So, I have a 2005 Impala (see sig) that I'm thinking about offloading, but I'm looking for opinions here on this.
The car is used to get around town. My wife drives it currently, and it gets around 10-15 miles put on it a day. I've been taking care of it, trying to make it last as long as possible. Our current plan is to get me through college (I graduate in December) and pay off as much of our new Elantra as possible before taking on another car payment.
Over the last year I've done a coolant flush, replaced radiator/cap/thermostat/water pump, serviced the transmission and installed a shift kit (it has the P1811 problem) and put new cheap-o tires on it. While that's a lot of maintenance done, I'm still concerned about the P1811 code (although the shifting has improved dramatically since I serviced the transmission) and I'm worried about the intake manifold leaking (a really common issues with this engine). I figure if it develops the leak, that'll be the end of the road for us with the car.
With that in mind, I found a listing on craigslist for a 2001 Lexus ES300 (189k miles) that looks like it's in comparable condition (pretty good) inside/outside as our Impala. It also is listed for right around what I can sell my Impala for. Now, this has the sludge monster engine, but these cars are also pretty well-known for lasting a long time. The Lexus has new-ish tires, all belts including timing belt replaced within the last 10k miles with the camshaft actuator and water pump replaced at the same time (they have the receipt for the work).
All that said, would you side with keeping the Impala or purchasing the Lexus and selling the Impala?
Thanks!
The car is used to get around town. My wife drives it currently, and it gets around 10-15 miles put on it a day. I've been taking care of it, trying to make it last as long as possible. Our current plan is to get me through college (I graduate in December) and pay off as much of our new Elantra as possible before taking on another car payment.
Over the last year I've done a coolant flush, replaced radiator/cap/thermostat/water pump, serviced the transmission and installed a shift kit (it has the P1811 problem) and put new cheap-o tires on it. While that's a lot of maintenance done, I'm still concerned about the P1811 code (although the shifting has improved dramatically since I serviced the transmission) and I'm worried about the intake manifold leaking (a really common issues with this engine). I figure if it develops the leak, that'll be the end of the road for us with the car.
With that in mind, I found a listing on craigslist for a 2001 Lexus ES300 (189k miles) that looks like it's in comparable condition (pretty good) inside/outside as our Impala. It also is listed for right around what I can sell my Impala for. Now, this has the sludge monster engine, but these cars are also pretty well-known for lasting a long time. The Lexus has new-ish tires, all belts including timing belt replaced within the last 10k miles with the camshaft actuator and water pump replaced at the same time (they have the receipt for the work).
All that said, would you side with keeping the Impala or purchasing the Lexus and selling the Impala?
Thanks!