Car troubles. Is it time to get rid of it?

[RandomFool]

After breaking down twice in the last month aI'm wondering if it's time to upgrade my 94 escort.

First my clutch went and cost me $1100.
A week later my engine belt broke and that was another $350.
Yesterday my tire had a nail in it and I needed new tires so that's another $300.
When they put the tires on they said I've got another $500 worth of ball joints and tierods to fix.

I'm sick of spending money on this thing but I've spent so much already it doesn't seem like much else can go wrong. What do you think is it to start searching for something else?

*edit*
The $1100 for the clutch also included towing and some other stuff but the clutch was the main reason for bringing it in.

The engine belt included towing too.

I've been using those tires driving back and forth to college for the past 3 years so they weren't in the best shape, the nail just clued me in to the fact that they were crappy.

 

[XZeroII]

Get rid of it.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

I'd keep driving the car, if the engine and transmission are in good shape then you should be fine, IMO.

 

[RedArmy]

$1100 dollars for a new clutch :Q

Keep driving it till it drives no more...you should at least get whatever you can out of it after dumping all that money into it.

 

[Black88GTA]

Originally posted by: RandomFool
After breaking down twice in the last month aI'm wondering if it's time to upgrade my 94 escort.

First my clutch went and cost me $1100.
A week later my engine belt broke and that was another $350.
Yesterday my tire had a nail in it and I needed new tires so that's another $300.
When they put the tires on they said I've got another $500 worth of ball joints and tierods to fix.

I'm sick of spending money on this thing but I've spent so much already it doesn't seem like much else can go wrong. What do you think is it to start searching for something else?

Buy a Chilton's / Haynes manual, find an Escort forum, and learn how to work on it yourself. You will save a TON of money on it this way, plus it's a nice sense of personal accomplishment when you successfully fix something and you don't have to worry about getting ripped off by mechanics.

BTW, shops will *always* find something else that "needs replacement" when you take your car in. They hope you'll just say "Oh, ok, well fix that too, while you're at it." I'm not saying all of that is for sure in good shape, but I would at the very least get a second opinion on it from a friend who knows cars or a TRUSTED mechanic - not another shop that's looking to make a buck.

EDIT: If those ball joints / tie rods really ARE in bad shape...do them ASAP. This really isn't a hard DIY job, and you can rent the tools from Autozone to do it. A snapped tie rod or exploded ball joint at almost any speed can be catastrophic.

 

[nonameo]

Originally posted by: RedArmy
$1100 dollars for a new clutch :Q

Keep driving it till it drives no more...you should at least get whatever you can out of it after dumping all that money into it.

WTF... that's what I was thinking. 1100$$???

that's a bunch of BS.

If you have an older car, it definitely pays to learn how to work on it.

Oh, and RWD FTW

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: nonameo

Originally posted by: RedArmy
$1100 dollars for a new clutch :Q

Keep driving it till it drives no more...you should at least get whatever you can out of it after dumping all that money into it.

WTF... that's what I was thinking. 1100$$???

that's a bunch of BS.

If you have an older car, it definitely pays to learn how to work on it.

Oh, and RWD FTW

Glad I'm not the only one - $1100 seems a bit high for an Escort.

I'd agree with Black88GTA and get the Haynes manual for your car. When a mechanic says something is bad, tell them you just want them to do what you brought it in for and will come back for this. Check out the part yourself and see if it's damaged, don't just take their word for it.

 

[RandomFool]

For the record, the $1100 included towing and some other miscellanous stuff as well. It wasn't just a clutch but that was the reason I brought it in for. I've actually got the Haynes manual but most of the stuff that's gone wrong so far is stuff I couldn't do on my own. If the ball joints aren't to hard maybe I'll try doing them on my own. I skipped the ball joints/tierod for now because I didn't go to my repair shop for tires and figured they were trying to get more money from me.

 

[MegaVovaN]

Originally posted by: RandomFool
Yesterday my tire had a nail in it and I needed new tires so that's another $300.

Huh?? You replace all 4 tires because 1 is punctured? How about buy a used one for $20-50?

Friend got 4 used tires for his 1996 oldsmobile for $100.


edit: nvm, you needed new tires anyway

 

[RandomFool]

Originally posted by: MegaVovaN

Originally posted by: RandomFool
Yesterday my tire had a nail in it and I needed new tires so that's another $300.

Huh?? You replace all 4 tires because 1 is punctured? How about buy a used one for $20-50?

Friend got 4 used tires for his 1996 oldsmobile for $100.

I've been using those tires driving back and forth to college for the past 3 years so they weren't in the best shape, the nail just clued me in to the fact that they were crappy.

 

[sniperruff]

$1100... add a couple of hundred and you could have bought the newer generation's escort.

 

[Squisher]

I can't imagine all the ball joints and tie rods are going bad.

Tie rods are a piece of cake. Worst thing about ball joints will be renting a spring compressor and grinding off the rivets that hold the factory ball joints.


Escorts are pretty bullet proof.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: Squisher
I can't imagine all the ball joints and tie rods are going bad.

Tie rods are a piece of cake. Worst thing about ball joints will be renting a spring compressor and grinding off the rivets that hold the factory ball joints.

Escorts are pretty bullet proof.

Yeah, I see them as simple cars that should last for ages. My advice is to try and do some basic work on your own and make sure you're careful with what you pay to have done.

 

[duragezic]

Some of those prices seem quite high! The clutch job seems like a lot... and were all the other 3 tires in that bad of shape? I had a unrepairable front tire, so I got one new front and swapped a near-perfect rear with a front, got a ball joint I needed, then aligned, only totaled about $150 IIRC.

The thing is, any car you buy is going to need repairs. I know I have felt the same way with my car after having to drop many hundreds of dollars at a time as stuff goes wrong. I too wish I could do some of these things myself, but I haven't got a clue how to do it.

I haven't totalled how much I've spent in repairs on my car since I've had it, but I'm sure its a lot. But much of it is common to any car like brakes, tires, tune-ups, exhaust, etc. So during some of those times when a lot of stuff went wrong, I would get pretty pissed and think about just getting a new car. But as my dad would say, who is to say that some other used car won't have problems? To keep mine, at least I know its history and that the engine is solid.

So as someone else said, if the car is generally good otherwise, I would keep it. Make sure to do anything you can do on your own or with help from a relative, coworker, etc. Sure the stuff you just replaced would help the sell value, but you wouldn't get much of that back from selling. Maybe see if a mechanic friend can check out the car and determine if indeed the ball joints and tierods are shot, that the car is solid otherwise. Granted its a little late after all the money you spent, and there's never a guarantee it'll be okay for the next year, but look around or do the last repair yourself, and hopefully all will be well for a while.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

But as my dad would say, who is to say that some other used car won't have problems? To keep mine, at least I know its history and that the engine is solid.

Fully agreed and that's a strong point. Let's say you got rid of this car and spent $7k on a new car, how do you know it won't run through the same set of issues? You know what's been done to this car and how it's been treated (oil changes, driving habits, etc.). My opinion is that you should keep this car as long as possible assuming the engine/transmission will hold out. I'm a person that would even say to keep it beyond that, but many wouldn't agree.

 

[MegaVovaN]

Keep simple car then.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Clutch and belts are normal maintenance items and a nail in the tire sure isn't the car's fault.

There's nothing whatsoever to indicate that it's an unreliable vehicle aside from an obvious lack of maintenance by the current owner, but then again it's unlikely that you'll maintain another car any better.

ZV

 

[soydios]

Dealer repairs, while best for long-term resale value, always seem to try and milk all the money they can out of you.

For example, I backed my '94 Jeep Grand Cherokee into a concrete wall doing less than 3mph. Took it into the dealer collision repair center, and they quoted me for $3000. The list included disassembling, repairing, reassembling, and repainting the tailgate, straightening the frame rails, replacement lights for the entire rear half of the vehicle, and a new bumper.

Neither the tailgate nor any of its components needs replacing, it just needs straightening and some touch-up paint.
The frame rails are not bent in any way.
The only light that needs replacing is the left-rear taillight, which is cracked but still fully functional and not missing any plastic. The only structure that needs replacing is the bumper cover and reinforcement.

$3k is almost the value of the car. I mean, I backed into a waist-level wall at a slight angle at 3mph, with 5mph bumbers for christsake.
Sorry, but I'll take it to an independent shop to straighten the tailgate and put a new bumper on it. :|

 

[jcuadrado]

ditch it and by something nice....you only live once...

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: soydios
Dealer repairs, while best for long-term resale value, always seem to try and milk all the money they can out of you.

For example, I backed my '94 Jeep Grand Cherokee into a concrete wall doing less than 3mph. Took it into the dealer collision repair center, and they quoted me for $3000. The list included disassembling, repairing, reassembling, and repainting the tailgate, straightening the frame rails, replacement lights for the entire rear half of the vehicle, and a new bumper.

Neither the tailgate nor any of its components needs replacing, it just needs straightening and some touch-up paint.
The frame rails are not bent in any way.
The only light that needs replacing is the left-rear taillight, which is cracked but still fully functional and not missing any plastic. The only structure that needs replacing is the bumper cover and reinforcement.

$3k is almost the value of the car. I mean, I backed into a waist-level wall at a slight angle at 3mph, with 5mph bumbers for christsake.
Sorry, but I'll take it to an independent shop to straighten the tailgate and put a new bumper on it. :|

Did you end up getting it fixed? I honestly wouldn't bother, the car's function is more important than looks.

 

[MichaelD]

$1100 for a clutch job on a FWD car is not unreasonable at all. Depending on the car, there's a ton of labor involved.

On my 93 Civic, the engine mounts had to be removed and the entire engine jacked up about 4" to separate the transmission from the engine. CV joints need to be disconnected, etc. It's a huge job.

But typically, unless it's abused, the clutch on a FWD only goes out once. Mine went at the 110K mile mark.

Clutch job on FWD = cannot do for most average home mechanics. Most anything else, I can do myself and so can anyone else.

 

[MichaelD]

Oh, to the OP:

You've already replaced the major things on it. New clutch, new tires, new serpentine belt (I'm assuming it's a serpentine as opposed to individual belts).

Bad ball joints and tie rods will accelerate tire wear big time. Get it fixed. You have no car payment. Fix this one last thing (make sure you get a warranty on all the work!) and keep the car until the engine blows up. Hopefully not for several more years.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: XZeroII
Get rid of it.

WHY?

:roll:

People like you upset me, but I guess it does make it easy for people like me to buy cheap "broken" cars, fix them, and sell them for a profit.

The clutch happens. It's normal maintenance items. Expect your new clutch to be good for 75,000 - 200,000 miles, depending on your driving habbits.

I'm kinda in the same boat. After I fix the worn valve stem seals on my car, I hope to get another 100,000 miles out of it without any major problems.

Remanufactured head
New clutch about 15,000 miles ago
New brakes all around
New aftermarket carburetor
New CV joints
New radiator
Thermostat, cap, rotor, plugs, wires...

Just stuff that needed to be done. Of course, I wouldn't have bought the car if I had known it needed such things in the first place, but oh well. I should have a fairly reliable car that gets nearly 40MPG all said and done.

 

[MegaVovaN]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: XZeroII
Get rid of it.

WHY?

:roll:

People like you upset me, but I guess it does make it easy for people like me to buy cheap "broken" cars, fix them, and sell them for a profit.

The clutch happens. It's normal maintenance items. Expect your new clutch to be good for 75,000 - 200,000 miles, depending on your driving habbits.

I'm kinda in the same boat. After I fix the worn valve stem seals on my car, I hope to get another 100,000 miles out of it without any major problems.

Remanufactured head
New clutch about 15,000 miles ago
New brakes all around
New aftermarket carburetor
New CV joints
New radiator
Thermostat, cap, rotor, plugs, wires...

Just stuff that needed to be done. Of course, I wouldn't have bought the car if I had known it needed such things in the first place, but oh well. I should have a fairly reliable car that gets nearly 40MPG all said and done.

:thumbsup:

 

[BoomerD]

While replacing a clutch isn't anything quick or easy, $1100. seems pretty spendy...the parts are only about $140 for a complete clutch kit for us DIY'ers...
http://catalog.worldpac.com/zygmunt/quo...O6&baseurl=http://www.bimmerparts.com/