this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2026
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Yeah, that sounds 'bout right: short enough that you can still have an artificially-rosy impression based on luck that nothing major has broken yet, especially since the collision replacement reset the clock. For all you know, that car might've been destined to blow its engine the day after it was totaled.
I've been driving for over two decades, and even owning almost entirely old cars (with only one exception, and that was one I didn't pay for), I've spent much more than $9K on them. And that's despite both doing most of my own maintenance and being willing to just accept flaws that other people would pay to fix or scrap the car over.
I'm not saying it's a bad strategy, for those who must own a car. I'm just saying that even the optimal strategy still adds up eventually.
I 100% know that would not have have happened. I'm not a mechanic, but I know enough to assure you that is not the case.
Even still if it did die the next day that would be back to the 9k.
And I wouldn't call it pure luck, I did a ton of research and shopped around for a couple weeks before I found something acceptable. It's held up as expected
I would also swear up and down that each of my old cars was reliable, until suddenly it was not.
I say that not to scare or discourage anybody from owning an old car instead of a new one, but just to have realistic expectations. And maybe encourage people to have a good roadside assistance policy.
The car that got totaled was in great condition and had absolutely no issues.
The car I'm driving today sure that one could go tomorrow or in a couple of years.
Cars definitely give you signs they are getting ready to give out. You just have to recognize them. Sometimes they are subtle and it can definitely be a waiting game, but once the signs appear it can be tomorrow or 2 years.
I haven't owned many cars personally, but my family has only ever driven clunkers. You learn the signs and which ones are worth the gamble to ignore.