Its a 97 Saturn sl2 with 130,000 miles. In the last six months it has had a new: starter, alternator,battery, radiator and fan belt.
It seems to me what i need to do is find out how many more miles I can expect to get (it's hard to find unbiased info) and consider how much it will be to fix the next issues.
What will be next to go, how much $ and how many miles can I expect to get out of the car? When should I say enough is enough and get a new car? btw money is tight. thanx in advance
2007-12-11 05:58:30 · 9 answers · asked by Todd O 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Saturn are normally good cars to and above 200,000 miles. It is hard to say about what it will cost you in the long run, without knowing what is wrong. You best course of action is to bring it to a shop and have them perform a saftey check on it. they with inspect the front and rear end, all fluids, belts, exhaust and list the problemn areas that they find. Then you should ask for an estimate(if they don't provide one automatically). From there go onto Kelly Blue Bood or NADA.com and find the value of your car. If your car has more repairs that is needed than the car's value, sell it. If the estimate is only a few hundred, then it is most likley worth fixing. Hope this helps. By the way, your car books out at around 2200 dollars on the low end and 3700 on the high end on NADA.
2007-12-11 06:17:13 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
From your list of repairs, I do not see anything that was majorly wrong with the car. Batteries you can expect to have to replace batteries ever 4-5 years, an alternator in 125k miles is not rare, nor is the starter! A belt is a normal maintenance item and is usually replaced when the alternator is replaced, seeing as it is easier to do then!!
You say money is tight. If I were you, I would drive the car until such time as it needs major (motor, transmission) work. The best way to decide if you should repair a car is to take the estimated live of the car after repair, and the cost of repair, and figure how much per month the car will cost with the repair!
For example, If I pay $500 to repair a car, and I then can expect to get another year's service out if it, it is costing me under $42 per month of use. This is a lot cheaper than I can buy a replacement car for, so it is a good idea to fix the car!
If the repairs would exceed the value of the vehicle, then is time to replace it. You do not want to spend $3000 on a repair, to have a car that you could buy for $1500.
2007-12-11 06:55:27 · answer #2 · answered by fire4511 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Did you take good care of your car up till now? If so, you probably have many more good miles. The things you just replaced are pretty normal for this age and mileage.
As for a new car. How much would your monthly payments be and how much could you get fixed on your car for half that amount monthly? Start putting back a monthly payment for a new car and in a few months, you either have money to pay for a repair or you have a down payment to reduce your monthly payments. If you can't afford to put back money every month, why do you think you can afford a new car? You can do a lot of repairs for less than what a new car costs.
2007-12-11 06:38:32 · answer #3 · answered by bigrick45 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
If you have changed the oil on a regular basis per mfg. recommendation and do not drive lot of short distances with stop and go traffic etc. The engine should last at least 200,000 miles. What you have repalced is normal wear and tear. To buy a new or a newer vehicle will cost at least $10,000 or much more. Cars are a money pit no matter which way you go, one can only minimize the rate of expense. I would driver it til it has a major repair, then junk it.
2007-12-11 06:07:07 · answer #4 · answered by gary o 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
That is a tough call. I had a Dodge Ram I waited too long to dump. I wound up going for a trans and rear before I was all done. The final straw for me was the cracked exhaust manifold and warped rotors. It's a gamble no matter what anyone tells you.
If your finances can stand it get rid of it while it is running and replace it with something newer.
2007-12-11 06:20:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
if i had to guess the radiator was related to some of the other problems you had..
you have a reliable car it should be fine past 250,000 miles
2007-12-11 06:05:30 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
i think you should ask your girlfriend about it; she's going through the same thing right now: maybe you guys could get a new car together and car-pool? i dunno... just a thought? good luck, whatever you decide; i'm sure you'll make the right decision!
2007-12-14 09:59:14 · answer #7 · answered by Krista S 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if the mechanic says head gasket get rid of it
2007-12-11 06:08:31 · answer #8 · answered by Krysia K 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I prefer a new car that just need water,oil,gas.....& not more
2007-12-11 06:03:34 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋