Concur w/the advice above. The prices you are quoting from the shops seem unusually low. Replacing a worn engine with a used junkyard engine, I’d be guessing the total cost , parts and labor, to be more like $4000 - $4500 for that. Maybe more, depending on what exactly is involved.
And I’m not particularly happy about what I’m hearing from the 2nd shop either. Are you mechanic shopping based on price alone? If so, suggest this is the actual problem. Instead ask friends, relatives, co-workers, fellow bar-hoppers, church-goers, whoever you have a trusted relationship with, ask them all which shop they use for their own cars. Then interview a few of those shops, choose from among those that specialize on Nissans or at least Asian cars.
The shop should tell you – if it is a good shop – that when replacing an engine there’s going to be some problems that are unanticipated. So it will likely be more expensive and take longer, perhaps much longer, than you think. They’ll then tell you that if you need a car on a daily basis, and can’t afford to rent a car in the meantime, that a better solution is to sell or junk your old car and buy a replacement that already is in working condition. Don’t dismiss this last point as the best solution to your current problem. You may have to write off this expense as a learning experience and buy another car.
My philosophy has ALWAYS been that every family/household should have 1 dedicated spare vehicle. It doesn’t even have to be a particularly nice car, just one that is reliable and in good mechanical condition
You never know when one of the daily drivers will break down, get in an accident, etc.
A few days ago, I was driving my mom somewhere, in HER car, when a lady ran a stop sign and t-boned my mom’s car
My mom’s car is now at a body shop which very recently did good work on my brother’s car, and my mom is driving the spare car.
BTW . . . the damage is not anywhere near the amount needed to total the car
We are not basing off money. We just don’t have many options. I’m basing it more off distance. These shops are close enough that family members can easily drop me off or pick me up when I take my car there. We are already saving for another car, but between bills and 2 kids we don’t have the extra money for a new car or even a used one at the moment!
We are saving for one we just can’t afford it yet. We are almost finished paying this one off. We owe 3 or well 2 more months after we pay this month. Then we will try to either sell this one and buy a new one or make payments and keep this one for just in case one day we might need it.
We don’t know a lot of people so we don’t have anyone to ask about where they take their cars.
But the mechanic one bought the parts to fix my car (hopefully).
Maybe it is our location as to why it is so cheap. We live in Burlington, nc most things are cheaper here than other areas. Idk!