I need advice on a car/financial dilemma

[Esined]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I know there are people on the forum who are good with cars. I'm super stressed about this and not sure what to do. Here is my problem:

 

My car died on Saturday. I was driving and it started to rain like crazy. Parts of my route were getting flooded with about 1 foot of water and in order to get to where I was going, I had to drive through some massive puddles. There wasn't anywhere safe to change routes, turn around or back up. I have a Honda and they tend to be low to the ground. After the 2nd or 3rd big puddle, the engine stalled out completely. It won't turn over at all anymore. I had to get it towed to a shop.

 

The mechanic just called to say that it looked like the motor has to be replaced. He says it's seized up and there wasn't any oil in it. I don't understand this because I was current on maintenance. This definitely happened while driving through water.

 

In the meantime, this is a 2007 car with about 138K miles on it and looks pretty beat up on the outside. During the last year or so I've had to spend about $1000 getting it fixed. I have no car payments on it, it has great fuel economy, and until recently it was very practical and dependable, so I was determined to drive it into the ground and squeeze every last mile I could out if it...but I'm dying to get a new-to-me car and maybe now I have to. I need a dependable car.

 

My financial situation just got more stable recently and I have been focused on building up a 6-month emergency fund and saving for retirement. I don't want a car payment, but I'm willing to take one on if I have to and try to keep it low. I have $17,000 in an emergency fund but I worry about using it all for a car. 

 

What should I do? I literally just got off the phone with the mechanic and they asked me to get it towed today or pay a $40/night storage fee. What do I do next?

 

 

[Tortuga]

4 minutes ago, Esined said:

What should I do? I literally just got off the phone with the mechanic and they asked me to get it towed today or pay a $40/night storage fee. What do I do next?

If any friends in your area have AAA they are entitled to a free tow and can use it for anyone. Tell your elders and ask if they know anyone with AAA that might be able to help you.

[Esined]

4 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

If any friends in your area have AAA they are entitled to a free tow and can use it for anyone. Tell your elders and ask if they know anyone with AAA that might be able to help you.

 

Thank you! I have AAA and my tow on Saturday night was my last covered tow. I think they also have to be there when the tow truck arrives.

Edited July 31, 2023 by Esined

[Tortuga]

13 minutes ago, Esined said:

My financial situation just got more stable recently and I have been focused on building up a 6-month emergency fund and saving for retirement. I don't want a car payment, but I'm willing to take one on if I have to and try to keep it low. I have $17,000 in an emergency fund but I worry about using it all for a car. 

I purchased a truck from CarMax about 5 years ago and I was very happy with the process. It's not the cheapest way to buy a car but you may find what you are looking for at a decent price. Shop around for loans, try a credit union if you are a member.

[Qapla]

My understanding is that CarMax pays a flat-rate commission to its salespeople so there is no incentive for them to try and talk you into buying a car at a higher price than you want to spend.

 

They do seem to get good reviews for a used car dealer.

 

BTW - I have a 2007 Nissan Titan. I did have to replace the mother around 275,000 miles and now have around 365,000 miles on the truck so I fully understand the idea of driving a vehicle till it falls apart. I have never owned a NEW car - only one new to me.

 

You could try looking for an "old" new car. One that is a couple years old on a car lot but has never been sold - they tend to be willing to deal on that sort of car.

 

Depending on your circumstances, budget and how much you can manage a month - an EV (electric car) may be an option since you can apply what you would pay for gat towards the monthly payment.

[Qapla]

1 hour ago, Qapla said:

I did have to replace the mother around 275,000 miles

 

That should have read "I did have to replace the motor around 275,000 miles" ... spell check sure got that one wrong and it's too late for an edit

 

 

[Beggar for the Spirit]

Hi Denise, 

 

Sorry about your car problem, I was wondering if maybe it is possible to get a “2nd Opinion” about your car’s engine and whether the motor truly needs to be replaced?

In the medical field people will often get a 2nd or 3rd opinion, and you know what? Sometimes the initial diagnosis was NOT correct. So maybe this could be so in your case, with only 1-2 feet of water, maybe this just caused the motor to seize temporarily but the motor shouldn’t be completely ruined? I am no mechanic, but it just doesn’t make sense to me. Now if your car was completely underwater then yes I could understand such a diagnosis.

 

So maybe you can ask any local brothers/sister if they have a reliable mechanic that they feel is trustworthy to give you a 2nd opinion?

Then depending on the 2nd or 3rd opinion, you will have more insight into your motor’s condition and then you will feel better about the decision you make. I say this because you already paid off this car, which is very good. 👍

And you have already put money into it repairing other items that were old or failed. With a different used car, who knows what will need to be fixed on it in the future? At least you already know what has been fixed on your current car. And from what I have heard from various mechanics, Hondas have a good reputation, so you may have a good car, it may just need a little motor “CPR” to get it rolling again. 😃 

 

Spoiler

 

Edited August 1, 2023 by Beggar for the Spirit

[Amygdala]

What a dilemma. 🫣 Until you make any clear cut decisions regarding keeping your car/investing in a new one, can you get your car towed to park at your place, and perhaps know any brothers who might be willing to lend you a second car for a week or two until you figure out your options? Or maybe even rent a car, or do car share until you figure out your options? This is a major decision that you need a few days to mull over and consider best options before making any final commitments. It’s like an inbetween car stage. Pray for making a decision that helps as it will affect your life.

[Amygdala]

4 hours ago, Esined said:

The mechanic just called to say that it looked like the motor has to be replaced. He says it's seized up and there wasn't any oil in it. I don't understand this because I was current on maintenance.

 

Where did you get your last maintenance check-up? Can you explain to the original shop the breakdown to them, and seeing you are a customer do some other inspection?

[Esined]

I have used Carmax to sell two cars a long time ago — I believe we bought from there too but it’s been so long. 
 

Thank you everyone for the good advice. The mechanic where I took it actually did do the maintenance last time.

Very good news for me is that I was able to file a claim with my insurance since this appears to have been caused by heavy rain/flash flooding. Due to the age of my car and other info, it will likely be considered a total loss. I’m actually really ready to let this car go—the AC wasn’t working, it was really worn out inside and out and becoming embarrassing, uncomfortable and unpredictable to drive. At least this way my insurance will cover the cost of towing the car from the mechanic to a salvage facility to have it looked at by an adjuster, they will even cover the overnight storage fee from the mechanic and the cost of a rental car next few days. I might only get a little bit of $$$ for the car itself from insurance but at least all of those things are taken care of and it buys me a little time to look for another car.

Edited August 1, 2023 by Esined

[Esined]

I just wanted to share some very happy news! My insurance ended up paying out $5600 for my total loss car! Together with some of my savings and some very unexpected help from my family, I was able to put down a good enough down payment to keep a monthly payment manageable. Thank Jehovah! The timing on this was just amazing and a reminder to not be anxious, to trust in Jehovah that things will work out.
 

After almost a month of looking, today I picked up my new-to-me 2020 Subaru Forester and I am so, so happy. I haven’t bought a car in 11 years. It only has about 17500 miles on it and is in great shape and fun to drive. It’s a base trim level so it was more affordable but it has everything I need. It’s AWD which is better for the weather and road conditions up here. So far I don’t get the back and knee pain that I used to get driving my Honda Fit. I’m so psyched to be able to have people come with me out in service and be comfortable, to be able to take long road trips, and just to have a reliable and non-embarrassing car. 😊

 

[Witness1970]

On 7/31/2023 at 4:54 PM, Tortuga said:

I purchased a truck from CarMax about 5 years ago and I was very happy with the process. It's not the cheapest way to buy a car but you may find what you are looking for at a decent price. Shop around for loans, try a credit union if you are a member.

CarMax should be good most of the time, but I heard a report that someone purchased a car from CarMax and took it to be serviced.  When the mechanic checked the VIN number, he found out the car was stolen.  The police confiscated the car and CarMax had refused to refund the money the last report I heard.  The obvious thing to do is to check the VIN number prior to the purchase and get a CarFax report on it.  The stolen cars may be very rare on CarMax, but the reasonable thing is to protect yourself.