My '03 Corolla w/235k auto trans - Is it time to sell/trade???

[golfinator]

Love the car. Runs great. No issues. I have personally put 120k on the car and maintained it to high standards. My only concerns are the reliability of driving a car with that high of mileage on it and moving the car while it still has decent sell/trade value.

Questions...

1. Is it time to sell/trade the car?

2. What should I be able to get ($$$) in trade?

3. Thinking of '05 to '07 Corollas w/70-80k miles. Is there any reason to avoid manual transmission?

Any input/ideas/thoughts etc. will be greatly appreciated!!!

[jdmccright]

The high miles will discount the value some, but I'd lean towards the sell side. You're getting to the point where expensive things will start to break or wear out. Wheel bearings, struts, steering rack, A/C, exhaust...dare I say the tranny, though they tend to last when taken care of.

You can either sock away a monthly "repair payment" or sell it and pay a real car payment for a newer car with more features. But if your lifestyle can accommodate the occasional breakdown (or have a spare car), then you may just keep it. Whatever you don't spend on repairs is in the bank for when the car does die and it's time to look around.

You'd get far less in trade than selling outright...again the miles hurt you. NADA dings you $1,200 for that.
For a clean LE, NADA trade in shows ~$4,300 and private party sale ~$6,400

Finally, if you do alot of highway driving, then wear on the manual clutch would be minimal. But city driving I'd steer towards the auto just because it eliminates the need for clutch replacement...and saves your left leg.