What would you do.

[crazyravr]

My LGT has 90K miles on the odo. Thus far I have had zero problems (minus one wheel bearing) and own the car since brand new. Oil changes were done every 5K with synthetic.

 

What I have to do now is a lot of maintenance work (all fluids, brakes, timing belts etc etc). This will all run me around $2K (got number of quotes from dealers to private shops and all are within the same $$ number).

 

Here is what worries me.... turbo failure and the costs. Reading the threads and with my milage I think I am a good candidate for that happening.

 

Would you:

A) do the maintenance and keep the car hoping for the best knowing what might happen and how much it will cost

B) trade the car for lesser car with lower milage and under warranty

 

I am slowly leaning towards 'B' but want to hear some others.

[cseagle08]

I think it's time to learn how to work on cars. Get a shop manual or ask the folks on how-to and do the maintenance yourself and save sooooooo much money, I would have to guess you would save $1600 - 1700 at least out of that quote. 300 dollars and a feeling of accomplishment at the end. It's totally worth it.

[rao]

This why the lack of technical moderators is such a bad thing - this guy is convinced that is Legacy is DOOMED for no reason.

 

1. There is no proven correlation between mileage and turbo failures.

2. There is no proven correlation between using synthetic oil (magic or readily available) and prevention of turbo failures

3. There is no guaranty that your new car will not have all kinds of problems

4. There is no guaranty that your new car, if it has problem, will have its warranty honored.

[LosAngelesLGT]

I am slowly leaning towards 'B' but want to hear some others.

 

Dude you have not told us your driving habits, what your goals are, what kind of driver you are or what sort of other car you are even considering.

 

Should you trade your car for a Scion and be done with it? Well sure, if your commute is in downtown rush hour and you have a small garage. Should you get a pickup? Sure you are a lumberjack after all.

 

No one can make any sort of opinion other than:

 

Getting someone elses used car is getting someone elses used problem. You know your car is good.

 

You are unwilling to spend $2k on a great car to keep it another 3 years? Sweet, since your car is doomed, I'll be a pal and give you eight grand for it.

[crazyravr]

I used to do my own maintenance on my cars but now live in a condo and have no garage or access to tools.... and having me try do something, learn and feel accomplished at the end of the day doesnt mean much in auto department, so couple 100s of saving doesnt worry me in the least.

 

What I do worry about, and can thank a board like this one for it lol, is the turbo failure and costs associated with it.... thats it. I love the car, love driving it but when will it become a $$ pit?

 

As for the other car(s) i am considering, does it really matter... I dont think so. For the sake of argument lets go with a 2006 Jetta TDI with 50K miles.

[BAC5.2]

Not a chance.

 

If you are scared about turbo failure... replace your turbo early.

 

I no longer see the value in a used car. You are removing years and usable miles from the life of the car.

 

Your LGT of unknown year (lets say, 2006) has 90k on it. 4 years, 90k, that's like 22.5k per year.

 

Keep the same driving habits, and in less than two years your 2006 Jetta TDI will be in the same spot you are in with the LGT.

 

So you give up your LGT for a car that is most definitely NOT under warranty (at BEST it'll be a 50/50 warranty), that will likely exceed the trade-in-value of your LGT. So you would rather pay money to get out of the LGT and into a car that will put you right into the same spot you are in now, less than 2 years from now.

 

Or, spend less, keep the LGT for two more years, then see about getting something brand new when the time comes.

[LosAngelesLGT]

I understand the Jetta has electrical issues that can be a problem but it sounds like you are not making a change. A VW (or german anything) is not going to be as reliable in the long run. It is well documented that to protect your turbo all you have to do is remove your bajo bolt filters and keep your oil changed AND DO YOUR REGULAR MAINTENANCE.

 

I do think it would be really neat to have a diesel but it sounds like you love your car and enjoy it. It will become a money pit when you stop doing the regular maintenance. (or drive it into the ground like every day is a track day).

[Brock Samson]

Dollar-wise, switching cars will be more expensive.

 

Bite the bullet, spend the money or the sweat equity on fixing up your current ride and enjoy it.

[lee07]

All car's will need work done to it to keep running. Brakes and fluid, why not do it yourself? Turbo should be fine if you changed the oil like you said. I wouldn't trade it for anything since there are no cars better than this one. I was thinking of trading it too but there's no car like it or as in good shape as mine. Just keep it unless you got a family. Remember its a SUBARU it keeps going and going and going!

[vr4Legacy]

And doesn't a TDI have a turbo too? How many miles does VW Turbo last? Plus I have heard the nightmares of electrical problems.

 

You asked for opinions, so I'll give mine.

 

Keep the LGT. Do the reg maintenence and put aside whatever your new car payment would have been into a savings account. If the turbo goes you'll have some set aside to fix it. Or upgrade the turbo when you have the funds and be preemptive.

 

If you absolutely want something 100% reliable with no chance of problems, get any Japanese N/A car. I'm sure a few 2.5i owners on here would consider trading you straight up....

[joeblow]

Where did this idea that the turbo will fail around 100k come from?

 

Some guys have had their turbos go at 10k others are pushing 200k and have no turbo issues whatsoever. Maybe the average mileage is 100k, but its nothing to worry about. Take some of that extra money that you had "saved up" for this new or used car and put it into a rainy day fund for that ill-fated day next week when your turbo goes out since its guaranteed to happen apparently.

 

Or do as was suggested earlier and just replace it now for a few hundred bucks and have the peace of mind knowing that your turbo is now guaranteed to last for 100k miles.

 

/end rao style sarcastic rant

[crazyravr]

I did not want to turn this into a "lets bash VW" thread lol FYI my last '00 TDI lasted 250K miles and got sold at $10K in '07 when i got this LGT... but never mind about this.

 

To be honest I was thinking of keeping my car, and you guys are right, there arent many cars I could afford like this one and not having to make any payments on the new car right now is sweet.

 

I will be sure to post back with what i decide to do.

[CTSubiefan]

I'm at 91k and no car payments. There is nothing out there that I would love as much as this car. I have started saving for this car's eventual successor. That account is at about $9k and growing. I figure if I fry a turbo, I can dip into that fund for a new one or get a new car.

 

Don't let forum paranoia convince you to dump a car you really like for a car you might like. Your car is aging so start making reasonable preparations for the future but don't give up on it unless you really want something else. $2000 seems like a lot until you look at the realistic costs of trading from one car to the other. If you want to get the most out of your $, keep the car you have and ride it for as long as you can.

[RabidWombat]

Even at $2k in expenses, you're not doing that badly. I owned a 1998 Volvo S70 T5 from 2002-2009, and it cost me $2k/yr in maintenance and repairs. Keep in mind, the car had no major failures during that time, it was mostly electrical. When I traded in, I was worried that the turbo would go soon (120k), it needed new tires, shocks, and ABS computer ($600 parts only!), as well as other minor things.

 

Given that your car has been problem free, keep it, you'll save a fortune on depreciation.

[boymk123]

 

Getting someone elses used car is getting someone elses used problem. You know your car is good.

 

 

nuff said,

 

stick with yours or get a brand new spec B (if it is available yet)

[BAC5.2]

Getting someone elses used car is getting someone elses used problem.

 

This. I didn't see it before, but it sums up why I'm no longer interested in buying a used car.

 

The only used car I'll buy is if it is going to be a project (like an FD RX7).

[crazyravr]

Did the pros and cons thing and decided to do it all and keep it until things start breaking. I have the car for 4 years this Nov and $500/y in maintenance is starting to make sense. The car is going "under the knife" tomorrow to my local trusty garage where I do my oil changes and the same guy who seen my car since day 1. I have never had a car this long in my life, usually switch after 2-3 years, but this car I just love driving.

[Scooter]

I think that's a good call, as long as you budget for some maintenance / repair costs every year. Other than the questionmark about the turbo, there really doesn't seem to be a lot of "nickel & dime" repairs on these cars; the kind that could grow very frustrating. So that's good. I've had similar thoughts recently as my 2005 passed 80,000k miles: should I budget for a 'preventative' turbo swap, or perhaps switch to something new/used with fewer miles? The thing I keep coming back to is that I still LOVE driving this car. : )