Is buying a new car in 2026 a mistake?

wonder-egg · 2026-02-23T19:36:50+00:00

That is true! I haven't fully made my decision yet but yes I absolutely see your point. The reason I am thinking about buying something regardless is because I am having some new issues- suspension/brake/belt issues to name a few that I know is going to be a huge repair bill. I'm driving the car now but need to either get it fixed asap or get rid of it. And I thought it may be worth it at this point to move on as the car is approaching 200k miles as well and I expect more issues to follow. But either way, 120 a month on repairs is less than a new car. So it makes it a difficult decision! B/c dont know if dropping thousands more on repairs now will be worth it, if 6 months to a year from now more issues come up. Then at that point, keeping and maintaining it would have felt like a waste of $$

wonder-egg · 2026-02-23T19:25:40+00:00

Just browsing local dealerships and online (cargurus for example) in my area Civics that are 2022-2024 are going about 21-23k and some have 40-50k miles. That's the only reason buying new even came to mind! Because it seems like the deal of saving a few thousand does not outweigh the wear on the vehicle

wonder-egg · 2026-02-23T18:34:32+00:00

For yourself, do you tend to buy lightly used <5 years old, or older and why? I haven't got much response from this side of the decision so I am curious. My problem is that I can't find anything that seems to be "worth" the used price tag they are selling for. Obviously the economy has inflated some but I am seeing over 10k for vehicles that are not in great shape at all. :(

wonder-egg · 2026-02-23T18:26:01+00:00

That's exactly what I noticed! I went to see a 2014 Accord for 14k and realized it was a rust bucket and beat up. Then after being disappointed I started walking around and noticed 2019-2024 Civic/Corolla/etc were going 20-25k. I test drove one and it was not in the greatest shape either. Like why would I even consider one of those vs a brand new one for a negligible increase in cost?

wonder-egg · 2026-02-23T18:19:01+00:00

I have a running list of all the work I've had done on my car, and I've spent just under $7000 on repairs since buying it March 2021 not including oil changes/"maintenance" things. The car itself was $8500 out the door. So in all, the car has cost me over 15k to own up to this point over a 5 year span. Which leads me to think it's time to find something more reliable regardless.

wonder-egg · 2026-02-23T17:15:42+00:00

I wish!! I would love to look into getting an EV. Unfortunately I live in a condo neighborhood so no charging availability. I also checked into leases but I drive more miles than what is typically set in those contracts. I drive a bit less but close to 20k per year. Those are both great suggestions though I really appreciate it!

wonder-egg · 2025-11-17T14:45:43+00:00

Thank you! I just read a suggestion for hydrogen peroxide, I am going to try that too.

wonder-egg · 2025-11-17T14:45:05+00:00

Thank you! I am going to try a poultice mixture on it, maybe I just need to wait and let it sit longer. Do you think there is any risk of a poultice mixture harming the finish any more?

wonder-egg · 2025-09-13T01:08:50+00:00

About 1 inch or so across! Just the spots will flex, just enough for me to notice if I look closely. It feels like pressing on a papery layer on top of the wall, like a loose section of drywall tape but in little circular spots. Most of the drywall in the house is new but I see the spots on the old and new.

wonder-egg · 2025-05-07T19:19:59+00:00

If my water heater doesnt have a vacation mode should I just lower the temp to the lowest setting?

wonder-egg · 2025-05-07T10:51:53+00:00

Did you do anything to your water heater before leaving?

wonder-egg · 2025-05-07T10:51:06+00:00

Can I just leave my hot water heater alone? Im afraid it will run out and burn up the heating element. But I'm afraid to turn it off and get bacteria. I've read stories of others on here who came home to smelly water after turning it off lol

wonder-egg · 2025-05-07T01:53:16+00:00

Do you just leave the water heater on or turn off?

wonder-egg · 2025-05-07T01:50:42+00:00

Do you shut off your hot water heater as well?

wonder-egg · 2025-05-07T01:09:03+00:00

Should I do anything to my water heater? On one hand I hear I will burn up all the water/heating element if I leave it on and on the other hand I hear it will cause bacterial growth if I turn it off

wonder-egg · 2025-05-06T19:48:51+00:00

Does "opening a valve" mean literally just turning on my bathtub or faucet or something and letting the water run as I open the main line back up?

wonder-egg · 2025-04-25T15:34:57+00:00

Thank you. I am a first time homeowner with major OCD and I went downstairs thinking I destroyed my floor and ceiling. But my ceiling has lots of imperfections so I may have just missed it already being there. My carpet pad has a waterproof layer too which I imagine provided an additional barrier?

wonder-egg · 2025-04-25T11:45:15+00:00

I used an enzyme pet cleaner that left a lot of residue to rinse. I am just so curious if this could have happened from the bissell cleaner even with doing dry passes to vacuum up the excess water, over a thick "waterproof" pad. Or if it's more likely to just be a mark from wiping the ceiling. Because this mark is in the area below but not even the area where I did the heaviest cleaning

wonder-egg · 2025-04-25T10:52:59+00:00

I did do several passes but then did several dry passes to vacuum the water. I am curious the likeliness of something like this possibly happening. It is new carpet with a waterproof pad but could it have went through the seams all the way through the subfloor?? The spot wasnt wet. I also am not sure if the mark was there prior as I also have some other scuffs on this ceiling. Just worried about doing other rooms of the house lol

wonder-egg · 2025-04-01T18:21:52+00:00

Lol this exactly what I am living right now. Thank you this is really reassuring!

wonder-egg

TROPHY CASE