I have a Saturn LS 2000 (nee Opel) I love it.
It has 140,000 miles. How many more miles before I get a repair bill of $2000 or more
Larry, that depends on many, many factors, such as:
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Has the vehicle been maintained by the book since new?
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How many times have the timing belt and the water pump beenm changed?
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Has this car ever overheated?
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Has this car ever had a head gasket problem?
These are some of the questions you need to answer before anyone can even comment.
If the Saturn is basically an Opel, all future repairs will be relatively expensive, so I would budget for at least $1200 per year from now on.
The life expectancy of modern cars is at least 200,000 miles WITH PROPER MAINTENANCE. Without it, you should prepare yourself for one of those $2000 repairs soon.
Honestly between 0-200,000 miles for a $2000+ repair.
At this point sheer luck is the primary factor in repairs.
I had a 1995 Ford Aerostar. It racked up 342,000 miles in 10 years and it needed a new transmission, about $2000 worth. I sold it and bought a stupid XXXX that cost me $4000 of repairs (including a new transmission) in the five months I owned it.
I soooo wish I had put the transmission in the old Ford.
I’ve learned my lesson. Until the cost of repairs comes out to an average monthly total that equals or exceeds a monthly payment (including higher insurance for a newer car) I’m repairing the old one.
Lary, I know I could do it but I give you a suggestion. Look up reviews of your engine type,see if any major problems are known (like intake gaskets for other GM’s) are you still running DexCool? if yes do a real good replacement with I am going to say “normal green” but look that up also.
I had a 1990 Ford Aerostar that I wish I hadn’t sold. I didn’t like the replacement Ford Windstar nearly as well. I now have a Chevrolet Uplander and it isn’t the equal of the Aerostar either.
The point is that if you like a car, it’s o.k. to do reasonable repairs as long as the frame isn’t rusted or the car isn’t unsafe to drive.