Believe it or not, I used to absolutely love this car. I still like it. It's been very well maintained, and I have all of the records since the vehicle was new. I just don't enjoy it stalling out on me, and I don't enjoy the large amounts of rust. I've tried adjusting the valves myself before, but I couldn't get the lock-nuts loose without feeling like I was gonna break something. I replaced the plugs a little over a year ago, but they claimed they were bad already again. With the oil pan gasket, I'll probably switch to a HM oil and see if it helps any. It's helped a few other cars I've used it in that leaked a bit of oil. I might be able to replace the PS hose myself. I have some spare power steering fluid as well, so I can top it off if it gets low. I don't think it's a drastic leak, as I haven't noticed any large spots on the garage floor.
I wouldn't mind upgrading to another car, but my financial situation hasn't been the best lately. Half of my paycheck goes directly to my student loans, and I found out that I'm going to be losing my job in a few months, so I've been trying to get by with the bare minimum on maintenance, hoping it would make it until I was able to afford a newer vehicle.
I knew I'd have to get the timing belt/valves adjusted/etc., but now with all of the other issues that seem to have sprung up around the same time, it hardly seems worth it. Especially with the vehicle only being worth around $1,500-$2,000 or so (according to KBB). Being broke is no fun!
p.s., I've never said my car was junk.
I think Tosh summed up my feelings pretty well in knowing that it would be easier to maintain if it looked better cosmetically. With the raccoon that cracked my front bumper, and someone that rear-ended me in a parking lot, and the rust, it's hard to justify spending a lot of money on it. When I first bought the car, there was a little bit of rust on a few spots on the car. I spent over $2,000 getting it treated and repainted. It came back a few months later.
On another note, I did find someone who can work on it on the side, who just worked on an Integra for a friend of mine, so I may be able to get the essentials (IACV, Brakes, etc.) fixed for less money than the dealership quoted me. The final print-out they gave me was 8 pages long, totaling over $6,300 in potential repairs.
I've always had issues with the brakes on this car. This will be the 3rd time that the rear brakes have needed replacement since they were done in 2005. The calipers always tend to stick/seize on it, wearing them down prematurely. The front brakes were last done in '05 and seemed to stop fine. No noise, etc., so I wasn't tipped off that they were bad yet.
I've known about the oil pan gasket leak for a while, but it wasn't really bad enough to leave spots. Removing the rusty exhaust from the catalytic converter doesn't seem like a fun time to me, and I've been quoted around $200-400 to have it replaced.
I've spent over $1,000 getting almost the entire front suspension replaced, and the rear control arms replaced. I guess it's at the age where everything is catching up to it, regardless of how I've maintained it. They also mentioned that some of my bushings are now starting to crack as well.
In the past few years, I've replaced 1 or 2 wheel speed sensors, multiple suspension parts, rear brakes/calipers/etc., master brake cylinder, main fuel relay, tires a year ago, cam plug, valve cover gasket, spark plugs, transmission fluid around 5 times with Amsoil ATF, valves adjusted, power steering fluid at least 5-10 times, 2 PCV valves, etc.
Saying that I neglect the car isn't necessarily true. Things just seem to keep going wrong, no matter how many times I fix or replace them.
In short, I'm going to get the biggest needs replaced now, and keep using the vehicle until I'm able to afford something better.
