I have this mercury sable 1999 with 80k miles on it. I keep getting problems with the front tires, first one tie rod end, then other side, now the 4 struts are bad and the lower control arm. Is it worth the fix, or just get rid of it and buy a new car? I get like 15mpg on city. I was planning on buying a new Elantra or kona. Or if the market goes down an used HRV.
I had a 1999 Sable. The car was great. (a little rust around the lower rear fenders but ran like a charm). I only sold it because I had too many vehicles registered and I didn't want to pay the extra insurance to keep it on the road.
It was also low mileage. I'll say this. You can't replace that dependable car for a few thousand dollars. I wouldn't hesitate dropping $1500 to have the front end work done.
I'll add this. The only thing that will kill that 3.0L engine is neglecting to watch the coolant fluid level. The head gaskets are its weak point. They don't tolerate overheating at all. If you're willing to "pop the hood" and look at the coolant reservoir twice a week, change the oil every 3,000 miles, that car could last another 10 years
Those are regular wear and tear things, especially on a 22 year old domestic vehicle. If that's all that's wrong, I'd keep that thing and replace all of it myself, you can rent all the pullers you need at the auto parts stores. If it has the 3.0L Vulcan V6 in it, Jack62 is right, that engine will run forever if you be mindful of the coolant and change the oil. My 1999 Ford Ranger has that engine and it went over 266,000 miles today, so that one may go for a good long while. Mine uses no oil and starts up every time.
The car is as old as me, is a nice fun to drive and so far has been a great first car, i think my biggest issue with the car is the amount of gas i put on it, i go through 1 tank a week and i only drive 12 miles a day. I have 0 experience repairing cars, i'll probably pay someone to do it for me. I asked a friend and he asked for $250 just for labor 😂 sounds like a deal for me. The car is the 3L V6 engine, i change the oil every 3k miles and the coolant is always full. Thanks both for the advise. Maybe i should invest in winter tires as well, so far all season tires works great on the car even in snow.
I'd sell it, but that's just me.
