I really need a new car
I have a ‘98 Dodge Caravan that I got almost 3 years ago. It was given to us by my wife’s parents in exchange for our Nissan.
When we had to move away from Hawaii and didn’t have the money for it, I took out a loan on it for $6,725 (the then value of it).
Today I have concluded that since we bought it, I have paid around $5,000 in maintenance costs. Half of that was a brand new transmission, the rest were odds and ends. Today I have to drop another $700+ to replace an axle, two tires, fix an oil leak, among other things. The last time I had it in the shop was about 2 or three months ago where I had the electrical system fixed, and the oil changed.
It seems like every few months I have to drop a load of money to keep it going. It all adds up to the point where you know you really need a new car when the upkeep for it has tallied up to be almost what you paid for it in the first place.
I sure hope I get a good bonus after the Holidays. This Van will last us a lot longer and cost us much less if I didn’t have to drive it to and from work every single day.