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Picked up my car from the shop yesterday and the bill made me think about something
I was at Thompson's Auto Repair on 5th Ave getting my 2010 Honda back from a brake job. $780 total. While I was waiting I overheard this guy arguing with the owner about a $2,000 transmission quote. He kept saying he'd rather buy a whole other car than fix his. Got me thinking about how people decide when to fix something vs just replacing it. Does that logic apply to other stuff too like appliances, electronics, even houses? Where's the line where repairs stop making sense for you? I've always been a fix-it guy but that guy had a point about sunk costs.
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the_mary7d ago
My buddy Dave had a washing machine that broke down last year. Repairman said $400 for a new motor. Dave said nope, bought a whole new machine for $500. Then six months later the new one's drum started wobbling. Paid another $150 for someone to come tighten it up. Now he's stuck with two machines, one broken and one kinda broken, and he's spent way more than if he'd just fixed the first one right. Sometimes being cheap costs more in the long run.
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kai8397d ago
Heard a similar story from my buddy Ryan too @the_mary, dude's still mad about it lol.
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carr.luna7d ago
Makes me think about that whole "new != better" trap people fall into constantly. Like with phones, everyone swaps their whole phone for $1000 every two years but if you just replaced the battery for $50 every 18 months you'd save a fortune. Same with laptops, $200 for a new SSD and it runs like new but people toss the whole thing. The real trick is knowing when the repair is actually fixing the problem versus just kicking the can down the road. That washing machine story is brutal though, Dave basically paid for a lesson in why you don't buy the cheapest option.
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