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Around 4-5 years ago, I bought a single-owner 2001 Toyota Corolla with 135K miles for roughly $2500 (plus $1000 for taxes/tag/title). I've been quite pleased with it and haven't really had to dump any money into it besides routine repairs and maintenance (tires, battery, oil changes, etc). I've made it to about 185K miles. The Check Engine light came on about 6 months ago and the repair guy at the dealership said it was some issue involving buildup due to bad timing on the fuel injectors and that pouring some Seafoam into the gas tank every month to clean things out would help. That would only delay the problem though, and repairs on the fuel injectors would have to be done to the tune of $1500.

I've kept up with maintenance since then, but the Check Engine light came on again last month....I used the Seafoam again and the light disappeared about halfway through that tank. But now it's two weeks later and the light has illuminated again -- I fear I'm at the point of no return, and I am looking at the prospect of having to do some expensive repairs.

My car is paid off and I'm not really wanting to go back to a life where I am coughing up $200+/month on a car payment. I can't throw together $3000-$4000 in cash on a similar old model vehicle (and I worry I won't get as good a deal as I have gotten on my Corolla). At the same time, it seems a little ridiculous to pay for repairs that are probably in excess of the car's current market value (KBB says it's worth maybe $1500 in a private sale). But at the same time everybody says that if you treat a Corolla right it can take you to 250K miles and beyond. Mine is a 5-speed so I don't have to worry about the transmission, but I suppose the clutch will also have to be replaced at some point. Part of my worry is that if I pay for a repair now, I'm basically committed to the car for 2-3 more expensive repairs because it'd be stupid to just repair it this once and then sell it the next time trouble pops up. It seems like now is that time where I have to shit or get off the pot.

TLDR: I don't know how I should judge whether it's time to replace my car, or just pay for some expensive repairs and hope that I can get another 50-70K miles without any major issues. Should I be comparing the repair cost to the car's current value? Do I just have to trust my gut about how reliable it will be after repairs? Is there some formula or guide that might point me in the right direction? It seems possible that some consumer advocacy group might have put together a guide that shows how long every particular make and model lasts, and repair costs for models that are more than 15 years old.

 

[Kozak]

When its constantly needing more money to stay on the road.

 

[Randolph Freelander]

When the wheels fall off.

 

[cpp_is_king]

When you decide "Hmm, it's time to buy a new car". Then it's time

 

[Randolph Freelander]

TLDR: I don't know how I should judge whether it's time to replace my car, or just pay for some expensive repairs and hope that I can get another 50-70K miles without any major issues. Should I be comparing the repair cost to the car's current value? Do I just have to trust my gut about how reliable it will be after repairs? Is there some formula or guide that might point me in the right direction? It seems possible that some consumer advocacy group might have put together a guide that shows how long every particular make and model lasts, and repair costs for models that are more than 15 years old.

No, that would be a bad comparison. Compare it to the cost of a replacement vehicle, be that new or used. If the ongoing maintenance costs are more than what it would take you to replace the vehicle (and maintain the replacement), then replace the vehicle. Your car itself could be worth bupkis, but that doesn't matter, you're not buying your own car again.

As an example, my car payment on my current vehicle is (about to be was, I'm paying off the remaining balance next week) roughly $540 per month, which is basically $6500 per year. If I were to replace this vehicle, I'd be spending at least that much again, most likely. I'd have to project to do a lot of maintenance to my current car in order to make replacing it worthwhile.

Granted, the value of your current car can offset (to a degree) a replacement, but a 2001 Toyota probably isn't providing much of an offset, if any, particularly if it needs repairs.

 

[smurfx]

just save money and keep driving your car until it can't go anymore. i've seen people drive with their check engine light on for a long ass time.

 

[chuckddd]

Step one: Go to a mechanic that isn't the dealer and get their opinion.

 

[TylerD]

When the repair bills start to eclipse the value of the car. I'd start saving up money and just drive it till it falls apart and keep doing the seafoam thing. Trade it in for scrap value or whatever when the time comes. Also, if it has an OBD2 port you can get a code reader for 20-30 bucks or just take it to an Autozone, Pepboys, Oriellys, etc to get the code read to see if It might be something else, and possibly a cheap fix.

 

[clav]

1. When repair costs exceed car's value.

2. Also when you personally don't feel comfortable with the car.

What's the check engine code appearing on the OBDII reader?

Remember the average engine life is 250,000 miles.

I recall reading something about the 2000-2001 Corolla engines (1ZZ-FE) suffering from oil consumption problems.

 

[vern]

When you realize that having a car is a money and time pit and your life will be dramatically improved by not having one.

AKA when you live in a functioning city.

 

[Kevtones]

For you: when you make this thread

For me: when ive had enough

 

[border]

No, that would be a bad comparison. Compare it to the cost of a replacement vehicle, be that new or used

I feel like this isn't a particularly illuminating comparison, because in my experience it's difficult to get anyone to finance a used low-end car that costs 3-5K. I'd pretty much have to buy something new to the tune of 15-20K......or lease something new at $200-$250 per month. If you want to finance a low-end purchase you have to go to little independent used dealerships that charge a nearly-illegal interest rate....I think 15-20% APR was the estimate I got the last time I visited a place like that. Still though, it makes it sound like the better option is just to pay for repairs and hope for the best.....or ignore the problem and drive the car into the ground.

Step one: Go to a mechanic that isn't the dealer and get their opinion.

I haven't had much time this week, but I definitely plan to take it to an independent repair shop for an estimate.

 

[bananafactory]

When you realize that having a car is a money and time pit and your life will be dramatically improved by not having one.

AKA when you live in a functioning city.

This will depend wildly on a person's lifestyle. Some people require cars.

 

[TylerD]

Have a smart phone? Get an OBD2 app and a reader here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=s...2+bluetooth&ie=UTF8&qid=1455261233&sr=8-1-acs

I use OBD Fusion on iOS

 

[Randolph Freelander]

I feel like this isn't a particularly illuminating comparison, because in my experience it's difficult to get anyone to finance a used low-end car that costs 3-5K. I'd pretty much have to buy something new to the tune of 15-20K......or lease something new at $200-$250 per month. If you want to finance a low-end purchase you have to go to little independent used dealerships that charge a nearly-illegal interest rate....I think 15-20% APR was the estimate I got the last time I visited a place like that. Still though, it makes it sound like the better option is just to pay for repairs and hope for the best.....or ignore the problem and drive the car into the ground.



I haven't had much time this week, but I definitely plan to take it to an independent repair shop for an estimate.

I think you might have misread me, and I didn't suggest the replacement is the equivalent of the 2001 Toyota. The replacement is what would you actually buy if you got rid of what you had. That's the cost to measure against just the ongoing repair and maintenance of your current car, assuming you're otherwise satisfied with it. So if you're of the mindset that you would go buy a $5000 used car that will last you X number of years, that's one thing. If it's a $20000 new(-ish) car, that's another. Add maintenance costs to both figures. When you can reasonably assume that maintenance of your current car is going to exceed those values over that number of years, then get rid of your current car.

But either way you go about it, in all honesty, I'd personally hold the view that your current car is itself worthless, and it shouldn't matter.

 

[border]

I recall reading something about the 2000-2001 Corolla engines (1ZZ-FE) suffering from oil consumption problems.

Funny you should mention that. My car gets a definite wheeze/rattle when it's roughly 2500 miles past my last oil change. The last time I took it to the dealership for an oil change they said it was completely out of oil. The "Low Oil" light never even illuminated on my dashboard though. They claimed they couldn't tell if there was an oil leak, but suggested replacing the oil pan to the tune of $350 or so......so that's obviously another consideration.

Obviously since I went to a dealership they wouldn't really cop to the problem and say "Yeah that model just starts to eat oil after a while."

I didn't mention it in my OP because it just seemed a little irrelevant. If I have to get an oil change every 2000 miles instead of every 5000, that's really only a marginal added expense every year.

 

[mrklaw]

What others have said is good advice. It seems like you know you're probably close to having to replace - one big expense and you'd potentially be regretting not spending that money on a different car, with no guarantee the current one won't need more.

If you can't afford to buy another used car outright then a loan is basically your only other choice. Or start saving now as much as you can, and see if a smaller independent garage can do the injector fix for less - maybe using scrap parts. Heck, I'd think you could replace the engine with a scrap one for about that much.


As for oil - don't wait to see if the oil light comes on - get out and use the dipstick to check the levels to see how quickly it's using oil. Fill it up and check every 500 miles to get a picture. Like you say, toppling the oil up once a month is way the cheapest option.

 

[TylerD]

Funny you should mention that. My car gets a definite wheeze/rattle when it's roughly 2500 miles past my last oil change. The last time I took it to the dealership for an oil change they said it was completely out of oil. The "Low Oil" light never even illuminated on my dashboard though. They claimed they couldn't tell if there was an oil leak, but suggested replacing the oil pan to the tune of $350 or so......so that's obviously another consideration.

Obviously since I went to a dealership they wouldn't really cop to the problem and say "Yeah that model just starts to eat oil after a while."

I didn't mention it in my OP because it just seemed a little irrelevant. If I have to get an oil change every 2000 miles instead of every 5000, that's really only a marginal added expense every year.

Running your engine really low on oil is a good way to cause it an early demise. Learn how to check it and add additional if necessary between oil changes. You don't have to increase the frequency of changes if you just check and add.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6IQBZm8DBAw

I believe this one is for your specific engine:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kji_8FdLyNg

 

[clav]

Funny you should mention that. My car gets a definite wheeze/rattle when it's roughly 2500 miles past my last oil change. The last time I took it to the dealership for an oil change they said it was completely out of oil. The "Low Oil" light never even illuminated on my dashboard though. They claimed they couldn't tell if there was an oil leak, but suggested replacing the oil pan to the tune of $350 or so......so that's obviously another consideration.

Obviously since I went to a dealership they wouldn't really cop to the problem and say "Yeah that model just starts to eat oil after a while."

I didn't mention it in my OP because it just seemed a little irrelevant. If I have to get an oil change every 2000 miles instead of every 5000, that's really only a marginal added expense every year.

When the low oil lamp is on, there's engine damage.

Here's a DIY repair video on how to fix the oil consumption problem: https://youtu.be/A595LR4SQpI

You may think the problem is irrelevant. However, problems don't go away. They only become worse.

TylerD brings up an excellent point in learning to check your engine oil. Easy to top off. A decent affordable oil brand called SuperTech is sold at Walmart.

Get your car checked out at a reputable and reliable independent mechanic. Report back.

 

[Darth Karja]

When it stops working is when I would give it up. For a fix that expensive I wouldn't do it. You never know if if something else is going to break the next month. My car is so rusted that I feel like every time I take it to the shop its going to fall apart when they jack it up. So I would just ride mine into the ground then junk it when it dies.

just save money and keep driving your car until it can't go anymore. i've seen people drive with their check engine light on for a long ass time.

Mine has been on for about 2 years.

 

[| Praxis |]

When you have to drill holes through the floor to let the water that leaks in every time it rains drain away.

 

[border]

You may think the problem is irrelevant. However, problems don't go away. They only become worse.

I just meant that it was irrelevant from a financial standpoint, not that the problem would somehow sort itself out. If I have to pour in an extra quart every month then that's really not going to be a consideration because oil is pretty cheap. The cost of fixing the engine's oil consumption problem likely well exceeds the cost of just dumping in more oil every 4-8 weeks for the next few years.

I will definitely take it to an independent auto shop in the very near future though, if only to get their estimation of how much life is left in the car if I don't shell out the money for repairs.

But either way you go about it, in all honesty, I'd personally hold the view that your current car is itself worthless, and it shouldn't matter.

Yeah, at this point I think I'd feel guilty about selling the car to anyone else even if I disclosed all its problems. If I traded it to a dealership I'd probably worry that they would just pawn it off on some sucker and stick him with the repair costs. So my estimation of the car's value isn't really what the Kelly Blue Book says......it's whatever I might get for scrap value. That probably means I will just drive it until it won't drive anymore, doing minor low-cost maintenance along the way.

 

[davidwhangchoi]

if you paid about 2500 and repairs are 1500, save a bit more and get another used car.

yes, definitely you can find one for about the same range or bit more.

my first car was a 96 accord lx, i brought @ 83k miles for $4,700 in 2003.

rode it till 300,000 w/ no problems, just normal maintenance and sold it for 1,000 bucks at 300,000k.

used that 1k towards a 2003 ex leather accord with 90k, for $6,700 about 4 years ago.
and using that car since.

trust me, it's not worth putting X amount of money when the car is worth less. waste of money.