Alright guys, I'm in a little bit of a dilemma. I'm just trying to make the best decision and I figure some of you might have been in this situation before. So here it is. If you all have any words of wisdom that would be GREAT! I have pro's and con's of both decisions, but I'd like to get other opinions & maybe some stuff I haven't really put into perspective or thought about. Alright...enough rambling...


I have an '04 TL w/ 124,xxx miles. It's loaded with every option (nav, BT, etc). I love the car for it's fuel efficiency and lux/sport, but there are a few things wrong & things that will need to be done here very shortly. Those things are..

- Timing Belt Service (have a shop to do it locally for about $800)
- Brake Job
- Replace all engine mounts
- Cracked dash (not horrible b/c it's out of sight...but still)
- Replace PS O-ring

The good things are:

- Just had tranny fully rebuilt at 105,xxx miles
- Just replaced 3rd/4th Pressure Switches roughly 100 miles ago
- 90%+ tread left on my Conti DWS's
- Roughly $100-150 on sound deadening in the car (everything else I will take out and just leave the deadener...not a big deal really)


Now, my dilemma is do I sell this and pick up another car like an 07/08 TL-s, 08+ BMW 335i or 535i w/ around 30-40,000 miles and possibly with a warranty AND pay an extra $10,000-$15,000 on top of my $9,000 I get for the car....or do I replace the things that need to be done for around $2,000 and keep the car?

I'm about to purchase an engagement ring in a month or less, plus start looking to move into a house in 6-9 months. Either way, a $200-300 car payment isn't a big deal for me when I'm under a warranty and know I won't have any repair costs for awhile. So, any help is greatly appreciated guys. Hopefully some of you can relate and tell me what you did and if you made the right decision you think. Thanks!

 

PS O-ring should be taken care of by the dealer under a recall. Is the TL paid off? If so, I'd keep it and just do the maintenance/repairs. Buying the engagement ring can be expensive and a wedding coming up, get ready to reach DEEP into your pockets.

 

yeah, i'd maintain the TL.
you have big expenses coming up.

 

Keep it man

 

keep it.

 

lol this is a no brainer. If you know you have huge expenses coming up, why would you want to get another car and make payments on that?

 

haha wow! Didn't expect an overwhelming "keep it" that quick. Thanks for the replies

I didn't know that the o-ring was fixed for free under recall. That's nice to know. Thanks! I have that high pitched whine that most say is the o-ring. Just had it in there yesterday for an oil change, should have had them do it then. Darn it. I'll do it this weekend.

The TL is completely paid off and has been for awhile now. As far as expenses, yeah it's about to get expensive..that's for sure. Already have the cash for the ring as my expenses right now are SUPER low for what I have left over each month. All my expenses are about half of one of my paychecks lol...so that's why I was thinking about this. I still have my student loans to pay off, but hopefully the big boss man will pay those off here in 5 months or so when I sign a contract with the company. That'll be nice!!

My thought process was....spend $1,500-$2000 on the car (maybe not even that) and fix it up (in it for $11,000 basically) OR purchase a low mileage car for $20,000 and be over by $9,000-ish (loan amount that I would pay back fairly quickly). You guys are probably right though. My girl and I live in a nice condo/apartment in my college town, but we'd like to move into a real nice, new house in a 6-12 months like I said. I should probably put that $9,000 towards a down payment and wedding. Damn women. All her fault. lol

 

it seems like you keep your cars past the 100k mark.

You get a bimmer and you'll be spending a shit load more money repairing it.

I would keep the TL. Sounds like what you need is just basic maintenance done.

 

Keep it man. It's worth it.

 

Keep that ish

 

I'd say just keep the TL fix it up and spare yourself the extra debt on your credit report since you are trying to buy a house in the near future.

 

Keep it. From reading everyones posts about a wedding I wouldn't want another payment til that is said an done.

 

I'd say keep it. These cars are just getting broken in at that milage (I have an 06 5AT TL that just rolled over to 130K last week) plus with all your expense from the wedding and everything plus everything you just fixed on it (transmission) I'd say you're in it for at least another 100K before you sell the thing.

 

Regarding your student loans being paid off - that's great, but I would suggest planning around a worst-case scenario. Budget your expenses to include a situation where you may have to pay off your loans, things like that. That way, if crap hits the fan, you've got it planned out.

Sorry for the tangent, this is regarding your cars not financial planning lol. That's just some sound advice I think that everyone should hear.

 

Agreed. I'm definitely leaning HEAVILY towards just keeping the car and getting the things repaired that it needs. Too bad we don't have a "Hamilton Honda" type place nearby

I'm sure I'm in for a couple grand for the Timing Belt, Front Brakes & Engine Mounts. Calling around now.

Thanks everyone!

 

You might want to post up in the Southeast Regions section and see if anyone from your area knows a good and reasonable place to get the work done.

 

Very reputable shop here in OKC just got back to me with a quote. Cheaper than I thought it'd be so I think I'm happy and I'll likely drive her till she BLOWS! Too bad I can't get that $300 TB service like some of you guys in the Northeast are getting, but oh well.

$1200 for everything (that's after tax)
-TB, Water Pump, Tensioner, Idler Pulleys
-Front Brake pads + resurface rotors
-Replace Front and Side Engine Mounts

Seems pretty good to me.


LoveMyTL-s: Good idea. Thanks

 

For everything that does seem like a goo deal

Keep calling around if you think maybe you can find a cheaper price.

 

keep it, im sure you dont beat your TL like that, getting another one.. u never know how the previous owner treated it

 

keep it.
I dont think its worth getting the 07/08 -- the added benefit of that car won't be worth the extra cost since its pretty similar to the one you already have.

If you're feeling bored with the car and just want something new, then the 335 might make sense -- but you'd likely be better off just leasing a bmw then buying it since bmw subsidizes their leases. But that then will end up costing you alot more.

But if you're happy with your car -- it serves the purpose of getting you from point a to point b comfortably, then keep the car.

There's something nice about being able to drive your car and not have a monthly payment -- and repair / maintence costs shouldn't come close to a monthly payment.

 

i'm with everyone else, keep the TL and fix what needs to be done. Put the extra money towards the ring, house, and wedding.

 

Definitely keep it. You don't know what expenses might come up when moving or if you will want that extra money to get the house you want.

 

1. Keep TL...do aforementioned maintenance
2. Buy USED engagement ring...get it resized for GF (don't tell her it's USED; laugh to yourself for saving so much money)
3. Maintain emergency fund (atleast 6 months of expenses)
4. Save for mortgage down payment (atleast 20% to avoid PMI)
5. Max out annual ROTH IRA contribution

GO THUNDER!

 

^ wanna be best friends? Lol

 

keep it, Type S usually goes for $24k-$27k with the mileage as you described. BMW 335i isn't that cheap after all they ranging $25k-$32k depend on condition and mileage, after that you have tax and all kinda of dealer fees smacking your wallet. When I bought my Type S I kinda half regret because with the money down I could spend it on buying a house but after all this is my first expensive car I ever bought, plus the Type S give me smile every time I drove it so that turn out wasn't too bad. Like everyone else said you have more expense coming up and the car payment won't help either.

 

If the Thunder lose, sell everything and move to Kansas City.

 

one note, replace the rotors don't bother resurfacing them.

 

I also vote keep it at this stage

 

Jumping on the band-wagon like everyone else. It's always better to have $$ in the bank for unexpected expenses - especially on top of the expenses you already know are right in front of you.

 

I'm gonna throw in my 2 cents because I was in your shoes late last year. I love my TL but I was thinking about selling it and getting a German car.

Instead I kept the TL and bought a V8 S4. Now, I REALLY enjoy driving that German car but it costs a lot more than the TL. The gas, as you could imagine, costs much more. An oil change is $200 and that's at my mechanic. Takes ten quarts of some high priced oil.

I'm very happy I kept the TL and did the repairs. My TL now has 176k on it and drives pretty much like the day I bought it. My timing belt alone (not done at dealer) cost more than everything that Trunk Monkey listed so apparently I should have shopped more and I would recommend you do the same. Also, listen to mau108 and replace the rotors, don't resurface. In fact, if you feel comfortable removing a few bolts and applying some grease, do this yourself. It's ridiculously easy. Here's a walkthrough
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...+rotors&page=2


Anyway, good luck. The German car is awesome but it sounds like your money would be better saved than spent. And that German car will make you spend for sure. The turbo charged 335i is known for costs as soon as the warranty ends. My friend has a 535 and its just slow.

 

Keep the TL....