Opinions wanted...

[Supermercado]

All right, I've got a little bit of a predicament here with my car. I posted a thread a couple of weeks ago trying to find out what's wrong with my current car (1989 Cavalier, 135k miles). It's still having the same problem as it was then. My dad and uncle (who knows a pretty good bit about cars) took it out this morning and drove it around and they both think it's the clutch going bad. Not good since it's expensive and I don't know that I want to spend that sort of money on a 15 year-old car.

Here's the story... I just graduated college, BSCS. Hoping to have a job within a few months, but we'll see. I know I can work 30-40 hours/week at Papa John's delivering. I can make around $12/hour or more working there. Not great, but it adds up to $1200 or so per month. Basically, the question is this: is it worth spending the money to replace the clutch in my car (if that's indeed what the problem is) or would it be better to find a 3-5 year-old car without a lot of miles on it that's not too expensive where I can get a monthly payment of $250 or so? I'm going to have some expenses coming up soon (student loans have to start being paid in 6 months, I think, I'm no longer covered under my parents' health insurance, etc.). I'm just trying to figure out what's the better option for me here as far as having a working car. Thanks for any opinions you might have.

 

[Tates]

Fix the clutch and keep the car for another couple years. $250 per month will get real old real quick, especially when the student loan payments start kicking in. Once you get a job worthy of your BSCS, then you can look for a newer vehicle.

JMHO 🙂

 

[Eli]

eh...

Don't junk the car because the clutch is gone. It is a wear item, it's meant to be replaced.

It would be like junking the car because it needed brakes or tires.

Oh, and link to thread?

It should be really easy to tell if it's the clutch or not.

 

Originally posted by: Tates
Fix the clutch and keep the car for another couple years. $250 per month will get real old real quick, especially when the student loan payments start kicking in. Once you get a job worthy of your BSCS, then you can look for a newer vehicle.

JMHO 🙂

I used to think a car payment would suck total ass.
What sucks total ass is having a car that you're not sure will work everytime you start it.

 

[TitanDiddly]

New cars = $$$

 

[Subzero]

Originally posted by: Tates
Fix the clutch and keep the car for another couple years. $250 per month will get real old real quick, especially when the student loan payments start kicking in. Once you get a job worthy of your BSCS, then you can look for a newer vehicle.

JMHO 🙂

What tates said...:thumbsup:

 

[cucumber]

I don't know how easy it is to fix a clutch (don't know too much about car repair) but I have a friend who's fixed his clutch a couple of times and he doesn't know much either. I'd check out one of those books that show you how to repair cars of specific models/years. I'm sure you can find one for your model. I guess if it doesn't seem too hard it could be worth a shot. I've always done the little easy things for my car (replaced alternator, belts, brake light switch) and left the bigger jobs for the mechanics. This might be doable for you and it will only cost you for the book and parts.

 

[episodic]

Fix the old car and run it till a repair would cost more than 700$. At that point, you should start to look elsewhere. In the meantime, put the 250$ away that you would have spent on the the newer car, so that when the car you have totally craps out on you, you have money to buy a newer one, maybe even cash only.

 

[Atomic Rooster]

Originally posted by: episodic
Fix the old car and run it till a repair would cost more than 700$. At that point, you should start to look elsewhere. In the meantime, put the 250$ away that you would have spent on the the newer car, so that when the car you have totally craps out on you, you have money to buy a newer one, maybe even cash only.

Teh winnah! 😀

 

Originally posted by: SampSon

Originally posted by: Tates
Fix the clutch and keep the car for another couple years. $250 per month will get real old real quick, especially when the student loan payments start kicking in. Once you get a job worthy of your BSCS, then you can look for a newer vehicle.

JMHO 🙂

I used to think a car payment would suck total ass.
What sucks total ass is having a car that you're not sure will work everytime you start it.

I agree...especially after it won't start when you have to be at work at 5:30 a.m.

I don't regret my car payment one bit. I took good care of the old car too, it was just past its prime and the previous owner didn't take good care of it.

 

[Supermercado]

Eli: Old thread

I'm tending to agree with all the posters... yeah, it'd be nice to have a new(er) car than an '89, but no, a car payment probably isn't the best thing to have right now. Hopefully, it will last me until I get a job and maybe a few months into that job and then I'll be able to look into replacing it.

Couple of side questions while I'm at it - I don't know much about cars and how much stuff costs on them...

1. How much is a reasonable estimate on what it would take to have the clutch replaced? And it's not really something that can be done in the driveway between my dad, uncle, and I, is it?

2. Say I did want to spend ~$250/month on a car, what sorts of cars is that going to be able to get? If that can get a good new car (I'm thinking no...) or used, what sorts of things is that? Are we talking 2000 Accord or 2000 Cavalier, for example?

Thanks for all thoughts, opinions, etc.

 

[StageLeft]

From a money perspective, do the clutch. Do you know nobody or maybe your uncle who can do it? I've heard that it's not THAT hard to do, if you can find somebody willing to take a stab at it.

And it's not really something that can be done in the driveway between my dad, uncle, and I, is it?

It depends on how long you have and how patient you are and what not. You'll need a book, and like I said I've not done it, but I imagine that putting the car on jacks or ramps you can get it done. It is pretty labor intensive (takes a prof mechanic a few hours, but I don't know if that's indicative of merely the time, or that it's a difficult repair; hopefully somebody who's done one could answer!), but if you're willing to give it a while you could probably get it done. If you bring it somewhere you're looking at $800 give or take a couple hundred, I'd guess.

IMO $250 will get you a 2000 accord without my problem. Depending on your credit it will get you a $12-13k car with no down payment. But of course unless it has a warranty it can still require repairs, and then you've got the payment plus some repairs. Look at it this way: your cavalier is worthless with a bad clutch. Even if you fix it and sell it you'll around break even. I'd fix that clutch and drive it for a bit. If it lasts 3 months you've paid off the repair right there (unless you take a stab at it yourself).

 

[episodic]

Call a half a dozen places you'll get a half a dozen prices. My favorite way of finding a mechanic is through word of mouth. Go to autozone, etc - go in to buy an air freshener or something and hit the guys behind the counter up. Many of them know the 'good' and 'bad' mechanics in the area. Many also fix cars part time after work, shade tree mechanic style. That is the way I found the mechanic I'm enamoured with right now. . .

 

[episodic]

If you bring it somewhere you're looking at $800 give or take a couple hundred, I'd guess.

NO. . .

Not a penny over 200-300 dollars. Heck I could go buy a decent running 89 car for 800 dollars. . .

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: episodic

If you bring it somewhere you're looking at $800 give or take a couple hundred, I'd guess.

NO. . .

Not a penny over 200-300 dollars. Heck I could go buy a decent running 89 car for 800 dollars. . .

Maybe if you use one of your autozone dudes. Bring it to a professional transmission shop and you will NOT be getting a clutch replaced for $200.