kretcom

I was a proud owner of a 2009 c300. I owned it from 2009-2015 paid off.

In general from 2009-2014 I had no issues. Car was like brand new. Never needed any replacements. After my accident in 2014 ($13,000 damages, insurance covered), my car never was the same. Every other day I would drive, it would die on me. I was told it had nothing to do from my accident. But I kept the car because it was paid off. But maintenance issues occurred (understandable). I paid $200 for new break pads, close to $800 for 4 new tires and one rim. Another $200 for the front links (I do not know what they are called? They ruined do to a bad pothole). I also replaced the battery for $250 because it died completely and wouldn't recharge anymore.

On top of that I had to pay for $3,000 to fix other break issues.
Recently what made me consider buying a new car is that my old car was worth $12,000. For me to fix any remaining problems I would need an additional $7,000 to fix it. I did not know if it would be worth it because my car wasn't reliable anymore. It kept dying down on me for no reason. I believe the tailight and headlight was causing the issue as they would stay on over night and drain my battery. (They wouldn't shut off really annoying..front headlight would blink too..) However, I also had days where it wouldn't die, but the steering wheel would lock and I would not be able to turn car until a few tries. Once it died on me completely while driving on the highway… dangerous… and thankfully it started right away. I believe (after research it was the EIS). Then I had other issues like the lights being way to dim, the AC turning on by itself? and the engine making louder noise.

I do not know if it was going to be worth to fix it so I decided to buy the new c300 2016 with a $12,000 down payment. I don't regret it, I plan on keeping it for 8-10 years before buying a new car again.

My question is did I make the right choice? If I had fixed the EIS and tailight do you think my old one would have lasted longer? I was always scared and paranoid for a year now with it constantly dying on me and late at night.

rbrylaw

What's peace of mind worth to you? I think you know and the new car will give you that and more. Enjoy it and drive in happiness, safety and health.

kretcom

I liked not having to worry about monthly payments for a while haha it was nice. I'm just trying to figure out would I have spent more on maintenance? Or did I make the smart choice in investing towards a new vehicle?

slavko

Sorry, but I'm not even sure if you're being serious or just trolling us. Of course you made the right choice getting rid of that car. Man, steering wheel randomly locking up while driving on a highway? Are you kidding me? I would not sit my butt in that car ever again. Let alone the rest of the issues you've been having.
To me, if the car is already paid off, once it starts to break down, it's time to get rid of it. Pouring money into it won't add any value, that's basically money thrown away.
Enjoy your new C300, hopefully it stays issue-less for a long time!

StanNH

Is an unreliable seven model year old car that requires constant maintenance, has been in an accident, and needs even more work, a better deal than a brand new C300 with a full factory warranty? Gee, that's a tough call.

BTW, your car may have had some bad breaks, but it stops with brakes.

kretcom

I wasn't trolling I am truly not experienced in buying cars. I only had that 2009 c300 till now. Sorry if I am asking a silly question

slavko

It's no problem, sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude, it just seems like such an obvious choice.

Larry3Jswft

Not only yes, but hell yes. I just end traded my 2011 c300, which I loved, for a c450, which I can't believe!

ManiacGT

An obvious choice balanced with constant expenditure on the new car vs occasional expenditure on the old car.