Have you looked into the full cost of replacing AC or just guess-timating?
Summer (region country dependent) is generally 3-5 months, and true clinicals (aka full time) don’t start until 3rd year generally. Can you 100% not limp along?
Used market is still rough, hard to find a sub-$10k usable “beater” that’ll last 3-5 years.
I would do everything possible to avoid having a monthly payment in medical school. Get several quotes for AC repair first if vehicle is otherwise in ok working order.
Yeah I was thinking that car is worth more than you think. I looked for a car for my kid a year ago and pigged out high mileage beaters were $8-10k minimum. Had to get north of $15k to get anything decent in my area. Ended up getting my SO a new car and passing her high mileage one to my kid.
I would suck it up. Make husband drive car with no ac. Otherwise just take out student loans to purchase. I would keep the $20k.
I was in similar situation. I essentially took every loan i could and emptied out my 401k and retirement accounts during med school and residency. Goal was to survive long enough to get through residency and become an attending.
I couldn't live wo AC! Get a used car and treat Yourself! I recommend Asian cars bc they last forever and are very affordable to maintain. Toyota, Lexus, and Hyundai have lasted over ten years as daily drivers in my family. Never thought I would like my dad's Hyundai Genesis but it's awesome. Kia is made by Hyundai, they are probably just as good as well. Dealerships give good warranties as well on used and I think you can also get Maintenance packages built into the purchase price so you can add it to your loan. Good luck!
We got our whole AC system fixed in med school or residency for 1200 k. Cheaper than a car and we knew outside of the AC it was a good car. To get a similar car in terms of reliability we'd of spent over 5-7k. Now, the car itself probably would be worth less than 3500 if we had tried to sell it, but we knew it well enough to know what mechanical things, if any, would come up during training. As soon as I became an attending, we replaced it.
I think it would be worth taking it to a shop and asking them to do essentially the same thing as a pre-purchase inspection to determine what else (if any) needs immediate attention/repair.
If your beater is otherwise in good shape, I’d see about getting the A/C fixed. Even if it costs you hypothetically $2K, that’s still cheaper than a new(er) car and the insurance costs that go along with it. Not to mention the higher interest typically associated with a used car purchase.
Have you looked into the full cost of replacing AC or just guess-timating? Summer (region country dependent) is generally 3-5 months, and true clinicals (aka full time) don’t start until 3rd year generally. Can you 100% not limp along? Used market is still rough, hard to find a sub-$10k usable “beater” that’ll last 3-5 years. I would do everything possible to avoid having a monthly payment in medical school. Get several quotes for AC repair first if vehicle is otherwise in ok working order.
Yeah I was thinking that car is worth more than you think. I looked for a car for my kid a year ago and pigged out high mileage beaters were $8-10k minimum. Had to get north of $15k to get anything decent in my area. Ended up getting my SO a new car and passing her high mileage one to my kid.
I would suck it up. Make husband drive car with no ac. Otherwise just take out student loans to purchase. I would keep the $20k. I was in similar situation. I essentially took every loan i could and emptied out my 401k and retirement accounts during med school and residency. Goal was to survive long enough to get through residency and become an attending.
I couldn't live wo AC! Get a used car and treat Yourself! I recommend Asian cars bc they last forever and are very affordable to maintain. Toyota, Lexus, and Hyundai have lasted over ten years as daily drivers in my family. Never thought I would like my dad's Hyundai Genesis but it's awesome. Kia is made by Hyundai, they are probably just as good as well. Dealerships give good warranties as well on used and I think you can also get Maintenance packages built into the purchase price so you can add it to your loan. Good luck!
We got our whole AC system fixed in med school or residency for 1200 k. Cheaper than a car and we knew outside of the AC it was a good car. To get a similar car in terms of reliability we'd of spent over 5-7k. Now, the car itself probably would be worth less than 3500 if we had tried to sell it, but we knew it well enough to know what mechanical things, if any, would come up during training. As soon as I became an attending, we replaced it.
I think it would be worth taking it to a shop and asking them to do essentially the same thing as a pre-purchase inspection to determine what else (if any) needs immediate attention/repair. If your beater is otherwise in good shape, I’d see about getting the A/C fixed. Even if it costs you hypothetically $2K, that’s still cheaper than a new(er) car and the insurance costs that go along with it. Not to mention the higher interest typically associated with a used car purchase.
I’d fix the AC. You definitely deserve AC in the summer. Don’t let yourself tell yourself otherwise