A New car = higher costs; tags, tax, licence, payments, and insurance.

All of the above costs will be part of a buying new car. When a client says they will just go and buy a new car, I ask why?

90% of the time it is more economical to fix the car you own.

A repair of $600.00 is nothing compared to making $500.00 payments every month, just to have a new car smell. Fixing your old car may seem like it costs a lot, but if the car still looks good inside and out, fix it!

Just last week I did a $4,300 repair on an “all original 1990 300zx” with 73,000 miles on it. The 300zx was very well-kept, and the client was attached to the car. The repair costs may seem high, but the client really likes the car, so to him it was worth it to fix it right.

Most cars from 3 years to 8 years of age will need an average of $800.00 a year in overall preventative maintenance repairs. Tires, Brakes, Oil changes, Radiators, Belts and Hoses are the basic needs of any car or truck.

A/C, Suspension, Engine and Transmission repairs are less common types of repairs, but will happen some day. Over time the repair costs will average out. One year you may only spend $300.00 on basic services and the next year you may need to repair the brakes and replace the tires at $1400.00.

Consumer Reports is a great place to find out about repair costs for the new car you may want to buy. Keep in mind that this is for new cars.

For used cars, over 75,000 miles I use a vehicle service formula. You may know about how many miles you drive in a year. Use the formula to see if you are above or below the national average for service and repair costs.

Heavy trucks 1 to 1.5 ton; Mileage x .18 cents per mile driven = basic repair costs

Full size cars and 3/4 ton trucks and vans; Mileage x .12 cents per mile driven = basic repair costs

Compact cars, light trucks and mini vans; Mileage x .10 cents per mile driven = basic repair costs

This is just a basic service and repairs list, a guide to calculate average service and repair costs. Costs will adjust up for heavy use or towing, but if you baby your car, the costs would adjust down. For basic service work, use my spare change in a jug method. Again the list above is only a guide.

Buying a used car is an option, but always take it to a shop to be inspected!

Yes, buying a used car is an option, but always take it to a shop to be inspected before you buy it.

Even if you think you know it all. I will assure you, you don’t.

Unless you work on cars and trucks all the time you will miss something that can cost you big money to fix later. If you are out looking at cars, you can go to any AAA approved repair shop to get a used car inspected.

A clean CarFax report does not indicate that the car is good to go. CarFax is only a good guide if the damage and repairs got reported to CarFax.

So just because it has a clean CarFax does not indicate it’s an accident free vehicle.

If your car is still in good, overall condition, fix it! In the long run, it will save you money.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

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