My wife wants me to sell it. I’ve been paying insurance and registration past 2 yrs for my 17 yr old daughter who practiced about 20 hrs.
The timing belt was done in '06 at 98K - how much damage from age would you recon ? (Aussie and Texas term) The other stuff is at 94K and '05 - CV boots and tires (Cooper).no cracks on the tires…?.. I’m in Honolulu so no acid rain or smog…here is the info…'90 Toyota Corolla, 105 K, very reliable, small engine - easy on gas and it’s easy to park . Light blue metallic paint no peeling/blistering; it was kept in a garage…surprisingly good shape for its age. seats are good.trunk clean, runs well…Now for the best part…the previous elderly owner had a mechanic do a thorough exam and replacement of brakes - Rotors, pads, shoes, wheel cylinders, calipers, and hoses, new CV joints with shafts and boots. Also all new tires…= $1,450…He also, at 98,300 miles, had the Timing Belt, water pump, cam seal, crank seal, Alternator belt, Power steering belt, and tensioner (important) for a total of $ 427 which adds up to …$1,877…I have the receipts. Recently I put in a new Interstate battery $115 and a new Alternator - $135 = $2,127 as well as engine oil change AND Transmission fluid change with a good cleaning inside the trans pan (took it off - trans flushes are not widely accepted everyone) the '05 camry has the frame in the way of the pan and most shops just do a drain and fill (quick and easy) more profit. Probably the small hoses going into the firewall for the heater core will be drying up and leaking (tho they don’t look or feel bad) but I can shunt or plug them. No cold weather…thanks for your advise… Mike
Clearly you want to keep this car. You gave lots of good mechanical reports and no downside other than some possible yapping. This is not an automotive question as much as it is a domestic problem.
This is a second car, yes? Let the wife drive the newer car. That should keep her off your back. Your daughter ought to be pleased with any set wheels. There you go, Mike!
I’m not sure what you’re saying in your first sentence. Are you saying that you’ve been paying for insurance and registration for it so that your daughter can drive it, but she doesn’t? If so, why keep it? Sign it over to her and let her choose whether or not to keep paying the fees.
Frankly, the car sounds like one that countless posters to this forum are searching desperately for. I think you’d be foolish to get rid of it. In addition to its long list of positive attributes, how fast can it need to go on Oahu? 44 miles long by 33 miles wide? High speed interstate driving isn’t really a concern. A '90 Corolla is a perfect island car!
I have to agree with the same mountainbike here. It’s a perfect island car. Keep it until the wheels fall off.
Yea, keep the car, get rid of the wife…
Just kidding, not yet. You have to convince her that this car is good. Put the other one in the shop for 2 days, so she will appreciate having a reliable back-up car.
Yes, I like the car; fun to drive, easy to park, easy to work on, ample power for its light weight…plus the value added. If i sell it I may only get $1,400. Besides the lack of enthusiasm from my 2 daughters(17 and 21 - only worker) to learn the minimum (fluids and changing flat,etc…My wife said …" I feel like it’s a time bomb waiting to EXPLODE" "because the original alternator died 2 weeks after we bought it…yes, I explained that alternators usually go 60 - 80 K, and the 2 Camrys ('05 and 2000) could “blow up” too… My wife said …(here we go)… that “blow up” is not the same as “explode” …turned into a fight - Considerable yapping Steve. …if I can please get Ya 'alls opinion on the 6 years degradation of the timing belt and CV boots(CV Boots July '05 94K and timing belt May '06 - 98K)…Tah , mates
You might get as much as $800 for it. For a car in good condition, that is a very small amount. I’d keep it and use it as a commuter car. The insurance on this car is bound to be far less than any other car you own. If your daily driver is a late model car, changing it’s roll from commuter to evening driver will save a huge amount. You can get another year out of the timing belt. OTOH, a 22 year old car doesn’t owe you much. You could gamble on 8 years for the timing belt.
What is it worth as scrap iron there? What is it worth to have an extra vehicle? Just make a logical decision based on cost to benefits and then decide what to do with the car and the wife. Is she prepping for getting a new car for the daughters? Kinda sounds like it.
From what I recall my 89 Corolla’s engine was non-interference. I assume yours is the same-you can check on the gates website. In this case you can keep the old timing belt and when it snaps change it. The only problem is that whoever is driving it at the time would be stranded and this would be another scenario that your wife would refer to as “explosion”.
I have learned that people who don’t know much about cars have more misconceptions about them. Even a 5 year old car and one breakdown as simple as a dead battery to them means–> new car. And since they don’t know much about cars, explaining things is difficult. You might want to give it some time and see if this topic falls off the list of things to argue over on its own.
I am willing to give my comfy 2000 camry to the girls and drive the corolla. Newly retired, I just drive 2-6 miles a day to tennis or the store. Best thing now is to ask the insurance prices - only liability except for the '05 - she didn’t want to pull up in front of the private school ( my Mercedes/and world ski vacation to both hemispheres) with a 21 yr old “exploder”…anyone on the 6yrs on the rubber boots and T Belt? Mike
The '90 Corolla 1.6 liter engine is non-interference, so even if the timing belt ever snaps, it won’t destroy the engine. It won’t blow up. Don’t worry about it. Save money and keep driving it. When you get symptoms of a problem, deal with it when it happens.
I would suggest that you make a deal with your wife, Not one penny more. That means you keep the car until is breaks down, then its gone. Try to get her to agree that oil changes are not considered a breakdown so that would be allowed. Other than that, as long as it runs, it lives.
If your daughter is going to be the main driver, odds are that she will wreck it. In most cases, it will only be minor, but that will be enough to both teach her that she is not invincible and qualify for the junk yard or sale. Just hope she is wearing her seat belt.