WCI #116: Fix the Car or Buy a New One?

I received a couple of questions about cars in the Facebook group https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/facebookgroup and thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast them. The first one was from a soon to be resident who wanted to know if he should ship his car across the country because he wasn't sure it would survive the cross country drive. It is worth $2000 but needs some repairs to survive residency. There comes a time when you have to admit that a car is "totaled." If it costs more to repair than it is worth, it is totaled. It is time to get rid of it, getting whatever you can out of it. The second question came from someone who is expecting a baby and wants a car with a third row. But he has a lease on a car until February and wanted to know if he should buy the new car anyway and just pay out the lease. Stop leasing cars first off. If you don't have the cash to buy the car, buy a less expensive car. If you don't have the cash to buy a less expensive car, and you have to borrow for it, it ought to be a $5,000 car or less. We get more into the details of these car questions in this episode and hopefully help you make that decision on when to fix the old car or buy a new one. See the show notes for more information at https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com  Still not sure what to do with your student loans? Overwhelmed with how to tackle that giant debt in an ever changing political climate? The experts at StudentLoanAdvice.com are here to help guide you through the best options to manage your loans – our experienced staff have consulted on over $250M in student loan debt, and the average studentloanadvice.com client has saved over $190,000 dollars. You will receive a customized student loan plan using the principles of The White Coat Investor, get answers to all of your student loan questions, gain clarity about your financial future and start down the right path toward financial freedom. Book a consult today at https://www.studentloanadvice.com. You can do this and The White Coat Investor can help. The White Coat Investor has been helping doctors with their money since 2011. Our free financial planning resource covers a variety of topics from doctor mortgage loans and refinancing medical school loans to physician disability insurance and malpractice insurance. Learn about loan refinancing or consolidation, explore new investment strategies, and discover loan programs specifically aimed at helping doctors. If you're a high-income professional and ready to get a "fair shake" on Wall Street, The White Coat Investor is for you! Main Website: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com  YouTube: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/youtube  Student Loan Advice: https://studentloanadvice.com  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhitecoatinvestor  Twitter: https://twitter.com/WCInvestor  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhitecoatinvestor  Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/whitecoatinvestor  Online Courses: https://whitecoatinvestor.teachable.com  Newsletter: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/free-monthly-newsletter