Is It Time to Replace Our 15-Year-Old Car?

How are everybody’s vehicles doing? I hope your car is going strong because new and used vehicle prices are more expensive than ever. The average price of a new vehicle is now $48,699! That’s insane. The surge is due to a combination of factors – tariffs, high consumer demand, expensive technologies, and rising manufacturing costs. The last time we purchased a vehicle, our Mazda5 cost us about $17,500 in 2010. Looking back on it, we got a great deal. Our Mazda5 is still running well, but it is 15 years old. Little things are starting to break and repairing them isn’t cheap. Is it time to replace our beloved Mazda5?

Recent Repair

Our Mazda5 was in the shop last week. The driver door handle didn’t work, and the door was stuck shut. I had to get in on the passenger side and climb over the center console to drive. I did this for a week, but it got old very quickly. I ain’t no spring chicken anymore.

Also, I left the headlight on and ran down the battery twice! Since the driver door was stuck shut, the light left on warning buzzer didn’t sound. Good thing I had AAA. Anyway, I took the car to the dealer and they fixed it in 2 days. It cost me $700, though. Yikes, that feels very expensive for an old car. It would have been a bit cheaper at another garage, but we only have one vehicle and I need it back ASAP.

If you know a good car mechanic in Portland, please share in the comment section below. I don’t want to take the car to the dealer anymore. It always costs a lot more than I anticipated.

I also paid $250 for a new battery at Les Schwab last week. The previous battery was in there since 2018. I’m impressed it lasted that long.

2010 Mazda5

I purchased our Mazda5 new in 2010. Our previous vehicle, a BMW Z3, wasn’t going to work with a baby. The Z3 was a convertible and only had 2 seats. On the other hand, the Mazda5 was the perfect family vehicle. It has 3 rows of seating and can be configured to carry plenty of cargo. It wasn’t too big either. I can parallel park in downtown with no problem.

Amazingly, we put less than 90,000 miles on our Mazda5 after 15 years. We don’t drive that much because we live in a walkable neighborhood. The car has been very reliable and hasn’t spent much time in the shop. The Mazda5 has been a great vehicle for us. I would like to get a nicer car at some point, but the timing is not right. We don’t have a garage and park on a busy street. Every vehicle has plenty of dings and dents. In this neighborhood, the bumpers are meant to be used. I don’t want a nicer car because I’d be a lot more stressed out with every new dent. Also, I’m too frugal. I don’t want to spend a bunch of money on a depreciating asset.

When to buy a new car

Spending hundreds of dollars on repairs sucks, but it is still way cheaper than making car payments. I don’t mind fixing up our Mazda5 for a few more years as long as it continues to be pretty reliable. It can’t be in the shop for more than a few days per year, though. Reliability is our top priority because we only have one car. I have to drive RB40Jr to all his activities around town.

When RB40Jr graduates, I will seriously consider getting a new car. We plan to move to Southern California and we should have a garage at our next home. I’m eyeing a brand new stick shift Miata. I’d love to drive a convertible again. Haha. A new Miata starts at around $30,500. That’s not bad for a sporty convertible, right? My gimpy right knee might not like the Miata, though. Maybe I should rent one for a week first…

When would you consider buying a newer vehicle? What would you buy next?

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