Owners of older cars eventually receive a mechanic's quote and have to choose between paying for the work and selling. The choice is easier to make with a few figures than by instinct, which matters most when the car still runs or has sentimental value. The advice is aimed at Perth and Western Australian drivers with ageing vehicles. It points out that judging each repair on its own hides the true total, because several modest bills over a year can add up to more than the car is worth.
A common rule of thumb is to pause when a single quote exceeds about a third of what the car would sell for as it stands, particularly after two or three repairs in a year. The calculation begins with an itemised quote that separates parts from labour, then sets a realistic value using comparable cars with similar kilometres, wear and history, and adds ongoing costs such as registration, insurance and the chance of further faults. If the repair cost is close to or above either the car's value or its as-is sale price, selling is usually the better financial choice, and repeated failures in the same system or a likely roadworthy failure point the same way. Anyone who sells in Western Australia keeps the number plates and must lodge a Notification of Disposal with the Department of Transport, and the seller needs to show photo ID.
The main point is to treat repair spending as a running total measured against the car's actual worth, not as a string of separate bills. A repair fixes one fault but does not make the car younger, so similar problems are likely to keep arriving. Money already spent is not a financial reason to spend more. When the repair cost matches or exceeds the car's value, selling is the more sensible move.
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