Repair or Replace?

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Bob5150

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May 1, 2012
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Location
Philadelphia, PA
I have a 1995 Mercury Sable, and it's decision time.

I plan on driving cheaper used cars until my house is paid off in 15 years. I have a 1996 Dodge Ram that is our (wife and I) 3rd vehicle and totally reliable. I just like driving a car every day for comfort and fuel reasons, and I like having a 3rd vehicle as a backup.

The car needs about $600-700 worth of work (exhaust work, suspension work, new oil pan). Not stuff I have tools or ability to do.


Pros: I've had the car since 9-1-2012, and it has never left me stranded.

I haven't put much money into it,(radiator, brake pads/rotors, and a pair of tires)

Car is good on gas and cheap to insure

Cons: Motor (3.8) knocks slightly when warmed up and sitting still.

Trans does not shift right and is likely on its way out (have been changing fluid 4 qts. at a time, it helps, but seems I'm delaying the inevitable)

Lots of rust underneath

I don't know that I want to put $600 into a car with a motor and trans on the way out and lots of rust underneath.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
 
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If it wasn't for the transmission issue, I'd say repair it and run it til it dies. But if the trans is that bad it could go next week or next year, you just never know, then you are looking at a 4 figure repair.

My opinion, as long as the items to be fixed are not safety related, run it til it is dead, as is and use the truck while you find another cheapie car.
 
Wow, I sure wouldn't. If the motor or trans goes it will cost more to fix than it is worth. If you have only had it for 6 months or so, it must not have been in very good shape when you bought it. My advise is dump it, and buy something in better shape, not necessarily more expensive, just check it out better. Since you have other vehicles, you can take your time and wait for the right one to come along. Just my opinion, and I am sure others will have differing views.
 
+1 on dump it. Run!

You've only had it for 7-1/2 months, that in itself says it was a bad investment. Get rid of it.

Edit: I see your edit, you've had it for over a year and a half. Still sounds like an awful short amount of time.
 
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What's your best guess for how long the trans will last? If your gut says it will go anyday now, cut your losses now. If its been doing the same thing for a couple years now, maybe it will do it for another year or two? $600 doesn't go far with buying anything else these days...
Also you should do the numbers to see if its worth keeping a 3rd vehicle, if you can't do repairs yourself, your not taking full advantage of it.
 
What is inspection like in PA? I've seen some real rust buckets down there, so I'm not sure what gets checked.

My thought is, do the least, wait until the trans goes. Fix the exhaust 'cuz dying on the way to the job is a bad thing to do, but the rest... I wonder how long it can be ignored.

Most balk at putting more into a vehicle than it is worth, but if replacing the vehicle would cost more money than that repair, it winds up being cheaper. Think of it this way: what would you have to spend to get a newer/better car? If you spent that money instead on this, where would you be? If you were to spend that money instead on gas for the (lower mpg) truck, how many years of driving does it pay for?
 
Like others I think it depends how long you think you'll get out of the engine and trans.

I'm usually more inclined to spend the money on the repair than move on. I think the point of what you'll do when the car is gone is an important one. Every so often I think of throwing in the towel on my Saturn if/when the next big repair comes along but then I wonder what it will cost me to replace it, particularly since by now it is probably next to worthless when I try to sell it.
 
We needs pics of the rust to better assess the situation.

Exactly what about the exhaust work/suspension work/oil pan is not DIY-able? Those sound like things that I could do on my cars.
 
Although now that I think about it, I'd probably run if I thought the brake lines were toast. If the floorpans were getting holed, and the brake lines scaly, I'd quit, as that is getting to be a lot of work, the sort which tends to snowball once you start.
 
This car is not worth much at all, you're not going to get anything out of it now or later. Drive it as-is until it dies and scrap it. In the meantime use the time to look for a reasonable replacement.
 
Replace.

The motor knocks slightly when warm at idle? Bearings and/or oil pump. Several hundred $$.

Oil pan, rust, transmission, could easily run to thousands of $$ in repair. You already know that the transmission is going.

I wouldn't keep an old car that had a questionable engine and a questionable transmission unless it was a collectible classic...
 
So is it state inspection time? Is that's what's spurring this?

I'd drive it until it's illegal, so long as the brakes are good.
 
Car is inspected 'til October.

There is a rust hole in the oil pan, and it' leaking quite badly.

Exhaust has holes in it and catalytic converter is going.

Needs a few suspension bushings in the rear.

The car doesn't owe me anything, I have almost 20,000 miles on a $1000 car. I can go through several beaters for what it costs to replace a good 4x4, extended cab full size truck.
 
its way done there,,take it to the crusher, insurance cost more then its worth,,,buy yourself something newer then 19 years old..
 
From what I gather. The car is rusting out. The transmission is going, the engine is going, you have some repairs that needs to be done ASAP as is.

Say goodbye to your old friend. Cut your losses before you throw more money into it. Scrap it put aside that money, save some more, and keep your eye out for another 3rd emergency vehicle that is in better condition that will not require major repairs for the next 3 to 5 years.
 
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Originally Posted By: Bob5150
Car is inspected 'til October.

There is a rust hole in the oil pan, and it' leaking quite badly.

Exhaust has holes in it and catalytic converter is going.

Needs a few suspension bushings in the rear.

The car doesn't owe me anything, I have almost 20,000 miles on a $1000 car. I can go through several beaters for what it costs to replace a good 4x4, extended cab full size truck.


It's sounding to me like it's done for (engine, radiator, trans, exhaust, suspension, rust--not much else left to wear out). Since it runs and moves, I'd see if you could sell it for anything above scrap on CL while shopping for the next beater.
 
Replacing it now or later really doesn't matter - You're going to get $500 now POTENTIALLY, or $350 later from the scrapper. If you have the cash to buy something new, then go for it. If you're trying to get by, then just drive it until it stops going, and then scrap it.

By the way, the oil pan is $49 on rockauto.com - Shouldn't be that expensive to get it installed, or just patch it with some putty??
 
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