My poor 626 might not be long for this world (Pity party)

[Chaotic42]

I just went to go to the store and when I cranked my sweet little 1995 Mazda 626, white smoke started pouring out of it. I'm guessing that means that there is a problem with the head gasket or the head itself.

I've got a call into a friend who is the service manager at a GM dealership (I know it's not a GM vehicle). My guess is that the car is not worth what it would cost to fix it. It also needs new tires.

I'm looking at used GM vehicles on their website now. It looks like I'm going to have to spend about $10K on a vehicle. What am I, Bill Gates?

My poor baby. Pic from 2004

How much would you spend on a 14 year-old car with 170,000 miles on it?

 

[Vette73]

Age PLUS miles = not much. I had a 87 Buick LeSabre and it ran strong wiht about 200k on it. But the trans went out. Even with me doing the labor it was not worth it.


It could be something not as bad as a intake gasket or something along those lines. But usually it does end up being to much a headache.


Also you don;t have to spend 10k to get a good car from GM, Toyota, or anybody.


EDIT

Forgot to ask. Is this a 4cyl or a 6cyl? If its a 4cyl then a head job on it is not as hard as a 6cyl. So if you are hard on money, who is not, then a head job and maybe new timing belt/water pump at the same time could give the car another 50k+ if everything else is working well.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
Age PLUS miles = not much. I had a 87 Buick LeSabre and it ran strong wiht about 200k on it. But the trans went out. Even with me doing the labor it was not worth it.


It could be something not as bad as a intake gasket or something along those lines. But usually it does end up being to much a headache.


Also you don;t have to spend 10k to get a good car from GM, Toyota, or anybody.


EDIT

Forgot to ask. Is this a 4cyl or a 6cyl? If its a 4cyl then a head job on it is not as hard as a 6cyl. So if you are hard on money, who is not, then a head job and maybe new timing belt/water pump at the same time could give the car another 50k+ if everything else is working well.

It's a 4cyl. This is really the first problem that I've had with its engine. I think I'm going to take it to the shop tomorrow and let them tell me exactly what's wrong with it and how much they want to fix it. It needs new tires too, so I'll have to take that into account.

I can afford a new(er) car, but I'm just a cheap-ass. I just worry that with it being so old, there's no telling what could be about to go out. At least it's a manual.

 

[Vette73]

If the trans is a manual then that would be my other concern. But being its not a auto then manuals usually last a good long time if you make sure it has gear oil.


Also if they cost to much to fix try craigslist. There are a lot of techs who do side work much cheaper. Usually they say it cost this much plus parts.

As for tires...

Tread Depot - Tires for $61 each shipped.

 

[alpineranger]

I would fix it, it's in good looking condition and getting another car will be more expensive in the long run (I'd only replace it if there was an expensive problem and I wanted to get a different car anyways). If you get this work done, you can also have them replace a bunch of other stuff while their at it (water pump, timing belt, etc) and you should be good to go for a long time.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: alpineranger
I would fix it, it's in good looking condition and getting another car will be more expensive in the long run (I'd only replace it if there was an expensive problem and I wanted to get a different car anyways). If you get this work done, you can also have them replace a bunch of other stuff while their at it (water pump, timing belt, etc) and you should be good to go for a long time.

Heh, actually the paint is falling off and it apparently needs exhaust work. I've been thinking about getting a new vehicle, but I was going to wait until February.

I've been looking at 2007 Cobalts and my uncle offered to sell me his 2007 or 8 Mustang for $17K. I've been thinking about it, and I guess it's time to let go. All of my friends and co-workers have been telling me to get rid of my car for a couple of years.

If it's smoking like that, can I drive it ~22 miles on the interstate to my repair guy?

Edit:

My mechanic buddy just came over and looked at it. He thinks it's a stuck injector since it didn't smoke when we turned it on. He said to drive it around town and I'll know if it's a head gasket.

He said he doesn't think it has a lot of time though.

 

[Jumpem]

I wouldn't put more than a few hundred into keeping it going.

 

[alfa147x]

put in a new MAF that looks like the problem with my old 1994 Nissan Altima that had 150 000 miles on, new MAF fixed the problem

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: alfa147x
put in a new MAF that looks like the problem with my old 1994 Nissan Altima that had 150 000 miles on, new MAF fixed the problem

What's an MAF?

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: alfa147x
put in a new MAF that looks like the problem with my old 1994 Nissan Altima that had 150 000 miles on, new MAF fixed the problem

What's an MAF?

MassAirFlow sensor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_airflow_sensor