A lady from my church had a Toyota Matrix that did pretty much the same thing, except it was her neglect that caused it. She sold it to the shop it was towed to for the tow bill cancellation + $300. I’m sure they dropped a used engine into it and made good money. If it were mine, that’s how I’d fix it.
So sorry about your problem. Maybe the seller did indeed know what was going on; you’ll never really know, though. I know it’s not much comfort, but you did your due diligence before buying. It’s a shame when someone does the right things and it still doesn’t work out.
In '01 I bought my grandma’s car when she stopped driving, for my son to have next. ( '83 Pontiac Bonneville 90k ) He drove it from Ohio to New Mexico just fine, We spiffed it up like any used car prep, tires, lights, oil/fluid changes, filters, wipers, detail etc…ready to rock and roll.
Two weeks in…he call me from a couple miles away.
’’ dad, we were driving along and the car got slower and slower even with the gas pushhed all the way as if the brakes were engaging or something…then it came to a stop… tried to restart but it won’t even turn over’'
When I got there we attepmted to run the starter while watching the crank . It would barely eek a tad …frozen, locked…dead.
Still don’t know why exactly, we scrapped ( ‘‘wholesaled’’ it to the mexicans that come by for just such things ) the car instead of doing a tear-down.
BUT, I’ll wager it’s history of LACK of maintainence and short drives ( a true grandma car ) was a set up for the fall after I gave it nice fresh new oil which I don’t think it tasted for a few years prior.
Didn’t see that one comming.
Didn’t get conned.
I might say one thing about the seller . . .
It’s possible that you misinterpeted his body language to mean that he conned you
A counselor told me you had better have a smoking gun, video, sworn testimony,etc., before you accuse somebody of something. He also told me that people commonly misunderstand things, especially body language, and think the worst of somebody, when in fact it’s not even true
Maybe you’re right, but it really doesn’t matter, because you’d never prove anything and get your money back, at this point
I’m glad to hear that you still have the Geo Prism. At least you still have a means of getting to work
It’s also good to hear that the current mechanic showed you that the engine is seized, without a doubt. And it’s nice of him not to charge you. In the near future, when all is said and done, you might want to consider reimbursing him in some small way, or perhaps even telling your friends and coworkers what an honest guy he is. He might get some new customers. And at the very least, word on the street will be that he’s a decent and honest guy.
Needless to say, keep that Prizm excellently maintained, because you really need it now. If it’s got a timing belt, and you don’t know when it was done, now is the time. If it’s got an automatic transmission, service it every 30K. Hopefully, you’ve already been doing this.
Good luck
I’m sorry to hear that it really was seized. I think you are probably right about the seller, but I doubt you will ever prove it though.
The sad part is that this happened after only 3 weeks which means the OP is still on the hook financially for it unless the car was paid for with cash on hand.
The point could be made that replacing the engine is throwing good money after bad but:
IF the car is fairly clean otherwise…
IF a replacement engine can be found for a reasonable price…
IF the mechanic is willing to maybe cut you a deal on engine installation labor…
Repairing it may be feasible and at least there would be something to show for the outlay so far.
Otherwise, given the mileage and failed engine it’s a triple digit sale to someone who is interested in it. A lot could depend upon how much the car was purchased for.
If the Prizm body/interior is in worse shape than the Vibe, you might consider moving the engine and transmission from the Geo to the Vibe. The Vibe/Matrix are just station wagon versions of the Prizm/Corolla. You will probably have to move the engine control computers too, but you may have a ready-made donor car in your Prizm if the drive train is in decent condition.
A couple things. If you drove the car for 3 weeks and it ran well, I doubt the previous guy knew it was dying. Two, find a new mechanic to look at the car. Cars don’t just “sieze”. I think you might be getting conned by your mechanis.
Nothing personal philipp10 but if the person who started a thread has been absent for a while it is safe to assume they have left the building. And yes engines can seize.
I agree the OP is no longer around but for the rest of us, me thinks unless an actual oil pressure check was made maybe, and an oil analysis done, you’d be hard pressed to predict bearing problems. I don’t think these would be normal parts of an inspection but I’m no mechanic.
I’m more reluctant now about used cars because of people thinking they can just use synthetic and go 10,000 miles between oil changes. I use synthetic and change at 5000 but the dealers have never asked me for my maintenance history when trading the cars in. No one has even called me to ask before buying my trade ins. Without that info, its kind of the luck of the draw. But who except me changes oil at 5K and trades at 50K?
Yes, I stepped away, I needed to take a break from the whole situation for a little while because I kept second, third, and fourth guessing every decision I tried to make and finding myself unable to move forward.
Thanks everyone for the advice, especially the link to car-parts.com. I think I’ve decided to stick with this car. It’s a known quantity, and anything else I buy might just as easily have hidden problems too.
I found a likely engine, 86,000 miles on it and a Carfax that shows regular maintenance, right up until the car lost a fight with a deer. I can’t have a compression check done because the wrecked car isn’t in running condition, but the scrap yard will warranty the engine and the labor (if I have them do it) for 6 months. They can do the whole thing for around $2,500.
I think that’s a pretty decent deal and it’s time to throw the dice again.