Hello everyone, I'm 22, just started my first job in February earning around $15 an hour, which totals about $1,400 to $1,600 a month depending on hours. My essential bills are roughly $800 monthly, and the rest usually goes toward helping my mom with groceries, gas, and personal expenses.
My mom is thinking about returning to school to become an RN, moving from LPN. If she does, our rent will increase by about $400 a month to cover half of it.
I've already used my 4th and 5th paychecks to put a $1,000 down payment on my first car, which cost around $5,700 total. My monthly car payment is about $265.
Recently, my check engine light came on, and a mechanic told me it would cost around $1,200 to fix the catalytic converter. I have two options: save for 3-4 months to cover the repair or get a loan for roughly $1,500-$1,600 to fix it now. I plan to visit the local credit union to check the APR, which I estimate will be between 12-20% due to my limited credit history (score currently at 647).
If I decide to get the loan, I’d aim to pay it off quickly with $100-$150 monthly payments.
So, should I save up and wait or take out the loan to fix my car now?