Any thoughts?
Many of those, but few relevant and zero knowledgeable ones.
Here in the E of U, old cars are generally heavily disincentivized (use too much gas, often of the wrong type , too polluting, so you can’t go everywhere in consequence…)
Comment on Free Talk Friday - February 13th, 2026
TriplePlaid@wetshav.ing 5 days ago
My car has been on my mind a lot recently - a 2009 2WD Honda Pilot with 222k on it. I just called my mechanic today and asked them to put together a quote for a laundry list of things that will hopefully keep it running for another 100k: timing belt, water pump, valve adjustment, motor mounts, radiator, fluid refreshes, a few other small things.
I have been getting conflicting advice. Folks on the piloteer forum and reddit (and AI for whatever that’s worth…) generally seem to think this sort of vehicle would be worth investing in since the transmission seems to be working well and it is pretty light on rust.
My mechanic is absolutely willing to do the work but they haven’t really spoken forcefully one way or another if they think this maintenance is a good idea.
My coworkers however have said if it was their car they would trade it in and get a newer used vehicle.
Any thoughts?
PorkButtsNTaters666@sub.wetshaving.social 5 days ago
snooting@wetshav.ing 5 days ago
Folks on the piloteer forum and reddit (and AI for whatever that’s worth…) generally seem to think this sort of vehicle would be worth investing in since the transmission seems to be working well and it is pretty light on rust.
It very much depends on what “pretty light on rust” means. I’d hate to dump 5-7k into a car just to have it rust out in a couple of years.
My mechanic is absolutely willing to do the work but they haven’t really spoken forcefully one way or another if they think this maintenance is a good idea.
Most mechanics won’t give you a strong opinion one way or the other, in my experience, unless they really don’t think it’s worth doing the work.
My coworkers however have said if it was their car they would trade it in and get a newer used vehicle.
This is the American way for a lot of people.
I grew up driving old cars, and in general I think you come out ahead financially keeping a well-maintained car on the road instead of buying a new one. That said, there are very good reasons to buy a new car. Fuel efficiency, emissions reduction, and safety being the biggest ones in my opinion.
My wife and I are in a similar situation. Our 2003 Subaru Legacy needs all three catalytic converters and the entire exhaust manifold replaced. In a vacuum, I’d 100% drop the cash to keep this car on the road. We’ve maintained it well and I know exactly what’s been done to it.
However, we’re also trying to start a family soon and are starting to be more concerned with safety features. The industry has made a lot of progress in this area over the last 20+ years.
walden@wetshav.ing 3 days ago
Nice! I thought my wife’s car was old as a 2006.
walden@wetshav.ing 3 days ago
It sounds like you know more than cars than most people, which is great. I’m a fan of keeping cars running for as long as you’re comfortable. It’s much cheaper to spend the occasional $2000 on a big repair(s) compared to a $650/month car payment ($40,000 new car with 6% interest(just a guess) for 6 years).
Some people will try to compare the amount you’re about to spend to the blue book price, but I don’t agree with that line of thought. If the car is worth $4,000 why would you spend 50% of it’s worth on maintenance? Well, because cars need to be maintained. The blue book price doesn’t know if a car has been maintained. If you go out and buy a different car for $4,000 that could be very risky. By spending the money on maintenance, you know things are in good working order.
In my mind the decision simply comes down to whether or not you like the car, whether or not you’re itching for something newer, and your financial position.