Help – I Need To Buy a New Car
Reader Question
Hi Austin,
I really like your site – thanks for writing all those helpful articles. I feel like I am much more educated on auto mechanics than I was 5 hours ago. 
My question follows: I tallied up how much my 98 VW Golf (177,000 KM) has cost me in repairs over the past decade (not including regular oil changes and new tires) and I arrived at a figure of just over $6,000.
According to my records, every year I have taken the car into the shop for repair work — everything from a broken cassette deck (twice actually), to a broken water pump, new muffler/resonator, new heater core, new struts/shocks/, new wheel bearing, new tie rod and CV joint, new timing belt, new spark plugs/wires, two new ignition coils, master cylinder work, etc. etc. etc. Is this “normal” maintenance on a car or does this sound a bit excessive to you? This is my question.
I’d really like to find out if my vehicle repair history would classify as “normal” or a little excessive because it will help me determine if I will ever buy another Golf. I have heard that VWs are not reliable and my experience with the Golf kind of supports that.
If I don’t get another Golf, I am going to buy a Toyota Yaris. Since Toyota’s are considered one of the most “reliable” cars out there does that mean that I can expect to cut my repair bills in half over the next decade with a Yaris??? Am I making sense?
Thanks! And Happy New Year!
Nancy K.
Hello there Nancy,
thanks for the kind words. I am not a big fan of VW just because of the less than great maintenance records of many of my customers. I think your repairs might be a little more than normal. You almost never go wrong with Toyota, although I am not familiar with the Yaris, still its Toyota.
The Camry has been on my top list of car recommendations for years. I can say 1 very important suggestion, make sure the vehicle was manufactured in Japan…this will be evident by a “J” as the first letter to appear in the VIN code. Your dealership can also tell you this info….a Japanese built vehicle has a much better maintenance and resell record than vehicles assembled elsewhere.
I also like the Honda Accord and the Kia Rio both are great cars…the Rio is a pretty slick little car with a nice price tag, although the resale value with the Honda and the Toyota will hold up better than the Kia.
My top list would be
1. Toyota Camry – Japanese
2. Honda Accord – Japanese
3. Nissan Maxima – Japanese
4. Kia Rio – Korean – Actually this tops my list for value and maintenance record. We have a Kia Sedona mini van…second one, and we love them. Kia is going to really take market share soon.
5. Hyundai – Korean
The Kia Rio is a very nice car….actually ALL Kias are pretty nice, you would be surprised. The price is nice too.
Blessings,
Austin Davis
Auto Mechanics, Broken Water, Cassette Deck, Happy New Year, Heater Core, Maintenance Records, Master Cylinder, Muffler Resonator, New Spark, Oil Changes, Reader Question, Reliable Cars, Repair Bills, Repair History, Spark Plugs, Tie Rod, Timing Belt, Toyota Yaris, Vin Code, Vw Golf-->
