lgt_nube Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 I spoke with LIC Motorsports this morning, the Subaru specialty shop that has maintained my car in superb shape. Here's the deal. It now has 149,000 miles and needs this work, either now or in the scheduled future. BTW, for those who don't know, this area is a high-labor rate area and LIC is quite reasonable as well as being very good. - 150K service and brakes all around (still on original brakes) $1100 - Valve cover oil leak $750 - Power steering fluid leak (replace in future) $900 Rounded up, that's $3000, and I'd still have to maintain a high-mileage car. That's what I've done in the past, but now I'm thinking I'll get a new car instead. So, what to get? I can't get another LGT Wagon and I don't know of another wagon that would suit me. Any ideas? If I drop the wagon requirement, everything opens up, and I'm actually considering a Honda Accord. I've read good things about the 2013 model. Has anyone here driven them? All other ideas welcomed. Price matters. Also, if anyone is interested in buying my 2005 LGT Wagon, set me a PM. A few photos of the LGT My current ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmmmspecb Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 $3k? Yikes. Are you mechanically inclined whatsoever? You could get all the parts involved in the above for less than $1000 and do it all yourself. Even in the worse case scenario, you're going to spend a ton of money on a new car because of $3000? That doesn't add up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgt_nube Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Are you mechanically inclined whatsoever? Just the opposite. I'm dangerous with tools in my hands so leave the wrenching to those who are good at it. I'm good at other things :-) I kept two cars for many years and almost 300,000 miles. I just decided to do it differently this time. You pay one way or the other. This time I'll pay with car payments. A few photos of the LGT My current ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BarManBean Posted March 11, 2013 Moderators Share Posted March 11, 2013 power steering fluid leak = $900? They have to be on crack... "Bullet-proof" your OEM TMIC! <<Buy your kit here>> Not currently in stock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmmmspecb Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Well I guess you are screwed then Buying a brand new car to avoid paying $3000 still doesn't make sense to me. You'll have paid over that in 8 months with a new car. (and you still have to worry about maintenance which most car manufacturers DON"T pay for anyway) I know some of them have free scheduled maintenance for a year or so sometimes though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgt_nube Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 It's not the scheduled maintenance that I'm thinking about, it's the unscheduled repairs on a high-mileage car. I've been through that twice before and decided I don't want to do it again. And the leak in the power steering using isn't from a seal. Replacement of the unit needed. A few photos of the LGT My current ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BarManBean Posted March 11, 2013 Moderators Share Posted March 11, 2013 And the leak in the power steering using isn't from a seal. Replacement of the unit needed. Besides the point, IMO. I think that $900 is ridiculous because it should be much cheaper than that to replace the entire unit. Dealership though... If you are not the type that is into replacing your own PS pump, a high mileage vehicle is probably just not your cup of tea...maybe time to move on. "Bullet-proof" your OEM TMIC! <<Buy your kit here>> Not currently in stock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gire Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 I was in the same boat as you last year with the family minivan. It was worth about $6-7K if I could find a buyer (super tough as there are hundreds of used minivans for sale on any given day), and it had some accidents. Then I took it in for a checkup and the private mechanic told me it needed about 2500 bucks worth of needed repair. That made it easy to trade it in on a new Caravan and they gave me $5K for my old one. It was a deal I couldn't pass up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgt_nube Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 You got it. I can't go out and by another Subi LGT Wagon, and the only other wagon I think I'd be interested in would be a BMW and the $ are out of the question. So I may drop the wagon requirement. In fact I have an appointment tomorrow to drive a new Accord sedan, the 4-cyl with CVT. Maybe at long last I'm about to become an adult. I was in the same boat as you last year with the family minivan. It was worth about $6-7K if I could find a buyer (super tough as there are hundreds of used minivans for sale on any given day), and it had some accidents. Then I took it in for a checkup and the private mechanic told me it needed about 2500 bucks worth of needed repair. That made it easy to trade it in on a new Caravan and they gave me $5K for my old one. It was a deal I couldn't pass up. A few photos of the LGT My current ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShrinerMonkey Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Do I even need to explain why buying a new car to avoid $3k in maintenance makes no sense. Even with future repairs, depreciation alone on a new car will be more than that in a year or two. To top it off you are thinking about trading one of the greatest enthusiast cars ever made on a 4cyl Accord with a CVT?! Do us and yourself a favor and just off yourself now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRSCobra Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 We all have reasons to get rid of a car for something else. His reason is that it needs work, and with its higher mileage, will continue to need work more and more. Why do so many people have a problem with this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmanaenk Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 You guys treat $3k bill as a primary reason, where in reality it's just a tipping point. If I was looking for a FWD car, I'd look into the new Mazda6 before any hondayotas etc. 666 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gmachine Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 2014 Mazda 6. Diesel coming later this year. If only the wagon version were available in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgt_nube Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 I drove two 2014 Accords today, both EX-L with the 4-cyl and CVT. I was quite impressed with the way it handled a curvy road with very little body lean, th epower was fine for a 4-cyll but of course a bit "busy" if you wanted power, the CVT seemed fine, not 'loose" some some of them are. I was a bit surprised that it didn't seem much or any more refined that my 2005 LGT and had noticeable tire noise on several mostly-smooth roads. But the real kicker was that each time I got back into my LGT I noticed how much more "sports-car nimble", for lack of a better phrase, it was than the Accord. I was glad to get bank into my car. Not a good thing when you're thinking of buying a new and different one. So the jury is still out on whether I keep my LGT or not. I'm going to take the suggestion of dmanaenk and check out the Mazda 6. The 2014 model is now featured on Mazda's website. Is that the current model? What is their reputation for reliability? A few photos of the LGT My current ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gmachine Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2012/10/video-japanese-brands-tops-in-consumer-reports-2012-car-reliability-survey-ford-continues-fall.html Granted the 2014 model is a new design. Mazda has taken a big step up in quality. http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1305_2013_honda_accord_sport_toyota_camry_se_2014_mazda6_grand_touring/ Just found that ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgt_nube Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 Thanks, that's reassuring about the consumer reports reliability rating and also the very good driving report. The Mazda dealer here is also the Subaru dealer, so I just emailed the salesman who sold me my current car. He was very knowledgeable about Subarus, way more than most car salesmen about their cars, so I thought I'd prefer to deal with him. http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2012/10/video-japanese-brands-tops-in-consumer-reports-2012-car-reliability-survey-ford-continues-fall.html Granted the 2014 model is a new design. Mazda has taken a big step up in quality. http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1305_2013_honda_accord_sport_toyota_camry_se_2014_mazda6_grand_touring/ Just found that ^ A few photos of the LGT My current ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoplightAssassin Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 If you like power, you're doing yourself a disservice by not test driving the Accord V6. It's every bit as quick as a stock LGT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgt_nube Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 I'm sure it is, but it wouldn't change the driving experience except for the added power, and lack of power wasn't the issue. If you like power, you're doing yourself a disservice by not test driving the Accord V6. It's every bit as quick as a stock LGT. A few photos of the LGT My current ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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