My Car is Dead - Need to Weigh Options for Holdover Vehicle

[jedmisten]

Yeah, I really like what I'm seeing. Thinking of going and doing a test drive.

Which one did you go with? I'd like to get the Premium, but looks like that's not available and only Select's are hitting dealer lots. but it has the Comfort & Technology package, which isn't much different from the Premium then? I think? haha.

Was thinking I could lease it, and then 3 yrs from now maybe Ford will have the Bronco mess squared away and I can finally get one. But my confidence in even that isn't very good, lol.

Check out the Mach E forum https://www.macheforum.com/site/

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[EvlNvrDys]

Long story short, my car needs a repair that will cost what it is worth - $3,500. I am trying to weigh options at this point and make the best decision to get me to the mythical Bronco finish line.

The vehicle is a 2011 Hyunda Sonata with 119k miles. It has been paid off for 5 years. The thing has held almost no value, probably for my exact reason - the catastrophic failures they've tended toward end their lifespan from a simple economic view. No real problems with it up until this point though, so its kind of a shame.

The other constraint is that I can't put off the repair any longer - my stupid state inspection is due this month (module went out in February) and I won't pass inspection / be able to renew my registration without it getting fixed.

For this exercise, let's consider that I would be able to get the Bronco by March 2022 (4dr BL / 2.7 / squatch / high / tow / SOFT TOP). Currently a code 19, but late reservation (Feb 21). That's 8 months conservatively.

Here are the options as I see them:

1 - Fix the car for $3,500 ($437 / month). Cross fingers that next catastrophic failure does not happen before getting Bronco.

2 - Get rid of the car and be a single car household - Anyone know best ways to sell off a ten year old car with the need for a new ABS module? Single car household is possible, but would cause some stress without a known end date.

3 - Buy a used car that will hold its value for 8-12 months (like a two door Wranger) from someplace like Carvana or Carmax. Get longest loan term possible, pay between $450-$500/month and possibly make it all back when trading in for the Bronco.

4 - Buy a new car and secretly envy everyone driving a Bronco I see on the road for the next 10 years

5 - ?

I look forward to y'alls thoughts.

Yeah I'm not reading through the replies, but I'll present another option for you.

I see mention of ABS module (possibly being your issue), have you considered calling around junk yards to look for a replacement? A few hundred is way better than $3500.

But as I investigate, that module is online for like 150 bucks.. So now I'm thinking your issue is much more than this... Or I'm just reading it all wrong... either way, no point in deleting what I typed

Edit: Yikes, after more investigation, Hyundai has those parts ranging from $150 to $1700... Depending on what you need, I'd try junk yard 1st.

 

[bjellefs]

Oddly enough I am going through almost the identical situation. My ABS module on my 2008 ford explorer (170,000 miles) went bad last September. I talked to my dealer and explained that I wanted to keep this car alive until the Bronco came and they agreed to put in an aftermarket/used part if I could find one.

I went to a junk yard and had one pulled for 60 bucks. Took it to my ford dealer and told them to slap it in and reprogram it. For 3 hours of labor and the cost of the part the repair came to just under 500. I though I was saved, but literally just this last week, the module failed again. I find myself at another crossroads and was hoping I would have a Bronco by now. I have been driving around all week with the super annoying loud chiming noise telling me to fix my inspect my RSC. At this point, the pain I feel from Bronco waiting anxiety is far more than the pain in my ears from my ABS module alarm.....I am a glutton for punishment and I might just let it ride until delivery. The alarm noise is far louder than any wind noise the Bronco makes so it will feel like a huge upgrade

The junkyard option worked for me for about a year so that is possible, but you need to find a mechanic that can do the install and program the unit. Usually that forces you into a dealership.

 

[PowPow]

So here is the deal. We went with the select/standard range. Plenty for us and at a reasonable cost. I would use it more for diving to and from work. If you lease, you won’t get the $7500 tax credit. If you do a standard purchase and Ford Optional buy, you get the $7500. We ended up doing the Ford Optional buy because it was a better financial choice. You cannot go wrong with any trim level.

Got it. I thought I read they work the $7500 into the lease price though? because the leasing company gets the refund.

What is Ford Optional Buy?

Will check out the other forum! (I feel like I'm cheating... I mean, nothing wrong in just looking, right?)

 

[NC_Pinz]

How much do you drive in a month? Depending, I'd opt for a high mileage Toyota Sequoia/4Runner/Tacoma/Tundra as a stop gap. Probably not the last two but you never know. I just had someone at work pick up a Sequoia for $6500 cash (asking 8k) at around 150k mileage.

 

[jedmisten]

Got it. I thought I read they work the $7500 into the lease price though? because the leasing company gets the refund.

What is Ford Optional Buy?

Will check out the other forum! (I feel like I'm cheating... I mean, nothing wrong in just looking, right?)

Ha. Not cheating. Actually the other forum is very informative like Bronco6g. Things may have changed, but when we bought in June, we were told you do not get the $7500 with a lease. The Ford Option is hard to explain. Check this out. https://www.ford.com/finance/finance-options/ford-options

 

[Waiting for 4th Bronco]

You can sell it on facebook marketplace as-is for more money than you think. Buy a motorcycle to get you to the new Bronco. I am in Austin also. My Bronco dealer is Maxwell. My daily driver has 160,000 miles on it and I am hoping there is something left of it when I get my Bronco around the same time you are expecting yours.

 

[LARELL]

$3500 seems very high for an ABS module, but if the car is worth $3500 after the repair, you are exactly where you are now if you just junked it. Sure you spent the cash, but it is worth the same as you spent, zero loss. Fix it, drive it, sell it for $2500 when the Bronco comes. Your flaw in #1 is assigning zero value to it in eight months, it will be worth a couple of grand at least. Won't have to gamble on another vehicle, no taxes, no registration fees.

This.... calculate how much a car loan will cost you during the time period that you are waiting for the Bronco if you still want to go through with it. if you deal with taxes and registration on a new car thats another cost. where i live the Taxes and registration on a new car would be cost to repair your current one. used car prices are also up because new car inventory is low so cars are in demand.
we put in $5,000 into my husbands 2012 Nissan Altima because it wasnt going to pass inspection and needed new breaks. we let it sit in our driveway because i was working from home and we were waiting on the Bronco but we got it fixed because i go back to the office next week and need the car. The mechanic that i took the nissan to also sells used cars and said that we wouldnt get as nice of a car if we tried to sell this one and buy another used car to hold us over. Theres no payment on this car and other than the repairs to get it street safe/legal it runs really well.
Now that the car is fixed, even with 132,000 miles it should be worth around $5,000 (maybe a bit less depending on how many more miles get on it) so basically we see is as breaking even because we would have spent that on a beater.

personally i would pay the $ to fix it if you have it, it will hit your bank account now but you wouldnt have an new car payment every month leading up to getting the Bronco.

 

[King Luis]

do not lock your self into another car unless you are 100% sure you can get out of it quick.
can you get the module from a wrecked car? junk yard? it's pretty steep of a price for a module. what else needs to be done?
i'd look at being a 1 car household for the time being.

 

[Tricky Dick]

If you can make a single car work try that. I've been doing it the last couple months with a motorcycle my primary transportation and my wife has her car. It hasn't always been easy and is more often than not just plain inconvenient.

Put the Hyundai on marketplace as is and someone will give you a grand.

 

[MaverickMan]

Craigslist bronco

Nice Bronco II in your area. Get a signature loan for it and ramble it till you get your new one. Any bronco or 4x4 will hold value even as the used market turns down. It should be reliable enough considering being a 1 car household is even an option for you. Its a V6(weak, but not totally unreliable) 5 speed(japanese but so what), got new parts and the A/C works. Think of it as an adventure. If you arent a car guy, no worries it only has to live till you get your new one. Even not running it should get a couple thousand because of the rarity. Also they have a pretty good community and following. Also if you take it wheeling you will probably fall in love with it. They were great.

 

[Coastalcop]

Pull the inst cluster and pull the abs light. Then take to minuteman or the like. That do inspections but isn’t their primary “thing”. . Most won’t notice the lack of abs light.

the presumes that the brakes are otherwise safe and working , how many years did we do without abs and learned pedal modulation

 

[PrepVet]

I saw your edit on getting it fixed. That's more than likely a good plan... the devil you vs the devil you don't... in the gamble on picking up a cheap hold over car. However one comment... thank god we don't have stupid inspections here! And the "advice" I have is do not plan on having your Bronco within a certain timeframe. Ford has a really hard time making cars plus the probable UAW strike is going to delay things by a lot. Good luck!

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