I have a 20 year old Toyota Camry that has a catalytic converter that is going bad. A reasonably priced mechanic that I trust quoted $2000 to replace it. The car has 150k miles on it and is in otherwise very good condition. We are the original owners and believe it or not this is the first repair in its life that is not routine like brakes.
This car is primarily a back up and not driven often. We have a brand new Camry. Both of us work from home. The car is mainly used once in a while when for example, someone has a doctor's appointment while kids need to be picked up. I drive it for errands once a week to make sure it gets driven. It also came in handy when our new car got a flat tire and I needed to pick my wife up.
1. Would you pay $2000 to replace the converter in this car?
2. The car is not due for emissions inspect for another year. The mechanic suggested that the car could be driven until then without replacing it. If I didn't replace the converter, I would probably keep it until it was due for inspection. I don't know enough about cars to know whether the mechanic is accurate that it can be driven.
3. I'm on the fence about whether I'd buy another car. There is a lot of value in having a second car for emergencies. But I'm already having to make a point to drive this car once a week on errands so it gets driven. I'm loath to buy a $30k bucket of bolts (which is what I paid for the new base model Camry) for the same purpose. Paying $2000 for have a backup vehicle might be worth it to me. Of course, I don't know how many more years it would last. If I paid $2000 and it lasted another couple of years, I would consider that a good value given the high cost of cars and the use case of this second car.
Thanks for the advice in advance.
This car is primarily a back up and not driven often. We have a brand new Camry. Both of us work from home. The car is mainly used once in a while when for example, someone has a doctor's appointment while kids need to be picked up. I drive it for errands once a week to make sure it gets driven. It also came in handy when our new car got a flat tire and I needed to pick my wife up.
1. Would you pay $2000 to replace the converter in this car?
2. The car is not due for emissions inspect for another year. The mechanic suggested that the car could be driven until then without replacing it. If I didn't replace the converter, I would probably keep it until it was due for inspection. I don't know enough about cars to know whether the mechanic is accurate that it can be driven.
3. I'm on the fence about whether I'd buy another car. There is a lot of value in having a second car for emergencies. But I'm already having to make a point to drive this car once a week on errands so it gets driven. I'm loath to buy a $30k bucket of bolts (which is what I paid for the new base model Camry) for the same purpose. Paying $2000 for have a backup vehicle might be worth it to me. Of course, I don't know how many more years it would last. If I paid $2000 and it lasted another couple of years, I would consider that a good value given the high cost of cars and the use case of this second car.
Thanks for the advice in advance.
Statistics: Posted by cabfranc — Thu Oct 24, 2024 7:41 pm — Replies 17 — Views 743