Repairing Your Car or Buying a New One

We are fortunate to have so many regular customs that are just plain awesome. One of our favorites Julie recently came recently needing close to $1800 in maintenance and repairs. The question so many customers have to decide is do I want to put this much money in a ten year old car or purchase new. Well there are several ways to look at this issue. 

In Julie’s case her car needed a timing belt, water pump, oil change, brake and transmission flushes. Her vehicle is a 10 year old Lexus with only 98,000 miles. Julie made the choice to have the maintenance done to her car. This car should last another 5 - 10 years with regular maintenance.

Vehicles made in the last 15 years are not made like they were years ago when your car’s odometer rolled over to 100,000 miles. It was time to get a new car. They just weren't made to last 200,000 - 300,000 miles. Any Toyota or Lexus made in the last 15 years should last 200,000 - 300,000 miles or more. (My 2011 Toyota made Scion XB has 317,500 miles on it and runs like a top)

Everybody loves a new car however perhaps not so much when it comes with a $500 - $600 a month car payment. That’s $6000 - $7000 a year that could go to so many other things such as bills, vacations or savings.

I have to say last year I went through a period of “new car fever” and started looking for a new vehicle. I liked this one and especially that one with all the new bells and whistles. Ahh the new car smell and look. No scratches, dents or dings. It was almost like a touch of insanity entered my mind. The thought I then remembered was how glad I was when I made that last payment and the previous months looking forward to not having a payment.

Well so far I have not purchased a new car and actually my car did breakdown last week. Fortunately it was an inexpensive repair. I have only spent $550 in repairs in the last 15 months and still feel very confident in my vehicle’s reliability. This is not to say I won’t buy a new car in the next few years, however I like the extra money in my bank account for now. 

This is all food for thought mostly about not being afraid when your car is getting a little older or around 100,000 miles. New cars are nice however so is money in the bank.

(And I do still have that new car itch, I’m just not willing to scratch that itch...yet)

The Busy Fall Season Is Just About Here So Make Your Appointment Early

We are experiencing a busy September and expect to be very busy throughout the holidays. So please make your needed appointment in a timely manner. Right now in most cases we are running a week out or more.

On top of being very busy we have been trying to hire Technicians for both locations however like most businesses right now we are having trouble hiring qualified people.

If you know of a Technician who might be looking for a job we would love to talk to them. We pay very competitively with health insurance, 401 K and employees never have to work weekends. Please have them give us a call. 770-457-9991

Please Change the Air Filter

I know I just sent out an email a few weeks ago about cabin filters however a car came in yesterday that made me want to mention this again.

Please don’t let dirt, leaves and debris sit on the edge of the windshield. This will go into your vehicle's ventilation system and can cause serious harm to your vehicle. 

Your cabin air filter is typically behind the glove box in most late model vehicles. (my is behind the glove box) When the cabin air filter is unchanged for long periods of time, the dirt, dust and pollen builds up and is blown into the interior of the car when the heat or A/C is turned on. 

The cabin air filter also helps slow down the amount of road debris, leaves and much more from going further into your ventilation system. A dirty cabin air filter can result in allowing debris into the ventilation system and into the vehicle's evaporator core. This can and often does result in the evaporator core having to be replaced. Replacing an evaporator core is around $2500 to $4000 depending on your vehicle.

Keep in mind that in most cars the cabin filter is located behind the glove box. So if you keep your glove box as messy as mine please remember to unmess it before you come in for service.