You and your car have been through a lot during it’s run. You’ve driven countless miles, been to numerous cities, and maybe even driven around your new family in that car.
Sadly, “old reliable” has been running into some trouble lately and is starting to show it’s age rather quickly. Even cars have a circle of life.
There comes a day when it’s time to lay your current car down for rest, but how do you know when it’s time for that?
Here are a few key signs of when to get rid of a car that you should know about to help you determine when the time has come to move on.
1. Rust
Unfortunately, every car goes through rust at some point in its life if it is being used on a daily basis. Especially in a climate with heavy snow; the harsh winters and the salt on the ground take a heavy toll on the car’s metal frame.
Once rust gets on your car, it can be a vicious cycle that keeps growing and growing until you can’t drive it anymore.
When it reaches that level, the car reaches a point where it becomes too dangerous to drive.
The worst part is, you can go several months or even years without realizing you have any rust at all. If the rust is occurring underneath the car then you’ll have no way of knowing until a car mechanic gets under it to see whats going on.
Over time, your car will become susceptible to the metal on your body frame, the metal on your engine, and cause water to leak in detrimental places.
Once it starts, rust also lays a heavy burden on the value of your car, causing it to depreciate in value much faster than usual. That alone is a reason to get rid of it and sell it as soon as possible.
2. Value is Depreciating Significantly
Even if you’re going back and forth on whether or not it’s time to sell your current car, you’ve undoubtedly started looking at new cars to intrigue yourself with.
Depending on how in-depth your car search has gone, you may have a firm idea of the amount that you’re willing to pay as well as the budget you’d have.
Part of that budget is dependant on the amount you’re expecting to get back for selling your current car. But obviously, the longer you hang on to it, the further it will depreciate.
Several factors go into this such as its year, model, engine reputation, accrued mileage, etc. Those play a heavy influence on the price that people and dealers will be willing to buy your car for.
As soon as that value falls to a price that’s complicating your future car budget, it’s time to act on the new car and move on from the old one.
There are always options available for selling your car, no matter what shape it’s currently in. You can even sell a junk car if it gets to that point.
3. You Dread Driving it
Often times, the reasons for selling or holding onto a car have to deal with logical and financial factors attached to it.
However, another significant factor that tells you when it’s time to sell your car is when you start to resent it. If you wake up every day dreading the commute to work or are fearing for your safety, it’s time to sell the car.
Passion plays a heavy influence on the driving experience, and while the monthly payment may be a bit hefty on some cars, it’s worth paying for the excitement!
That’s not to say you should sell a car as soon as it starts to become a hindrance, because that couldn’t be further from the case.
However, if you’ve undergone years of the same painful commute and weird rattling noises, it’s better for you and your car to go your separate ways. If you find the idea of that exciting, that is also a sign that it’s time.
After all, you’re the one paying for the car and all of its repairs. What’s the point of forking over all that money if you don’t even care for the car anymore?
4. The Car’s Mileage Compared to Its Age
There’s a basic rule of thumb when shopping for a used car that states you need to look at cars with mileage that average around 12,000 miles per year.
That same principle can be applied to judging the integrity of your current car. If the age isn’t enough to tell you when it’s time to move on, then the average miles are driven per year definitely will.
If your car is already at 100,000 miles before it turns 5 years old… that’s not a good sign at all.
Some car brands are known to last longer and more efficiently for their age, so this way of gauging isn’t exactly black and white. However, it can be a great indicator of when you should plan to move on from the car.
Also, consider the fact that the average mile per year is affecting its overall price… is it still worth driving around in while it loses value?
Now You Know When to Get Rid of a Car!
As you can see, there are several factors to weigh out when deciding when to get rid of a car. It’s not always black and white, so consider all of your options and make the best decision for your situation.
Be sure to check back with the Daily Car Blog frequently for all the up-to-date car news and rankings.
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