Is this the end for my Mazda?
Mar. 1st, 2011 01:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I'm generally of the "use it until it falls apart" school of car usage, on the grounds that repairing a car is almost always less expensive than buying a new one, and I'm not an adherent of "car as cool thing" school.
But my 1989 Mazda 626 (purchased in 1996, now with just under 150K miles) stopped working while I was driving to the gym this morning. When I tried starting it, it turned over, but wouldn't catch. I had it towed to the service station, and got the call back, then a second call.
The initial verdict was that the timing belt broke. Originally the service guy recommended installing a timing belt kit, which would involve replacing the timing belt, the water pump, and a couple of other things. Estimated cost: $800.
But then I asked about other issues. There's something wrong with the brakes. I've been getting along with putting brake fluid in every few months, but if I'm putting money in the car, I want to know how much really fixing it will cost. He came back to me and said there was a loose fitting that he tightened, plus some seeping around the master cylinder. This is apparently not a major problem; I can just keep adding brake fluid as needed.
I also asked whether there might be a leak in the gas tank. When I put gas in the car, I generally smell gas for a while, and I've taken to only putting 8 gallons in the 12-gallon tank. He said he didn't see any leakage, so what I'm probably smelling is fumes, but he does see some rotting around the bottom of the gas tank.
He also said, on second look, that the axle boots are torn, whatever that means -- apparently it's a ticking bomb that will go off sometime. He said that what he now recommends is to replace only the timing belt ($500) and not the full kit, thus saving $300. That would make the car usable, and probably get me through the summer, but not another Minnesota winter.
(Also, my rear bumper came off during a sideswiping fender-bender; it's sitting in the garage, but I have no idea whether it's repairable or replaceable. Also, the amount of rust on it is getting pretty noticeable.)
This is a car that cost me $4,000 in 1996, and has been remarkably well-behaved, all things considered. I had intended to replace it last fall with a new or almost-new car; but I paid off my house instead. I can afford to buy a used car, especially if I can find one like this. (I was looking for a site to see if I could figure out how much $4,000 would be in 2011 dollars, but my google-fu failed me.)
Any opinions, based on the data given?
ETA: I decided to go for the $489 repair that would get it running, on the grounds that otherwise I'd have to buy a car without having a car, or rent a car. That's assuming no additional gotchas show up while they're doing the repair. I'm planning to buy a replacement as soon as I can, though.
But my 1989 Mazda 626 (purchased in 1996, now with just under 150K miles) stopped working while I was driving to the gym this morning. When I tried starting it, it turned over, but wouldn't catch. I had it towed to the service station, and got the call back, then a second call.
The initial verdict was that the timing belt broke. Originally the service guy recommended installing a timing belt kit, which would involve replacing the timing belt, the water pump, and a couple of other things. Estimated cost: $800.
But then I asked about other issues. There's something wrong with the brakes. I've been getting along with putting brake fluid in every few months, but if I'm putting money in the car, I want to know how much really fixing it will cost. He came back to me and said there was a loose fitting that he tightened, plus some seeping around the master cylinder. This is apparently not a major problem; I can just keep adding brake fluid as needed.
I also asked whether there might be a leak in the gas tank. When I put gas in the car, I generally smell gas for a while, and I've taken to only putting 8 gallons in the 12-gallon tank. He said he didn't see any leakage, so what I'm probably smelling is fumes, but he does see some rotting around the bottom of the gas tank.
He also said, on second look, that the axle boots are torn, whatever that means -- apparently it's a ticking bomb that will go off sometime. He said that what he now recommends is to replace only the timing belt ($500) and not the full kit, thus saving $300. That would make the car usable, and probably get me through the summer, but not another Minnesota winter.
(Also, my rear bumper came off during a sideswiping fender-bender; it's sitting in the garage, but I have no idea whether it's repairable or replaceable. Also, the amount of rust on it is getting pretty noticeable.)
This is a car that cost me $4,000 in 1996, and has been remarkably well-behaved, all things considered. I had intended to replace it last fall with a new or almost-new car; but I paid off my house instead. I can afford to buy a used car, especially if I can find one like this. (I was looking for a site to see if I could figure out how much $4,000 would be in 2011 dollars, but my google-fu failed me.)
Any opinions, based on the data given?
ETA: I decided to go for the $489 repair that would get it running, on the grounds that otherwise I'd have to buy a car without having a car, or rent a car. That's assuming no additional gotchas show up while they're doing the repair. I'm planning to buy a replacement as soon as I can, though.