I bought the car used and was told the only problem was an exhaust leak. I fixed it, or thought it was fixed. Now my engine is smoking, smells burnt, the whole car shakes while idling, and it makes a clicking sound especially while driving up hills. I know there are probably problems with the transmission and head gasket but haven’t had $ to get it repaired. The problems have been getting worse over the past couple months but the engine has started smoking and smells burnt only in the last week.
Should I spend the money to fix it or just get a new car?
Told by whom? The seller? Your trusted mechanic? You DID have a trusted mechanic give the car an inspection before you bought it, right? If you didn’t, you should have.
I can’t tell you if this car is worth repairing it over the internet. Take it to a good independent repair shop (NOT Pep Boys, not Midas, NOT WalMart) and tell them everything you’ve told us and more. Let them give you an estimate and then decide to fix it, or maybe donate it.
The question is: if you don’t have the money to repair it, how can you afford a newer one?