It’s not easy to break up with your car and buy a new one. In fact, it can be an absolute headache to go and find a new car that you love as much as your old one. Maybe you’re attached to the car that you had when you were young or is a particular brand that you really are in love with.
Either way, you need to do what you can to make sure that you are driving a car that is safe and appropriate for the road. The problem is that cars don’t live forever. They often need upgrades, new auto parts, a new paint job, or new tires.
Over time you are not going to be able to keep up with all the changes that your car needs, so you have to do what you can to ensure that your call is roadworthy and makes you feel good when you drive it. So, we’ve put together a list of 7 signs that you may need a new car.
- You are seeing way more of that check engine light. If the check engine light has been on for a lot longer than ever it has before, then you need to consider whether or not taking it back to a mechanic is cost-effective. The check engine light comes on to warn you when serious problems arise. Warning lights are not decorations. They are not neon accents for the inside of your car. Every single bump in the road will change the lights that appear, so you need to ensure that your check engine light in the car dashboard is always off. If it’s coming on every single time you get it fixed, then you really need to check your car is actually in a roadworthy condition. Otherwise, you may have to scrap it.
- You have paid more for repairs than you did for the car. If you are driving and maintaining your old car in an attempt to save more money, it can actually really hurt you. Whatever you paid for your car when you first got it, should be the cost that you paid and you shouldn’t be paying that again in repairs. Instead of maintaining an old beater that constantly breaks down on you, tallies up how much money you have spent on that car in the past two years. If you have spent more on repairs than you have on its original value, it’s time to scrap it, sell it, and get a new one done.
- You are on first-name terms with the gas station. A good sign that your car is failing and you really need to replace it is poor fuel economy. Car makers are out there creating more efficient vehicles, and these vehicles are not at sky-high prices. You may not want to invest in an electric vehicle straight away, but you might want to consider whether or not your car has a good or a bad fuel economy. There are lots of old cars on the road and they are guzzling gas at a fast rate. Instead of wasting your money buying excess fuel, you should be looking at the more efficient options out there that will help you to be on the road without wasting your money.
- Rust. We could leave this whole point at just one word, but we will elaborate. Rust is cancer to a metal vehicle, and while it can look charming and desirable on collecting vehicles, it’s not supposed to be desirable or a car that takes you to work every day. Rust can spread and it can really ruin the integrity of the car so if you are losing those chunks of sheet metal you need a new set of wheels. It’s nice to have your car regularly detailed and repainted, and it’s even nicer to have a mechanic take a look at it often, but you’re spending all of this money to basically keep going with the rust bucket rather than just getting a new one.
- The odometer has seen more mileage. If you have been running well beyond 100,000 miles then that’s great, but it’s not going to be like that for long. A car that works well for that long shows that you have been paying attention to it and spending the right money on it. However, as the vehicle ages and starts moving towards 200,000 miles, you might notice more repairs being required and additional maintenance being inevitable. Don’t play it that way. Instead, start looking for a much younger car and figure out whether or not you can ensure that your car stays on the road for longer.
- The temperature is just never right. You should be able to get into your car and feel comfortable with the internal temperature. Sure, you may need air conditioning or heating depending on the weather outside, but one of the clear signs that you’ve given up on your car is letting the climate control go. If you notice that the car is freezing but you’re just putting on a pair of gloves, you are being ignorant of the issues happening. If you are trying to roll down the windows and you are resigned to baking in the heat and getting sunburned through the side of the car, you’ve given up. This is a clear sign you need a new one, so stop wasting your time and wasting your energy trying to stay warm or get cooled down and just replace it.
- Somewhere on your car is duct tape. In some way around your vehicle, you have managed to tape duct tape somewhere, this is not a good sign. In fact, it’s a very bad sign. It means that you are literally patching your car back together. Duct tape should never be a feature of your car, especially in the bumper or any of the side sheeting. It’s time to break up and find a brand-new car.
