Venting Car repairs are so damn expensive

[ThatStateOfMind]

I just need to vent a little. My car needs new tires and I haven't bought tires in a bit, but due to inflation, my tires just cost me the same as when I bought tires and rims last time, and all I got was tires this time. On top of that, I was looking at the outer treads, and there's uneven wear, so my tires are out of alignment. They probably need a rotation too. The tires costed me $230 which isn't huge, but considering I don't have a job (waiting to hear back currently, but it's not seeming to good that I haven't heard back but that's a whole other story), that $230 is a pretty penny of what I have saved. Not to mention an alignment might run me another $100, maybe more. I can't hold off on it because winter is coming and those tires probably aren't safe in the winter, they don't do too well in the rain already. All of this is likely to run me >$350.

I guess this is what I have savings for but kinda stings to have it take such a large hit. I guess as long as I can get and keep $6,000 while I'm in university, that'll be good. That should cover tuition and stuff which is my largest concern. Education is expensive and I'd really like to avoid taking a loan of any size out. My best bet to get that money is an internship over the summer but my resume isn't nearly impressive enough yet, not for a Softwate Engineer internship, I'm not a competitive candidate.

I'm getting too off-topic but goddamn, car repairs are expensive but I'm trying to look at any positive I can and I'm drawing blanks. Seems like there's no positive to this.

 

[Leavesfromthevine]

Next time you need tires if you feel comfortable with it you can look for used ones that are on Facebook marketplace or whatever the most popular marketplace is for your area.

Tires have a code on them that shows the manufacturer date so you can find how old the tires are. Looking inside them will show if they had any holes because you can easily see a plug/patch.
I'm only recommending this because I've had to sell tires for a super cheap price $100 for 4 almost new tires (less than 500 miles). I bought aftermarket wheels for my vehicle but because it was slammed I had to buy new tires instead of using the ones that came with the wheels.

As far as the alignment it's pretty much unavoidable unfortunately.

To summarize I'd educate yourself then look on some marketplace to find barely used examples for cheap.

If you ever have questions or need help/suggestions feel free to pm. I'm somewhat educated in this topic.

 

[Celerity]

As much as I have enjoyed my solo road trips in the past, I hate having to own a car overall. If I could live somewhere with great public transport, I would happily give up the car and all the annoying expenses ownership entails.

 

[LaVieEnRose]

You'll be rolling in it at some point. Just gotta get through this young-adult crunch.

 

[ThatStateOfMind]

I have thought a little and I have noticed some positives about everything. For one, it's a privilege to own a car, some can't. It's a privilege to drive, some can't. And compared to some of my family members tire prices, I feel I got off on the lower end. My uncle has a big ass truck, and the tires for it cost him $1,200. I'm trying to see the positives and be happier in general

Next time you need tires if you feel comfortable with it you can look for used ones that are on Facebook marketplace or whatever the most popular marketplace is for your area.

Tires have a code on them that shows the manufacturer date so you can find how old the tires are. Looking inside them will show if they had any holes because you can easily see a plug/patch.
I'm only recommending this because I've had to sell tires for a super cheap price $100 for 4 almost new tires (less than 500 miles). I bought aftermarket wheels for my vehicle but because it was slammed I had to buy new tires instead of using the ones that came with the wheels.

As far as the alignment it's pretty much unavoidable unfortunately.

To summarize I'd educate yourself then look on some marketplace to find barely used examples for cheap.

If you ever have questions or need help/suggestions feel free to pm. I'm somewhat educated in this topic.

The used tires could be considered but I needed four and I wanted them sooner rather than later with Winter and all coming soon. And yeah, I plan on getting the alignment immediately after the tires are on, as if I wait too long, I'm gonna wind up wearing the tires out faster.

But thanks, if i have any questions, I'll try to remember to ask you!

As much as I have enjoyed my solo road trips in the past, I hate having to own a car overall. If I could live somewhere with great public transport, I would happily give up the car and all the annoying expenses ownership entails.

I agree. The major downside is the exorbitant cost of living so I suppose it would more or less even out, or be more expensive there.

You'll be rolling in it at some point. Just gotta get through this young-adult crunch.

That's the hope/dream lol. And I'm pushing through the bad stuff now for hopefully better stuff later.

 

[Celerity]

I agree. The major downside is the exorbitant cost of living so I suppose it would more or less even out, or be more expensive there.

It doesn't have to be a huge city. College towns, for example, often have excellent public transport even in the off-seasons.

 

[ThatStateOfMind]

It doesn't have to be a huge city. College towns, for example, often have excellent public transport even in the off-seasons.

That's my bad, I live in a really small town and even the larger cities public transport is either abysmal or doesn't exist. My misconception is that I thought it was primarily larger cities such as Seattle, Chicago, NYC, etc are the only ones who had decent public transportation options

 

[Spiritual survivor]

Especially if u aren't well off but u need a car repair. It's dangerous to take to just any old shop. They will rack up your cost with unnecessary repairs and force u to get a credit card on site if u don't have one on hand. By the time they are done with your car u might end up with thousands worth of repairs even if u didn't need all that done. U can't watch them while they repair it so u really wouldn't know.

 

[ThatStateOfMind]

Especially if u aren't well off but u need a car repair. It's dangerous to take to just any old shop. They will rack up your cost with unnecessary repairs and force u to get a credit card on site if u don't have one on hand. By the time they are done with your car u might end up with thousands worth of repairs even if u didn't need all that done. U can't watch them while they repair it so u really wouldn't know.

Yeah, the guy I plan on going to is a family friend, so I think he's pretty reliable, most repairs I prefer to do on my own (like the most recent, which was to replace a thermostat), but stuff that requires specific machines or expertise, I can't do, such as alignment. There's a shop that's maybe a 1-2 minute WALK from my house that I wouldn't trust because I've heard bad things about 'em, not too dissimilar to what you said.

I think the biggest thing is my uncle knows the guy and he trusts him so I do as well.

It's so fucked that some shops will be like "Oh you need this and that" and it turns out, you didn't and now you're out money. Luckily, it's never happened to me but regardless, it's messed up to take advantage of people.

 

[UnwillingSavior]

I agree. For me, I wish I never took my parent's advice to invest in a new car. Car payments + insurance + gas + maintenance, maintenance, maintenance KILLS your wallet! Right now I need to replace my car battery, front rotors + brake pads (+ brake cleaner, wire brushes, brake replacement tools...), and my oil!

The freedom to travel as you please is nice but ultimately killed by the costs & time required.

 

[noSuffering]

Just hugs and rays of goodness! I've never owned a car, but even repairing a bicycle causes severe mental trauma due to its cost. I had to take out a loan to get my bike repaired. This world is hell. And you still have to learn, it's probably like having sharp spikes behind you on a treadmill so you can't slow down.

 

[ThatStateOfMind]

So firstly, update. I got a quote on the alignment and it isn't TERRIBLE, but it's far from great.

It'll cost $75 to have it aligned, and $40 to have the tires put on ($10 a tire). If anything pertaining to the alignment (rods or bearings) needs to be replaced, I'll probably have to pay for that as well. It suck's because like I mentioned before, it's eating away at my already minimal savings. If I can get a call back after an interview, that would be great but it hasn't happened. I'm about to go to a place I interviewed and see if I can find out anything. Either that or text the guy who set up my interview. I was supposed to hear back by the end of last week.

agree. For me, I wish I never took my parent's advice to invest in a new car. Car payments + insurance + gas + maintenance, maintenance, maintenance KILLS your wallet! Right now I need to replace my car battery, front rotors + brake pads (+ brake cleaner, wire brushes, brake replacement tools...), and my oil!

The freedom to travel as you please is nice but ultimately killed by the costs & time required.

It's practically impossible to be without a car for me. The college I go to, which is the closest one to me, is 30 minutes drive. Maintenance is bad but honestly, a lot of it is doable on your own with the right tools and knowledge. I do a lot of my maintenance. I pay to have my oil changed because although I know how to, my car is low to the ground and I don't have jack stands.

I will agree. Car stuff certainly kills the wallet.

Just hugs and rays of goodness! I've never owned a car, but even repairing a bicycle causes severe mental trauma due to its cost. I had to take out a loan to get my bike repaired. This world is hell. And you still have to learn, it's probably like having sharp spikes behind you on a treadmill so you can't slow down.

I never actually learned how to ride a bike too well. I can ride it but I find great difficulty. My mom would never buy me a bike and wasn't a very present parent for the first 14-15 years of my life and my dad left when I was 3 years old. I can imagine repairing a bike could be stressful at times for sure.