Keep your old clunker or buy a new car?
It may clang and bang, but your despised old car may be the best bargain around.
Let's divide the car-buying universe into two camps: those who keep a car until it drops, and those who think a new car will change their lives.
To the first, a round of applause. There's nothing short of the bus that's cheaper than keeping a car until it crumbles into a pile of rust. Almost any car can be nursed to 200,000 miles without endangering your life, and even a new engine is cheaper than all but the cheapest used cars.
To the second, another round of applause, because the 16 million or so new cars they buy every year instantly become used cars soon available at a considerable discount to those in Camp 1. And a moment of silence, because a new car will change their lives in ways they never foresaw on the dealer's lot.
If you're in a drive-until-the-muffler-is-dragging wannabe, read on. We'll look at ways to keep your car on the road longer and realistically weigh the costs of upgrading. I'd love to keep my old car, but … It no longer