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To keep her or not to keep her...

M

Mr Pepper

Senior member
Hiyas,

I would appreciate any advice I can get from you auto-type gents out there. I have a 1992 (original owner) Toyota Paseo with 185,000 miles on it. It runs like a top & gets 32-35 mpg. This has been the best car I have ever owned. It's never had any serious problems or been in any wrecks.

It's been well maintained but stuff is just starting to need replacing. Most everything on it is original. I just had the brakes/rotors done & tires rotated & it was brought to my attention that the tires are wearing unevenly due to the struts. It was also brought to my attention that the clutch (original) is going to need replaced soon. Those two items combined (the clutch & 4 new struts) are going to cost $1450 to fix. I will also need new tires (soon) since the current set is mostly hosed due the strut problem. That's another $300 for all four.

So right now I'm looking at $1750 just to keep this thing road worthy. That might not seem so bad, but the car only books at $1100. So, technically I guess it's totaled...

If I do keep her & get these repairs, what can I expect to wear out next & how long will this car last me (properly maintained of course).

Thanks in advance for any input.
 
No matter what you fix, repairs are almost always cheaper than getting a new vehicle.

So only buy a new one if you really want one, not because it seems fiscally smart.
 
If repaired, i wouldn't be surprised to see 300k+ out of that car, it's basically a Tercel with a different body, very simple and not much to break.
 
You might also be able to replace some of the parts yourself if you're brave. Get a service manual (an official one; Chilton or Haynes manuals will sort of work but they're not nearly as good) and see what you can do.

But only if you're mechanically inclined.
 
You could install the struts yourself, especially if you ones that come with a new spring already installed. If not, then you need a spring compressor to transfer the old spring to the new struts. At that mileage you should also install new shock mount bearing plates ... they go at the top of the struts and are shot by now. You may also want to look into new Ball Joints and Tie Rod Ends as either one can cause tire wear and steering instability. As to the clutch, if that is a front wheel drive car, you need a mechanic to change it, as it is much harder to get to it than on a rear wheel drive car. And don't forget, you will need a front end alignment after the struts are replaced.
 
Thanks so much for all the great input!

I have been leaning towards wanting to keep the car, but I just was not sure how smart it would be. I went to the Toyota dealership today to see what they had for sale (new & used) & they basically had nothing on their lot that compared as far as the Paseo's original MSRP, fuel efficiency, size & zip.

I think the Yaris or the Corolla are the closest, comparable models & they they did not have any of either (new or used) available.

I'm guessing the fuel crunch has made them popular & in demand. Anyhow, I think that trip sorta helped me assess the value of my car as well as the great responses here.


Thanks again for the advice, I really appreciate it. I think I'm gonna shoot for 250k+ :beer:
 
The fact that your original clutch lasted 185,000 miles would indicate that you are extremely gentle on this car. For the most part, struts and clutches are parts that only last about 100,000 miles, they are wear items that are expected to need replacement at some point.

Since these are the only "problems" with the car and they represent only maintenance pieces, I would recommend keeping the car unless you have a strong desire to get a new one. As has been said, repairs are almost always cheaper than payments.

ZV
 
Yeah, unfortunately this is about the absolute worst time to buy a compact car as they're in extremely high demand. For that reason along it may be worth repairing it (since buying another used car you'd just have something with unknown problems compared to known ones).
 
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