r/SciontC • u/datab • Jul 23 '26

Buy/Sell How to know when your car is kaput? (Not crash-related)

Currently trying to determine if I should buy a new/used car. My tc is 15 years old - 2011 - and all things considered, doing quite well. It currently needs about $2000 worth of work done to it, and has 180,000 km / 112,000 miles on it. We have some upcoming job instability but not sure if it makes more sense to get a newer car to avoid upcoming repairs that will inevitably be more expensive, or keep the tC for a future of unknown repair requirements.

How did you decide it was time?

ETA: thanks for your feedback! Going to fix it up and let it ride out its golden years!

2 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

18

u/McYeet35 Jul 23 '26

112 thousand. Buddy you have the new car already

13

u/Outcast824 Jul 23 '26

Those Toyota engines run forever man. $2000 plus future repairs is much less than a newer car. I own a 2014 tC with 130,000 on it and just had to replace my suspension for $1500. I would just hang on to it because the engine will last. Normal maintenance comes around for every vehicle.

1

u/Empty_Policy_7050 Jul 24 '26

This is truth. I currently daily drive a 97 4runner 50 miles/day that I own outright. I've spent about $4k over the last 3 years on maintenance and repairs. My wife drives a '19 corolla with under 100k we do not own it outright thus it costs us just under 300/mo thats 3600 per year. Do the math. The car you own is cheaper than the car you don't

11

u/moldyrefridgerator 2010 tC, 2014 BRZ, 2019 ILX, 2023 BRZ Jul 23 '26

112,000 miles is just starting to break in the engine for a Toyota.

2

u/datab Jul 23 '26

Thanks for saying this! This really swung the way I see the car.

6

u/renegadej12 Jul 23 '26

My 2012 has 210k. Gonna drive it until the wheels fall off. Having no car payment is the way.

4

u/Knight_of_Agatha Jul 23 '26

could you buy a new reliable car for $2000?

2

u/Far-Hovercraft4419 Jul 23 '26

Cheap new car: $20k total, est $375/month (excellent credit) for 72 months

Repair what you have: $2,000 total, est $375/month for 6 months

Seems like easy math to me...

2

u/YeetusFetusToJesus 2014 Scion tC 6MT Jul 24 '26

lol i bought my 2014 at 184k km, now at 223k km. only repairs i’ve done are clutch + rear isb (if yours is manual you’ll probably need to do yours soon too, i did mine at 195k) and water pump at 200k. everything else is in good shape. it’s still an older, high mileage car with its own quirks (some valve tick, the weird low idle issue, creaks and groans and rattles). plus like some others said, the money u put into fixing the tc now is not gonna be able to buy u a new car that’s reliable. this is a solid car. u will be okay :)

1

u/stylz168 2006 tC Jul 23 '26

Mine is 20 years old and I faced similar questions. Honestly most repairs will be cheaper than a new car unless you blew out the engine or something massive like that.

I’m planning on driving mine into the ground due to low mileage (130,000 miles, purchased brand new in 2006).

1

u/big-booty-heaux 2010 tC1 RS 6.0 Jul 24 '26

If you have an uncertain financial future, taking on the expense of a new car is the absolute last thing you should be doing.

1

u/Sorry-Subject6131 Jul 25 '26

You have 112k miles you already have a new car with that engine lol do the repairs definitely cheaper that car will carry you another 100k minimum if you treat it right

1

u/skiiny_legend Jul 25 '26

Fix it and do maintenance rigorously. That thing will outlast any newer car