How do people pay for their car repairs?

[Warrior Poet]

[Jeff Lebowski] "He fixes the cable?" [/Jeff Lebowski]

 

[GlassJaw]

I've got a 4 year old Saturn SL200.

Just buy a Honda next time.

 

[Desdichado]

Just buy a Honda next time.

Check out real quality data like J.D. Powers instead of believing the myth: Honda's break down just as often. Well, nearly so, anyway.

 

[diaglo]

If I could find a mechanic that didn't try to screw me over every time I walked into the shop because I'm a woman...

i know one. his name is Skippy. he is a little light in the loafers.


i like the mechanic i have b/c we can talk about the women who come into his shop and figure out which ones we'd want to screw.


diaglo "used to do all his own autorepairs pre-1987, since then i gotta depend on a shop with a computer hookup" Ooi

edit: as for JGK... credit card mang.

 

[Shallown]

Taking an auto repair course might not be such a bad idea. While true you can't do most serious repairs it pays to know what the mechnic is talking about so you don't get ripped off as often which does happen.

later

 

[Xath]

You can expect to replace your timing belt about once every 80,000 miles. That's just about how long they last.

When I get a car, I like to look at it's reliability ratings so that I can anticipate when I'll need to fix/replace something. For example, my 1994 Civic has passed it's 10 year mark, so I can expect it to start rusting through now. And I was right, the entire exhaust system fell out last week, but fortunately, we had the money to pay in cash right away.

The myth about Hondas isn't that they don't break as often as other cars, it's that the parts are less expensive and easier to replace. The nice thing about Saturns is that if you get into an accident, it's less likely that you'll have to replace any external panels because dings will just pop out of them with the right pressure. Every car has it's disadvantages and perks. Learn what they are and expect the worst. That way you're prepared for any situation.

Another way to prepare (what my parents do) is to put the equivalent of half of their car payment into a savings account every month. When the car payment is finished, put the car payment amount +1/2 into the account every month. That way, when the car breaks down, you have the cash. And when the car is too broken down to be fixable, you have a nice down payment for your next car already stashed away.

 

[dorentir]

I try to keep up with the periodic maintainence --- replacing the timing belt at the reccomended time rather than waiting for it to go, etc. I might be spending money I don't have to --- but I suspect the periodic maintainence is cheaper in the long run. We also avoid nasty surprises and breakdowns leaving me or my wife stranded --- and I'll pay a little extra for peace of mind. Once a car gets older, though, the nasty surprises seem to become more frequent.
We use a credit card and pay it off asap.

 

[GlassJaw]

Check out real quality data like J.D. Powers instead of believing the myth: Honda's break down just as often. Well, nearly so, anyway.

I've owned Hondas, I've sold Hondas, my parents have owned multiple Hondas, my grandmother has had nothing but Hondas, my brother has a Honda, you get the point. Their timing chains don't break after 4 years. They just don't. Am I biased? You bet.

 

[Desdichado]

I've owned Hondas, I've sold Hondas, my parents have owned multiple Hondas, my grandmother has had nothing but Hondas, my brother has a Honda, you get the point. Their timing chains don't break after 4 years. They just don't. Am I biased? You bet.

Well, I've never owned a Honda, but the only timing chain I had break was a 25+ year old Volvo. It's kinda a freak thing to happen to any car.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Well, I've never owned a Honda, but the only timing chain I had break was a 25+ year old Volvo. It's kinda a freak thing to happen to any car.

Even though the chain was expensive, it's the design that strikes me as weird. "Yeah, when the chain goes, it tends to tear up the engine." Now isn't this like putting a small bomb in the car and waiting for it to go? :\ I've had cars with timing belts before and when they broke, they didn't take parts of the engine with them.