2002 expy showing it's age?

My exhaust system is like new with no issues

Machete said:

So the question is when is a $500 mo payment better?

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I have a spreadsheet where I was looking at it from a “money out of my pocket per month” standpoint back when gas cost a little more. I wanted to know if staying with the same size vehicle but getting one that got better MPGs would be a good idea. My 2000 is paid for and gets 12.5-14 mpg and I assumed a $30,000 loan at 5% for 5 years for a vehicle that got 17-20 mpg. I factored in maintenance on the 2000 vs none on the newer. Higher registration costs of the newer. Higher insurance on the newer..... I felt it was a pretty comprehensive comparison. What I found was that the price of gas would have to be nearly $20/gal driving my 2000 to break even on the newer truck getting better mileage at the price of gas when I did the comparison.

So, similarly, it would have to take a lot of repairs to justify a new(er) vehicle. Your mileage may vary.

The new car honeymoon ends around the 3rd payment. No one really gives a rip about other people vehicles. So you are the only one to worry about. A old car breaking down on a regular basis, in not fun either. Keep the Expedition. Rust is the only major thing that kills them.

Well said!

Yup. Your spreadsheet calculation is spot on. I’ve seen the same analysis for diesel vs gas. Cost of gas or the savings thereof never equates to financial justification.

2019 was a pretty rough year for my 2008 too. Knowing when to say when can be complicated, but I go with this thought every time -

if there is no rust in the body, or you can keep the tin worm at bay for a low cost, there is no reason to not keep up maintenance on the truck if it fills your needs.

take the blue book values of your truck and subtract it from the cost of a new one with the same features. (In my case a limited with 4x4 and all the bells and whistles) and you will know how much a replacement will cost in terms of maintaining your existing ride.

the trick here is this do you like your current truck? Can you live with driving an older model? Are you willing to drive it (double the current mileage) into the future? If so spend the time to maintain your lovable beast.

The cost of basic repairs versus payments is huge. Keeping up on general items that wear out is much more cost effective. Even if you had to replace the engine, it would basically be worth 1 year of payments. Do the math on a new or newer used Expedition and you will see how much that would cost annually.

If your Expy is in good shape, keep up with the repairs and be proud of how nice your older model is. I am. The only way I am getting rid of mine is if it gets into a accident and the insurance company wants to total it. Otherwise, drive the wheels off of it!

I'm 30 years old and have been doing most of my repairs on my own the past 10 years, and I'll say that the pay off for the experience I now have for my Expy is many times over versus buying a brand new vehicle. And that I'm grateful for. Last year I bought my 2001 in very bad condition, and after a year I can say that it's restored closer to the original driving condition with no codes, and no rust. Only a trans first gear issue on cold. It was hard work at times but it has paid off. I still have a student loan I'm paying for, and my debt-to-income percentage still needs work, so another monthly payment on something else is a no go.

Wegner44 said:

Otherwise, drive the wheels off of it!

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And then put the wheels back on and keep driving it.

The only thing I would add to all of these great comments is to keep driving it until you feasibly can’t anymore and stay a member on here. I’m the original owner of a 2003 XLT 2WD with over 295,000 miles on it. Several years ago, wait no more like a decade ago it started idling rough and that’s when I found this Expedition Forum because someone had posted on here that while it was idling rough, run your fingers along the black rubber hose that goes to the back of the intake and if you feel a rough spot seal it up with your fingers and if the rough idling smooths out, a vacuum leak is the problem. Since then I have been a fan and a member of this site and all you awesome people!