I am a college student who has two years in college left with the following vehicle,
2003 Toyota Camry XLE V6 3.0L, 231,500 miles
It runs great and has always been well maintained, but needs the following work,
- Oil leak on the engine caused by bad gaskets (intake manifold gasket and valve cover gasket)
- Timing belt set is overdue for a change
The repair costs for both of these, although the parts are cheap, is around $2,400. Since the car is 21 years old—even if it runs fine right now—putting money into the vehicle makes me nervous. I also can’t really get a car loan right now and can’t afford a monthly payment. My only other option is to sell the Camry (around 2,000 dollars) and to possibly buy an 09’ Pontiac Vibe that has 156k miles on it!
What are your thoughts?
Thanks!
If the car is otherwise in good condition shop around some independent mechanics to see if you can get a better price. Stay away from dealers and chain shops. It might also be an opportune time to change the spark plugs while the intake manifold is off unless they are recent.
Yeah it’s in really good shape otherwise.
Yeah it’s in really good shape otherwise.
I'd get some more quotes then so you can better balance the cost of repairs against buying something else. Buying a cheap used car has its own perils.