To trade in, or not...???

[KoriQ]

I'm currently driving a '97 Convertible 'Stang, V6, with ~73K miles on it. My hubby is pestering me about trading it in or selling it, because he's concerned about possible pricey maintenance and repairs. Currently, the car has no major mechanical problems, no body damage (convertible top is showing a little fading and wear, but that's it), and no problems with the interior. Just wondering what I can look forward to, cost-wise, to keep the car up and going for a while longer.

Thanks!
Kori

[GodStang]

I am at 151K miles and if you do not count mods I just have oil changeing and gas as far as expenses. Mine still runs strong

[Tom Rutledge]

I have my son driving a '95 V-6 (3.8) and it has 128k. I have had to work on the water pump, the idler pulley, the power window motor, clutch and U-joints.

All of this is fairly typical once you start to get miles on a car. Keep the maintenance up on it and you can expect this kind of upkeep. It's still better than the high monthly car payments.

I currently have seven (7) cars. I drive a 4-Runner, my wife drives a Concorde, my daughter drives a Mazda 626, my older son drives a Chevrolet Silverado, and my oldest son drives a Mustang. I keep a Dodge Stealth in the garage and I am currently doing maintenance on my "94 4-Runner (168k). With the exception of my new 4-Runner and the Stealth, all of my cars have over 125k miles. The key is routine maintenance and I use Castrol Syntek oil.

By the way, the car with the least amount of repairs is the 4-Runner. The worst is the Mazda.