I drive a 2000 Taurus. It has about 130k miles on it, and lately it's been a money pit. Since I've bought it in
2011, I've put about $4,000 into the car and I'm just tired of putting more money in it.
Recently, the A/C compressor broke. Because of this, it snapped my serpentine belt and left me stranded at 2 in the morning on the other side of town. I was finally able to start it up, and like an idiot, I drove it home even thought it was overheating and didn't have power steering. Whoops. I had it towed to my mechanic the next day, and he told me the A/C compressor is about $500 to remove (and have replaced by a belt) or $1000 to replace. It also had a bulge on the front tire, and still needs about $300 worth of scheduled maintenance (filters, belts, etc). Plus whatever damage I did driving it overheated. (there was no check engine light, but who knows).
My parents bought it for me when I was 17. I'm 20 now. I really want a 1993-2002 Toyota Corolla because I hear they are very reliable. I'm going to look at a '99 tomorrow with 123k miles on it. But my family thinks I'm crazy for buying another older car. But I hear that Corollas are bulletproof if maintained properly, and I plan on getting it inspected by a mechanic before buying it.
What do you think. Should I repair my Taurus, buy a 15 year old Corolla or Civic, or lease a new car? Of those options, I think getting a Toyota or Honda is the best, but I'm uncertain.
Read more: Should I get another car?
