Sunk Cost Fallacy In Car Repairs

"I already spent $3,000, so I should keep fixing it" is a classic sunk-cost trap. Past spend cannot be recovered; only future costs matter now.

How The Trap Looks In Practice

• You approve another major repair just to justify prior repairs.
• You ignore rising downtime, towing, and rental costs.
• You avoid comparing alternatives because previous spend feels "wasted."

Bias-Proof Framework

1. Write down only future costs from today forward.
2. Estimate expected 12-month repair and downtime risk.
3. Compare against switch cost and replacement quality options.
4. Choose the lower expected future cost path.