'97 Plymouth Breeze died

[Stratk1ng]

Hey all, my girlfriends Breeze died on the way home from campus last week. We haven't gotten it towed yet, and it's just sitting in a parking lot. I went to check it out and I think (warning: I'm not good w/ cars at all, this is just from internet research) it has thrown a rod. It is 12 years old and has > 170k miles on it. We are deciding if we should fix it or replace it.

The gotcha: she only has about $2500 to spend. We've checked out a few cars locally but they all seem to have issues at that price point (alternator dying, spedo doesn't work, etc). The breeze got new brakes and tires last month and has run well up until this point. Do you think it is worth putting the money into a new engine for the existing car or keep looking for another older used car?

 

[nakedfrog]

I certainly wouldn't put a new engine into it. Maybe a used one.
That or I'd find someone who is good with cars to help you pick out a decent runner in your price range.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Given those two options, I'd definitely do one or the other. Given the statements I'm guessing that doing an engine swap yourself is likely out of the picture, but selling it for $500 as not-running/needs work would add some to your budget. Replacing the engine at a shop with a rebuilt would likely cost more than the car is worth by a good measure. You may want to verify that it is indeed a rod broken and not some other issue such as a broken spark plug/stripped plug hole. Though given the mileage and the lack of me having ever seen a Plymouth Breeze that was actually taken care of leads me to believe that it could be something fatal.

The game plan I'd do if I were you:
#1: verify the problem
#2: if the problem is major, sell the car to someone for parts or to someone that can fix it on their own.
#3: Get new car or repair if less than major.

 

[desy]

See if you can get a Saturn or Escort in that price range.
Pretty reliable powertrains and you might find somebody that kept up the maintenance

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: desy
See if you can get a Saturn or Escort in that price range.
Pretty reliable powertrains and you might find somebody that kept up the maintenance

^^ This.

Let someone else deal with that nightmare, get into something more stable.

 

[bruceb]

Since we don't know where you are, we can't be to specific. That said, go to Autotrader.com and enter as search criteria 2004 to 2008 with a Max of $3000 any miles from your zip code. I get 6 pages of hits. There is bound to be something that is useable in your price range.

 

[MovingTarget]

I'd say take it to a mechanic you trust, if you have one. If the body and transmission are still in good shape, then go ahead and drop another engine in there, either rebuilt or a crate engine. If you get another car sub $3k, you may just be lining yourself up for another disaster. At least with replacing the engine you'll know what you are getting.

 

[Possessed Freak]

While I may be biased (as I have a 1994 Saturn SL2), I *highly* recommend the S series saturns. You can easily pick one up for less then $2500 (I picked mine up for $1100) and as long as you toss oil into it like clockwork it will be good to you.

 

[mafia]

Get a new (used) car. You could find a nice used Toyota Corolla or Camry around that price range. Or any other good japanese brand. They are quicker, better built, and more realible. It wouldn't be a great idea to put a new engine in a car thats 12 years like the Plymouth breeze. She will have to get bored of it eventually.

 

[thomsbrain]

Geo Prizm? (Toyota Corolla in disguise).

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: mafia
Get a new (used) car. You could find a nice used Toyota Corolla or Camry around that price range. Or any other good japanese brand. They are quicker, better built, and more realible. It wouldn't be a great idea to put a new engine in a car thats 12 years like the Plymouth breeze. She will have to get bored of it eventually.

I would have to disagree. Older japanese cars may be more reliable but often there is a significant difference in price for something in similar condition. A $2500 Camry will have significantly more miles on it and will usually be older than many other brands and it might already have issues.

I'd rather spend the money on something with cosmetic damage (bad paint, stained carpet, trim that's broken, etc) because those things drive the price down without any sort of mechanical damage. I'd rather get a vehicle that has had all its maintanence done and isn't cosmetically perfect than one just because it has a good brand name on it.

 

[Bignate603]

Edit: Wow, fail at posting. I'm not even sure how I pulled off this double post

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Possessed Freak
While I may be biased (as I have a 1994 Saturn SL2), I *highly* recommend the S series saturns. You can easily pick one up for less then $2500 (I picked mine up for $1100) and as long as you toss oil into it like clockwork it will be good to you.

Yea the Saturns and even Geo Prizms are great cars but with a bad image. But that is good for those in the know. If taken care of they will go forever. Not the most fancy cars out there but neither is a Breeze. 🙂

Just try to stay at 96 and newwer.

 

[Black88GTA]

Originally posted by: Bignate603

I'd rather spend the money on something with cosmetic damage (bad paint, stained carpet, trim that's broken, etc) because those things drive the price down without any sort of mechanical damage. I'd rather get a vehicle that has had all its maintanence done and isn't cosmetically perfect than one just because it has a good brand name on it.

This is true...to a point. Untreated cosmetic damage is an indicator that either the previous owner didn't care enough to fix it, or didn't have the money to - which usually means that the car wasn't treated well overall. This type of damage is usually (but not necessarily) indicative of poor maintenance habits. Not to say that you can't find a good one like this, but I would take extra caution in this situation.

Of course, this wouldn't necessarily apply to a car with fresh damage that the owner is just looking to unload - you're much more likely to find a well-maintained car if you look for one that has been in a light fender-bender recently, but is in nice shape other than the damage.

I agree that older japanese cars are overrated. All cars will need parts / service eventually, especially once they get up there in mileage - and parts for Japanese cars can be expensive.

 

[Jabbernyx]

Find out for certain what's wrong with the car first. Either option (fixing or new car) has its pros and cons, eg. you know your own car but it might too expensive to fix, a "new" car might give you something better but come with its own set of as yet undetermined problems.