably sure wasn't hiding a ton of issues. It was a 2010, and it was $10500 plus tax (8.7%) and license. Ouch.

 

I know we dont want to succumb to sunk-cost fallacy but at the same time I would make a similar argument to those above in regards to the used-car market being an absolute minefield of garbage (generally).

Despite the repair bills that you have paid to keep the car going, it sounds like it is generally in a good place now with the exception of the cat which of course would be a problem on any car after X years/miles. The good news is after that is handled it should last for the remaining useful life of your car.

 

I concur. There are a lot of parts on a car that are made of rubber that in time will crack. I've had tires with a lot of tread life left and have had to replace them because the rubber started cracking. And if you live in states where summer temperatures go above 100 degrees for a sustained period (like TX, AZ, NM, the exposure to higher heat accelerates (shortens) the life of rubber. Have you seen old plastic garbage cans that begin to become brittle and crack? Same goes for some parts on your car, and the plastic-lined wheel wells constantly get small pebbles thrown against them from your tires as the motion breaks them free from the treads. Overall, once the repairs start getting expensive (>~$2k) and problems don't really seem to go away, and there are signs the car has aged (advanced rusting, cracking rubber around windows, that's when I find it to be time to ditch the money-pit of a car, unless you have an endless supply of money or time to work on a vehicle. I had the original opinion of "driving the car into the ground". One time I was getting my windshield replaced, and I got to watch the process, and the guy pointed out rust and said this is the last windshield he can put on it because any further rust would mean the glass would not be safely supported and it will result in leaks down the road. The rusting bracket would have to be replaced, which was no small task. After 197k miles on my Pathfinder, a hole had developed in the floor above the exhaust pipe was causing heat to come into the cabin. It was only time before the heat would cause the carpet to catch on fire. I used to hear that when a car broke 100,000 miles, its trade-in value was down to 4 figures, and 200k miles meant it was down to 3 figures. I don't know how much truth there is to that, but something to consider. Consider safety, its trade-in value (I check kbb.com). Consider how much time and money you have.