Reliability - Is It Just A Feeling?
I have a Saturn. A 2001 Saturn L300 that we bought used in 2004, to be exact. The Saturn is completely paid off.
And there ends my list of nice things I have to say about it.
Those who have been long-time readers of the blog know that we have a long list of problems we’ve had with the car in the past three years. There’s the fact that it is impossible to keep in alignment and therefore eats tires. There’s the time the engine self destructed. There’s the time we had to abandon it 200 miles into an 800 mile trip when it kept shutting itself off and rent a car to finish the trip. And so on.
Why do we still have the car? Because we’re dumb. 
Well, that’s debatable, but the fact of the matter is, I want to be out of debt so badly that I decided it’d be better to keep the devil we know instead of taking out a loan to get a different car. The wisdom of that is, as I said, highly debatable.
Among the list of small (and not so small) crises the car has contributed to was the time we were stranded at one of my son’s soccer practices because we couldn’t get the key to turn in the ignition. That required a locksmith to repair and actually, all told, wasn’t so bad after all from a financial perspective. However - two years later, and the problem has returned. Yesterday, when preparing to drive to my son’s bus stop to pick him up (he goes to school in a different district than the one we live so his bus stop is a few miles away) I couldn’t turn the key. Eventually I did manage to get the car started and got there just in time to meet the bus (I followed the bus in, in fact) but the fact remains - the car has decided to drive me crazy yet again.
So another locksmith visit, another round of staring at the Saturn in my garage thinking - what price am I willing to pay for reliability? At what cost does dependability come, and even if I did decide to replace it, how do I know I won’t end up with another stupid lemon that claims it isn’t technically a lemon? All this is starting to make me want a brand new car with a warranty. Must. Resist. Stupid. Car. Ugh.
What I wouldn’t do for my little GEO Tracker back. That car was 14 years old when we replaced it with the Saturn and in those 14 years I owned it, I spent less on it in maintenance than I have in the 5 years I’ve owned the Saturn.
Bah.
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September 16th, 2009 at 8:15 am
That’s when I get rid of a car…. when I feel like I cannot depend on it anymore. Like you said tho, if you know the quirks of it, then sometimes you can put up with it… but this seems to be coming up with new ones.
If you go looking for a used car, may I suggest an older subaru forester…my 2001 is still going strong at 116,000 and the ONLY repair has been one rear hub bearing (which seems to be common in the 2001).
September 16th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
I loved my Geo, too, but I had the 1992 Metro. Awesome car! I had it for 13 years and easily put over 200,000 miles on the original engine. The biggest repair I ever had was replacing the transmission, and considering I’m so not a maintenance diva, I think that’s pretty good.
Even though I know it’s not the wisest decision, I did replace it with a new car in 2005. I decided to go new because the car I ended up buying has a high resale value, and the used ones I was looking at were nearly as much as new, so I figured I’d go new. It’s not new anymore, but I still love my Subbie.
September 16th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
So what did you do? Did you fix the lock? Buy a new car? I’ve been rooting for you to finish the SL before the car goes!
September 16th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
I once had a Tracker too. Her name was Trudy - we loved her so much we named her. We eventually traded her in for a Camry, which is very reliable and nice, but I miss her sometimes!!
September 17th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
yes, a reliable car IS important - especially when you have kids. sounds like an old clunker would be better than that one! are you saving toward the purchase of a new one? how are you going to get one when this one totally becomes unusable … i am curious to know your plan!?
also, VERY impressed with your accomplishment. i have started snowflaking and have seen an additional $120 paid toward debt in the last 3 months!!!
please keep sharing!
September 18th, 2009 at 6:33 am
I had a car that also had a key problem. Turns out that as it aged, it needed to have the steering wheel completely straight before I could turn it off. If I forgot and turned it off with the wheels turned, the key would go in the ignition but not turn. My mechanic taught me to jerk the wheel (very hard!) towards the proper straight position. Holding it in this position with my left hand (and body sometimes!) I was able to turn the key with my right hand. Worth a try if it happens again!
September 18th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I have the same issue - my husband’s truck is very reliable and paid for but it’s UGLY and needs non-critical repairs. I wanted to “Clunk” it but he says that even if he puts $10,000 into it it’s still less than a new truck. And my husband’s theory is that it’s got over 200,000 miles on it so everything that normally goes wrong has already been dealt with so it’s good for another 150,000 miles!* (*Disclaimer: this is MAN logic)
My logic is this: As the mom I am usually the one running around with the kids doing all the doctor’s appts, school functions, extra-curricular, shopping, etc. My car is also the vehicle we use for all big family trips. Therefore (this is MOM logic) I feel that my car should be RELIABLE and under some type of warranty. I can’t say I like having payments….I CAN say that my car starts every time I need it to. I’ll pay for peace of mind every time.
September 18th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
This is a timely post for me. I am dealing with just such an issue now. My 20 year old needs a reliable, safe vehicle for highway driving to get to her college or work every day. Her 1993 Accord died this week and we aren’t putting anymore money into it. She bought it 3 years ago for a few thousand and it gave her good service until a few months ago. I found a 2005 Toyota Corolla with only 40,000 miles that looks and drives like new. I do have to finance it, which I don’t like. I do not need another loan, but peace of mind sometimes comes with a price tag attached.
September 19th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
I had a very unreliable car. I was spending at least $3000 a year in cash (that I could have been using to pay down very high % rate debt) to keep this car on the road and this was before regular maintenance which was also very expensive on this car. I decided to trade it for a new Camry and I haven’t been disappointed. Yes, I hate having a car payment, but knowing with certainty exactly how much money I needed to pay each month was better than having to guess when the other shoe was going to drop. It also freed up money to pay down our debts which we have done quite successfully. It was the best decision we ever made.
September 20th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
We have the same thing with our van. It’s paid off but…
AND it did the same key thing. The key WOULD NOT turn in the ignition. I was stuck at the grocery store and wouldn’t you know it I left the cell phone at home.
I did some online research, and it may be the keyhole is dirty.
Then, spend $5 on electronic parts cleaner, and spray it in the hole. You may also need to blow the hole out with canned air afterward.
You can insert key and slightly whack the end of the key to dislodge dirt if you’re stuck again, as a “quick fix”. I’m told a locksmith can also disassemble it and clean/replace the tumblers.
We’re in the same fix, though. Which new problem will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back? How much good money will we throw after bad? Right now, our van’s AC hasn’t worked for over a year. Then the driver’s side window broke and won’t go down. Yesterday, the passenger window broke and won’t go down. No AC AND I can’t roll down the windows.
September 21st, 2009 at 11:38 pm
For me, a reliable car is a must. Our solution, a used car from CarMax that came with an option to buy the warranty. When the transmission went out less than a year after we bought, we were covered. It was awesome. We’ve done the same thing with Superman’s last car, too. Never regretted it. Someone else took the depreciation and we got a reliable car!
September 30th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
We just bit the bullet on a new car. I’m in France and my car is nine years old and the cheapest car you could buy at the time. Yes I could have put 3K towards it, it would have been cheaper than a new car, but I couldn’t see doing it for a car that was worth 1.5K max. That’s my rule: if the repair is more expensive than the value of the car, nyet.
I looked for a used car to our specs for four months, and couldn’t find one (DH wanted a sunroof).
I can justify this purchase till I’m blue in the face. We couldn’t find a used car, we got 15% off because the car industry here is suffering and offering great incentives, we got the “cash for clunkers” deal, yada yada yada. I am 49, DH is 53, this is our second new car, and first car loan, ever.
But I’m not happy or excited at all, frankly I’m just depressed at the idea of a car loan.
We are not great earners, but our house is finally paid off, and we have paid for many home improvements over the past three years. Our only debt besides rental debt (which doesn’t bother me because we regard it as an investment in our future and our kids’ futures) is a 5K boiler loan at 2.5%.
And now the car.
September 30th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
ETA: I reread your post. My Suzuki was also a 2001 that we bought new. Once the battery died at a very inopportune moment, but apart from that, she has NEVER let us down, bless her. She is definitely ailing big time now, the new car won’t arrive for two months, I hope she holds out. But rereading your post, maybe there is something to be said for buying new (and driving till the wheels fall off).
I bought a lemon once, a Fiat, my mechanic and I used to joke about how we shared the car (except I was the only one paying). After a year of this my dad sent me some money to help me sell the Fiat and buy something reliable. I bought a used Ford Escort that was about three or four years old. I was a single mom at the time.
DH and I traded that Escort in at a good price to buy the Suzuki in 2001.
All this to say, sometimes you need to cut your losses. It was only when I finally sold the Fiat (I still feel guilty about selling that car) that I finally started to get on firmer financially footing.
October 1st, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Oh, that dratted Saturn! It makes sense to hold off on getting another vehicle until you can climb out from under the existing debt. But it’s taking a gamble: if the dratted Saturn really craps out big time, a repair bill could cost as much as replacing it.
My son just got a nice 2004 Honda Civic for $5,000. Because of the economy, a lot of reliable second-hand cars (ohh…let’s call them “house-trained and socialized”) are on the market for less than Blue Book prices. If, as Goodsnake points out, you end up footing annual bills amounting to $3,000 for just a couple of years, you’d be better off getting a vehicle that costs less to keep running and doesn’t drive you nuts.
October 19th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Hi Snowflaker
I know you don’t update often anymore but I was hoping for a monthly update.
Best to you and your family.
October 19th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
I’m a member of the WIRR at the MSN boards. The mods there always quip, “Life is what happens while you’re busy paying off debt.” As I’ve stated before, we’re about to take on a car loan for the first time in our lives.
All this to say, even if you did have to finance a new or used car, you should not give up and stop giving updates, you should finish and “win” your initial race. The way I look at it is, at least you’d be finished paying for the “past”, and only paying for the present and future.
All the best to you!
October 31st, 2009 at 6:31 pm
We had a 1994 Saturn that we bought in 1997. Boy, did we have problems with that car. Sun roof leaking, hard to turn keys. One day the electrical went out on the highway, leaving me to walk off the road to a gas station, and eventually get the car pushed off by a police car.
And the best: when it rained, it wouldn’t start. Some loose connection in the battery? The battery would drain. Then we’d get it checked. It would work. Until the rainy season (luckily I live in So. Cal, with a short rainy season). Then one day I was driving it (instead of my spouse), and I decided to treat him, and I ran it through the car wash.
On the way home, the thing started shutting down. The power steering went out. Then the power brakes. I couldn’t stop at stop signs, or the car would stop. So I rolled through the traffic lights and stop signs (3 of them), on the way home. On the final ascent up our hill, the radio stopped (now that’s bad!)
The next day, we replaced it. After charging up the battery. We drove 40 miles to just look at cars (with a little bit of research). We spent a day haggling (with a 4-month old in tow). We felt lucky to get $450 on the trade in on the 12 year old car (sight unseen -we’d dropped it off at the Saturn dealer for maintenance on the way).
The next day, the dealer was chomping at the bit to get the trade in car on their lot (understandably, we’d gotten a great deal on the Toyota, they were hoping to make money on the Saturn). My spouse again drove 40 miles to pick up the Saturn at the dealer. Yep, it was again dead. They jumped it, spouse drove the car across the street to Toyota, handed off the keys and said “good luck”.
Toyotas and Hondas for me from now on.
November 27th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Are you ever going to write again on your blog? I miss it!
November 29th, 2009 at 9:16 am
I miss it too and hope that all is well with your family.
December 13th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
I hope you and your family are well.
December 16th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Thinking of you and hope all is well.
December 20th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Have a Happy Holiday! Hope all is well, and your silence means all is “boringly” peaceful.
January 11th, 2010 at 10:57 am
Hope you are doing well. We all miss your updates!
Take care of yourself and your family—truly hope things are okay with you all.
January 12th, 2010 at 12:48 am
I hope all is well. I certainly miss your writing, and I hope you’ll be back at some point.
February 1st, 2010 at 8:38 pm
I have a feeling that something happened to her. I hope not, though.