Everyman4himself
New member
My 1990 Honda Accord has 220k miles and runs good. Bought it 40k miles ago, its due for some maintenance, namely:
-a timing belt change
-water pump
-possibly more engine work while he's down there: external drive belts, valve cover gasket, crank shaft seal, cam shaft seal, etc
-need to find these parts at a junkyard and have someone install them: passenger side inside handle of door lock (passenger must reach arm outside window right now to exit car), passenger mirror, front turn signal light, new bumper, possibly new passenger door if I can find it cheap (outside panel is smashed up).
I am on a tight budget, from a strictly saving money point of view, Is it cheaper to spend $750 and get this car fixed up, and risk having it need MORE repairs, or just save up for a newer used car? Is spending $400 just for the timing belt/water pump, going to extend the life of an old car like this that may have other issues? Is it foolish to think I may get this car up to 275K miles?
I like driving this car, but I need to pay off credit card debt and will do whatever it takes to save $ here. Mechanic told me there are three fluid leaks from my car, I don't know enough about cars to understand how much longer I can expect it to last.
Going back to talk to my mechanic tomorrow, your advice is appreciated. Thank you.
-Note: I'm digging myself out of a hole financially, and recovering from some serious health problems, so I'm not sure how long it'll be before I have $2-$3,000 saved up for a lower mileage used car. I'm trying to decide how to proceed on this car this weekend, because I'm planning to do some road trips to visit family this month and I don't want to have my timing belt snap in the middle of nowhere and be kicking myself in the butt for not getting it changed. Thanks.
-a timing belt change
-water pump
-possibly more engine work while he's down there: external drive belts, valve cover gasket, crank shaft seal, cam shaft seal, etc
-need to find these parts at a junkyard and have someone install them: passenger side inside handle of door lock (passenger must reach arm outside window right now to exit car), passenger mirror, front turn signal light, new bumper, possibly new passenger door if I can find it cheap (outside panel is smashed up).
I am on a tight budget, from a strictly saving money point of view, Is it cheaper to spend $750 and get this car fixed up, and risk having it need MORE repairs, or just save up for a newer used car? Is spending $400 just for the timing belt/water pump, going to extend the life of an old car like this that may have other issues? Is it foolish to think I may get this car up to 275K miles?
I like driving this car, but I need to pay off credit card debt and will do whatever it takes to save $ here. Mechanic told me there are three fluid leaks from my car, I don't know enough about cars to understand how much longer I can expect it to last.
Going back to talk to my mechanic tomorrow, your advice is appreciated. Thank you.
-Note: I'm digging myself out of a hole financially, and recovering from some serious health problems, so I'm not sure how long it'll be before I have $2-$3,000 saved up for a lower mileage used car. I'm trying to decide how to proceed on this car this weekend, because I'm planning to do some road trips to visit family this month and I don't want to have my timing belt snap in the middle of nowhere and be kicking myself in the butt for not getting it changed. Thanks.