Someone in your financial position shouldn’t be dumping a fixable car that’s only eight years old, especially for that amount of money. Fix it and keep driving it.
I am worried about the peeling paint, though, which is a bit unusual at that age. You really don’t want any rust to start, so you might need to keep an eye on that and do something about that as well.
“Something” is really an old “waxing your car regularly” thingy, but at this point, this is moot.
Most likely, it is a clear coat what peels, and if it is the case, car still has a little bit of time (like 2-3 years) before rust will start forming, at which point the ultimate destination is a junk yard.
The next thing to do here is to re-paint, which will be expensive if done properly.
If done at MAACO, it will cost something like $300-500 and will flake in 2 years max.
We are going to have the work done in bits, using the advice you all provided. Had the axle and sway bar done and the car drives so much better. Timing belt asap. I’ll have to live with the peeling paint, but I’m a teacher and my clunker will look right at home in the school parking lot next to all the other teachers’ “clunkers.”
(I have no idea why the paint peeled. It’s really weird. Our driveway gets a LOT of sun??? I also wondered about the automated car wash down the street. The peeling is only on the roof…mostly a section in front of the sunroof plus a couple of other small spots.)
if peeling is on the roof, most likely it is from sun exposure, and it not of a great concern, rust-wise.
It is too late for this car, but on others try to seal the paint with a synthetic sealer 1-2 times a year.
Something like $7 “Nu Finish” will go a very long way in protecting your car finish.
Waxing the car will keep the paint from peeling for a longer time. The advice won’t help for this car, but do this on your next one. Wax it at least four times per year.
With Honda’s paint problems waxing the roof may have been futile. The extended warranty for the paint probably expired last year or earlier depending on the in-service date of your vehicle.
was your sway bar broke? or the end links?
@tpuppie_146537 I think you are doing the right thing in fixing up your present ride. I understand your dilemma. My parents were teachers, I was a teacher and my son is a teacher. As teachers, we don’t drive “status symbol” vehicles. We make the decision of the value of a vehicle to us and not what some dollar value is listed in some book. My dad drove a 1939 Chevrolet through the WW II years, had the engine overhauled in 1946 at 70,000 miles (most cars only went about 50,000 back then) and drove it four more years to 110,000 miles. I drove a 1965 Rambler to 110,000 miles and kept patching the rust and the rusted out floor plans. Our son keeps a 2006 Chevrolet Uplander going at 200,000 miles. I drove a 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass 33 years.
@Triedaq, didn’t you tell us you once had a car where you spent more on Preparation H than you did on gasoline?
@old_mopar_guy. The car which cost me more in Preparation-H than upkeep on the vehicle was the Ford Maverick. I was in my early 30s when I bought the car. I thought I was insensitive to the ride of a vehicle. I grew up working for farmers and driving F-12 Farmall tractors, drove around in my one-ton 1950 Chevrolet pickup truck, rode 5 miles each way in the back seat of a school bus, so I didn’t think about comfort. The Maverick I owned was the Grabber model with bucket seats. The seats were firm which I liked, but somehow the seating position wasn’t comfortable for me. The older I get, the more sensitive I am to driving position, particularly leg room. We had a 93 Oldsmobile 88 with a power seat. I could never find a comfortable adjustment where I wouldn’t have leg cramps after 50 miles. I used to be able to drive any vehicle any distance and not be uncomfortable. Now, old age has caught up with me. I prefer to ride in a minivan, SUV, or pickup truck over most regular cars. The last car I drove any distance and was comfortable was a Ford Fusion that was the first generation and that was back in 2010.
I had a 2006 Lincoln zephyr, which was a twin to that Fusion. Comfortable car. The most comfortable car I ever recall riding in was my dad’s 1950 Buick Roadmaster Riviera 4 door sedan. Like riding on a comfy sofa.