$1,000 Oil Change
December 8, 2008 – 4:58 am
I took my car in for its oil change, and $1,000 later the work is complete. Of course the found a few other things that needed to be fixed, as well as several I decided not to fix. 
This will put a kink in the budget for a few months, but we save for auto repairs each month and can handle it.
The question I am facing though is how long to I plan to keep my current car, and at what point does repairing it stop making sense?
My Honda Accord has less than 150,000 miles but is 18 years old. I’ve been using the “$1,000 or less per year” rule thus far, and in the back of my think that going over $1,000 wouldn’t be out of the question depending on the issue.
The other key issues to consider include the following:
- We have twins on the way, and we don’t fully understand what that will mean to us or what it will be like. Will we drive more or less? Is it easy or hard to get 2 kids into and our of our current cars.
- Do we even need two cars? It’s definitely convenient, but is it necessary? Could we go a year on one car, and save the usual cost of that car to put towards buying our second car?
- How many more kids will we have? Who knows? But our other car is a Ford Focus, and I’m not sure we could fit three car seats on the back (but I’m willing to give it a try some weekend).
- I don’t want to be in a position where we have to replace two cars at (nearly) the same time, meaning within a couple years of each other. Our Ford Focus is only a few years old and has 60,000 miles, so it should last for quite some time.
Do you have a recommendation? We’re saving for a new (used) car as well, but we just started saving for it this year.
Image Credit: KB35
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3 Responses to “$1,000 Oil Change”
When our twins were born, we owned an aging Chevy Lumina and a relatively new Ford Focus wagon. (What is it with owning a Ford Focus and having twins?!) Our other son was 2 at the time.
We muddled through for about a month with all three car seats in the Lumina, and let me tell you, it was AWFUL. (And three seats do not fit in a Ford Focus). We ended up buying a minivan, and we LOVE it! Prior to the minivan we would dread going anywhere because the car was so crowded (three car seats, a diaper bag, and the double stroller filled the WHOLE trunk).
With the minivan we had so much more room and it was MUCH easier to get everybody in and out. The Focus is now my husband’s work car and we take it when whenever one or both of us goes somewhere without the kids.
By Christina on Dec 8, 2008
Most young folks cringe at the word “minivan” but that’s what you need. Start saving for a used one and when the twins arrive, pull the trigger. You’ve done well with the Accord but alas its time to say goodbye.
By Mr. ToughMoneyLove on Dec 9, 2008
A minivan is a great suggesting, and I’m definitely not against it. If I was worried about being embarrassed by my car I would have sold my current car years ago!
Thanks for the advice!
By todd on Dec 13, 2008