• An unexpected bill of £772 ($998) is big enough to make drivers want to replace their car with another, hopefully more reliable one, a UK study has found.
  • Research by CarGurus also discovered that a 10-day wait for repairs and suffering three faults in a year are enough for drivers to call time on their cars.
  • The study found that almost 75 percent of driver are stressed at the prospect of unexpected repairs.

Cars, like all machines, wear and break. And while a diligent owner gets their car serviced regularly to improve reliability and minimize the chances of being stung by an unexpected repair bill, those nasty surprises can still happen. But how big would an unexpected repair bill have to be before it made you consider changing your car?

For drivers in the UK, the tipping point is £772 in any 12-month period, which equates to $998 at current exchange rates. That’s according to a survey commissioned by CarGurus, which canvassed the opinions of 1,000 British drivers who didn’t have any kind of warranty coverage for their car.

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You can see why someone running an older car not worth a huge amount, and who is therefore probably not massively wealthy themselves, might be shocked by a bill that size. But it could easily happen, for example if you’re unlucky during the UK’s annual MOT roadworthy test, or if you need a new clutch and the corresponding dual mass flywheel that modern cars need. And if a timing belt or chain snaps, £772 won’t make much of a dent in the bill.

But while the survey found that owners would draw the line at a £772 surprise invoice, those same owners said they would then be prepared to spend an average of £14,320 ($18,489) on a replacement used car – and with no guarantee that it’ll be any more reliable or immune to unexpected repair bills.

Would An Unexpected $1,000 Repair Bill Make You Want To Sell Your Car?

Other factors that might make car owners throw in the towel include a 10-day wait for repairs, or suffering three faults or more in a year. And 72 percent of respondents said they were stressed at the prospect of unexpected repair costs.

What amount of surprise financial pain would make you think about swapping your current car for something different? Leave a comment below.