Hi, I’m one of those who didn’t find out about the intake manifold gasket/bogus coolant problem (and reimbursement period ending in 2008!), and am now stuck either replacing basically all of the gaskets and some other general repair issues which I don’t have an issue with at 100,000 miles. (manifold gasket alone is around $600) I can’t afford to buy another car right now, but should I sell it, trade it in for something cheaper but reliable, not drive it much until I can afford the repairs, or something else? Any help will really be appreciated.
If you can’t afford the maintenance/repairs on this car, you can’t afford to buy another car.
Maintaining a car almost always costs less then replacing one. Have you shopped for cheaper prices on the needed work? If you’re getting prices from a dealer you can probably do better elsewhere.
fix it. If your budget is below $4000 for a newer vehicle the likely case it will be a heap of trouble in a newer vehicle also.
A $1000 to repair this car is money well spent.
I agree. A relatively small investment in the Buick will allow you to drive it for years to come. It’s the smart thing to do because you will be saving money on a daily basis.
Think of the $600 as two $300/month car payments. A word of caution, how long has the intake manifold gasket been leaking and how much coolant is getting into the oil?
My independent mechanic determined the intake manifold gasket on my 2000 Blazer was leaking. At the time the Blazer had 44k miles. He was adamant that I get it repaired immediately. His rationale was that any amount of coolant in the oil would displace the oil on the main bearings and damage the engine in a short time. I had the repair done immediately and the Blazer suffered no long term damage (~116k and still going).
If the gasket has been leaking for any length of time the engine may already be damaged goods.
Ed B.