Buy a New Car or Repair the One You Have
As a large independent automotive repair facility in Northern California, we frequently get asked, “Should I fix my car or just buy a new one”?
To answer this question there are many questions we will ask, but the main ones will always be:
Are you happy with your car, and does it fit your needs?
What are you looking for in a new car?
What is your budget?
There are many more questions, but for now, we will just stick to these. The reasons why we ask these questions is because we are here to help you make the best and most informed decision for you, as most auto repair facilities should be.
Sure, it would be great to simply say, we want to fix your car, but the reality is that may not be in your best interest.
In most cases, the down payment on a new car would cover the costs of the repairs to your existing car. If, however, you add the “at time of sale” and yearly registration costs, as well as the monthly payments, you probably not only could have repaired your existing car, but also painted it as well.
Still, there are times when it doesn’t make sense to spend money fixing your car. Those cases include when it hasn’t been maintained well or if there is a major component failure, like to an engine or transmission.
This is the reason we ask so many questions in helping you make the right decision. We want to earn your trust and hopefully help you further in the future.
Ultimately, look for a repair facility that makes you feel safe and secure in your decision to use it. Do not judge solely on price, because you are not buying the same thing from facility to facility.
In addition, for those who may think “auto-repair” is easy, think about my oft-repeated maxim: There is more computing power in newer vehicles nowadays than there was in the Saturn rocket that sent a man to the moon!
Ray Kunz can be reached at service@orindamotors.com.
