Holding on for Dear Life to My 12-Year-Old Car

by Julissa Trevino

Last month, my car got its second clutch replacement at the cost of $190 for parts and $0 for labor, thanks to the help of my boyfriend and my brother.

Now 12 years old, my Jeep Liberty is — by a lot of people’s standards — a piece of shit. She’s been through her fair share of repairs and replacement parts since I got her in 2007. Most of her repairs have been done by my brother, dad, or boyfriend; I’ve only had to take her into a shop for repairs a handful of times, saving me thousands of dollars.

When I paid off my Jeep two years ago, I decided I would keep her as long as I could. I’ve never seen the benefit of trading her in for a newer model.

A lot of people agree with me that buying a new car is not worth it. The average age of vehicles on U.S. roads hit a record high of 10.8 years in 2011. However, data from automotive research firm Polk shows Americans will still buy almost nine new cars in their lifetime (down from 13 pre­-recession). That is nothing if not excessive.

My dad has tried over the years to convince me to buy a new car with a good warranty policy. But the thought of saddling myself with more debt (for something that will be used and eventually in need of repair) sounds unwise. Why make monthly payments on a new vehicle when I have one that works OK most of the time?

I got my Jeep, at 18, on the day of my high school graduation. I had been saving for months for a down payment, and my dad took my savings and put in enough money that I got the car (and subsequent car payments) as a gift.

She now has more than 150,000 miles on her. Usually dusty and dirty, I know I should take better care of her. She goes through engine oil faster than she should; she has a back passenger seat window that doesn’t work; she sometimes runs low on gas; and she has a few cracks in her windshield. But she’s trusty and has only stranded me on the road three or four times.

I’ve never added up the cost of repairs each year. This year, repairs on her would probably total up to about $600. I spent about $400 on repairs this summer to get rid of a check engine light that’s still there.

The cost of keeping a car is something I had never thought of before I became saddled with a car loan in 2007. According to ConsumerReports.org, the median car costs more than $9,100 a year to own in the first five years of ownership. But keeping a car for eight years rather than five can reduce that cost to $7,800 a year.

For now, I’ll take the hit of a $200 repair once in a while over a $200 monthly payment.

Julissa Treviño is a writer from Fort Worth, Texas. She rides her bike when her car is being worked on.