When to let a car go?
 

I have a 01 TDI Jetta with 393K miles and I'm coming up on the timing belt change again. Is it worth it to keep putting money in a car with this many miles?

The car still runs well, but my wife was nervous when I took my son Tuesday night to a UVA basketball game about a 2 hour drive from home.

The car still gets upper 40'sMPG and I just put on new tires and a battery.

Maybe I'm just lazy and don't won't to do the work again.

At that many miles I'd fix it and keep driving it until it fell apart. Being left on the side of the road isn't fun but it certainly isn't the end of the world.

You're at the point where the car is making you money / saving you money. Why change that dynamic?

Every single day you can drive a car that you don't have to make payments on is money in your pocket. Even with a timing belt change, I'd be shocked if it costs more than a new car would.

Drive it until the wheels fall off. Then replace the wheels and keep driving it. That's pretty much what I do. If it's otherwise safe and a good car, why screw with a good thing?

Depends on your financial situation.
What's it worth to you to have a nervous wife not wanting to use the car?

Several (a few?) hundred dollars for the work on your Jetta or a new car with monthly payments.

Thanks, I new I shouldn't give up on the car yet. I have a cell phone.

Timing belt and a AAA gold membership. Cheaper than a new car. Cmon you are almost to 400k. Can't give up on it now!

400K is when the belt is due, along with a new egr and cleaning the intake.

Mechanical stuff is always worth repairing and driving. Nervous at 400k miles? There are trucks out there with 1M+ miles rolling every day. Unless the interior is trashed and you've got rust holes in the body, I'd keep driving it.

I was at the same point with my TDI recently.

I rebuilt the entire font end over two weekends. All new bushing (Audi TT in the LCA), wheel bearings, struts, and CV joints.

I am so glad I did it. Drives like a new car. It is very rewarding work.

Keep it on the road.

Any rust starting to appear?

A little surface rust on the hood from rock chips, none on the fenders.

timing belt parts are about $330 - why replace the egr? The intake is a $4 gasket and a some purple power

All in you will have about 5 hours labor doing the work in your garage. I have all the belt specific tools if you need to borrow them

I say..skip the timing belt change and drive it. Cut the ins to bare min.

In general, I have several criteria for when I get rid of cars:

1 - When it stops being reliable - That is when things go wrong frequently and I never know when something will go wrong again & make me late or leave me stranded.

2 - When the repair costs and/or time become irritating or a problem (i.e. more time or money than I have available).

3 - When I can still get something for it by selling or trading it in. (This is usually combined with lust for a particular replacement car/truck).

From your description of the Jetta, it sounds like you haven't hit #1 or #2 yet and are long past #3.

If it was me, and I liked the car (i.e. I wasn't lusting after a particular replacement), I would keep it and do the timing belt to avoid the obvious problem that would happen should it break.

I have a youngish nephew whose high-mileage Passat was just totaled in an accident that was not at all his fault and he was heartbroken. So was I - it was a nice car. High-mileage TDI VW's are still great cars.

EGR is leaking oil down the back of the engine.

I have never done a TB in 5 hours, I work slow (this would be my seventh TDI belt)

This
We just got rid of our 95 Camry wagon when things started to break faster than I could fix them (fuel leak, brake fluid leak from a rusted line, Cv boots needed replaced...along with a lot of smaller issues that we've been living with). It was my daughters and I wasn't wanting her to take it to college 100 miles away.

We bought it new and it was kind of tough (especially for her) but we knew it was time
From the sound of yours it's still reliable

Delete the EGR, cut out the clutter of vac lines, burn out the intake. Do timing belt, no rollers, or water pump. Run it till you blow the turbo, or IP. Then if you have a manual you can prolly sell the carcass for a very fair price.

Time to let the car go when you have no more desire to work on it anymore. ;)

Dave - How many miles on the '95 Camry wagon when you let it go? Curious, my spare car is a '99 Camry with 226,000. Have replaced Struts and one wiper motor beside normal service items....

the EGR has no oil flowing through it except what comes through the intake air (weeping turbo bushing or ccv) - Replace the O-rings that seal the egr to the intake and be done with it or just delete it as mentioned before.

I can do a A4 Jetta / Golf in about 3.5 hours if nothing is stripped