Hey guys. I know there's no right answer here, but I'm looking for some quick advice.

Here's the situation. 99 GS4, 133,500 miles, second owner, all maintenance up to date. Just last week, my A/C crapped out and I found out I need to replace the driver's side and possibly the passenger side upper control arm. The dealer quoted me $1,900 for the A/C and $1,600 for the control arms. I also have a sticking hood latch cable that they want $500 to fix. So, all told, I'm looking at $4,000 in repairs to fix a car that's probably not worth much more than $6,000. Oh, and one more thing. A few years ago I had a new windshield installed, I believe the installer cut the pinch weld with his hook tool, and it is now starting to rust where the windshield meets the roof of the car. Not good.

The alternative. I can get a company car, the new 2010 Taurus (Limited, not SHO, unfortunately) for $900 down plus $340/month for 20,000 miles a year for 5 years. That $340 month covers gas, insurance, all maintenance, car washes, tires, brakes, etc., etc. I did the math, and I'm paying at least that much a month to drive my car, and that doesn't include the depreciation on my car (which I guess at this point is minimal).

I have a friend who's in the used car business who told me to bring him the parts and his guys will do the install on the A/C and the control arms and charge me $25/hour. Alternatively, I could just give him my car and he'll put it on his lot and sell it for me.

I'm torn. I've been with the GS for over 5 years now, and I'm afraid that I'll regret if I get rid of it. Smart money says go with the company car, but there's the emotional side of the equation too, and you can't put a dollar figure on that.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

e

P.S.: Mods, please feel free to move this to another forum if I've posted it in the wrong place.

 

you need to evaluate how much extra features in a particular car means to you, and if you get value out of the extra car features, you need to value that.

Otherwise, for pure transportation, the "smart" money says buy a brand new hyundai msrp $9970. Even more frugal, get a used hyundai even cheaper.

The thing is to consider what to value your enjoyment against. You should consider in the long run do you need that extra money or not? Would it bring you more "joy" then going on a few vacations, fancy dinners, paying for electricity?

 

Good point. No, it wouldn't bring me more joy to put the money into my car than to do those other things. At the end of the day, it's just a car. For some reason, though, I figured I would drive this car for a long, long time, and all of this stuff came up very suddenly.

I can spend the $400 on parts. I can spend $500-$600 on labor for the install. However, what's next? The starter? Possibly. What else?

As for buying a Hyundai, I know you were half kidding, but believe it or not, that would cost me more than the company car program because in addition to paying to drive the car, I would also have a car payment (or would have to come up with $10,000 to buy the car outright).

I think it might be time to let her go.

 

I think this is it. And that new Taurus, while not a Lexus, is a very well done car. It's unfortunate that it's not a SHO, but at least it's a decent car - especially for that money.

Big Mack

 

You have to just weight the costs and benefits. I would always stick with a Lexus, new cars aren't always the better option. If you were to sell why not get a newer GS?

 

so u have to pay for the company car....? or did i read that wrong. oh btw the hood fix is a simple diy. look at nigels main sticky. its on there. part is like 45 bucks so saving you 455 right there. and parts/labor from your buddy shouldnt be but another 1000 so your out truthfully bout 1200. it all depends on what you want though....go test drive the new car and see what you think/feel. remeber although we are a lexus forum we dont pay your bills and what not. your car is old, hell my 2001 is old and older cars will have more problems you'll have to come out of pocket for. nothing like having a new car with a warranty goodluck with decision

 

You have to pay a small upfront fee to get the car (in the case of the Taurus Limited, it's $500 (+$400 if I want a moonroof), and then they take $340/month out of your paycheck, but you get free gas, insurance, all maintenance, car washes, tires, brakes, etc., etc.

 

Although I like the new Taurus at the end of the day its a Taurus. There are going to be thousands destined for rental car companies and you are going to see them everywhere. Keep the Lexus and go with the independent dealer. The $tealer is way off for the repair cost. If you were talking the SHO I would think twice. Just my 2 cents.

 

Yeah, unfortunately, no SHO.

Quick update. I stopped by my local Ford dealer today to see if they had a demo Taurus that I could look at, sit in and/or drive. They did not, but they did have several Lincoln MKS's, which is basically the same car. I sat in one in the showroom, and the driver's seat could be the most uncomfortable seat I've ever sat in. The seat bottom is very short. I am not a tall person (5' 7"), but the seat bottom was much shorter than what I'm accustomed to. I asked the salesperson about it, and she said they get that complaint all the time. I happened to be reading a review of the Taurus this afternoon, and it said the same thing (about the seats). So, long story short, the Taurus is O-U-T out.

I did sit in a Ford Edge while I was there. That was pretty comfy, as was the Fusion (believe it or not). The Edge would cost me about $5,000 down and the same $340/month under the program. The Fusion would be free and about $280/month.

I think I need to give the Lexus another chance. The bottom line is that the Taurus is, as already said, just a Taurus and there's nothing special about it. The Edge is a nice car, especially with the Vista panoramic roof, but it's a lot more money. The Fusion is pretty bland.

I lined up a used compressor and it arrived today. I still need to get the upper control arm from Sewell, and once I have both of those parts, I'll have my friend set it up to have them installed. That should at least buy me a few months or more to figure out what I want to do.

Thanks for all the responses.

e