is at 96K miles and needs a heater coil for $500. How is the reliability otherwise? Am 64 and don’t really want a car payment, but don’t want a good money after bad situation either. Everything else seems ok.
I had a 98’ and it was a fine car. Check around some more on the heater price. if its running good i’d fix it.
Agree with previous poster. If the rest of the car is OK, fix it, but shop around. There are many after market spares for this car. The mileage is not high and as a retiree you are not going to add a lot on a yearly basis. Also, make sure the shop does not put DEX-Cool coolant in the system; it’s bad news. Use any another reputable brand.
If the heater core is plugged, and not heating it can usually be unplugged by flushing it out with a garden hose, if its leaking then it needs replace.
The book time for replacing this heater core is like five plus hours labor, but there is a quick method of changing this heater core that cuts the time significantly. Maybe you can find a shop that is willing to cut some book time off the cost.