It has 200,000 miles on it and I heard some noises, my mechanic said that i need to replace breaks, all belts and timing belt which will cost $900. Is it worth investing this amount into a car that has 200,000 miles on it but I also know that civics can last til 300,00 miles? Help me make my decision!
Thank you.
Have your mechanic do an inspection of your car to see what might be coming up in the next year, tire suspension transmission etc. Are they changing out the water pump too? Have you done regular maintenance? trans fluid oil changes, radiator flush etc? 95 is pretty old, and you are probably going to be investing in depreciation or repairs. Do you commute long miles where a dependable car is imperative?
Thanks. Good questions, I will take notes and ask my mechanic these questions. We have taken pretty good care of it, oil changes and regular check ups and our mechanic is good and honest. But he won’t give me advice on this, he just keeps saying that it is my decision.
Thanks again for your time and help.
My thought given the report, 900 is not a lot to spend as these are regular maintenance type items, and if you are ready to deal with possible loss of reliability for trips etc. you could be better off doing the repairs. At 15k estimated per year and 260 a month estimated for new I would do the repairs, based on the mechanic report if you are happy driving the car.
Thanks so much, that helps. I think it is worth it, even if I just keep the car another year or two. I love the car, it has been very good to us.
$900 is like three months of car payments. Do you think the car would last 4 months? You can also get a quote from some one else on the repairs but the price seems reasonable.
Thanks for your advise, that makes a lot of sense thinking of it in terms of car payments.
These tips are really helping with my decision.
At 200,000 miles, it isn’t worth it. It could also be a coin-flip decision.
I just spoke with a mechanic that thinks he can do it for about $500, is it worth it then?
If the car is in decent shape other that what needs work, then fix it. Like was said, these are all routine maintenance items. The money isn’t much considering the cost of a newer car which will also need maintenance. The time to dump it is when a major component fails. I would spend a few extra bucks on other stuff like plugs, trans fluid change, coolant change, etc. while you’re at it. You could easily get a few more years out of it.
Thanks. Yes, you have all helped me make my decision. I think that is what i will do, put some money into it and do the repairs plus the fluid changes, plugs, etc and then get a few more years out of her.
Thank you all for taking the time to help me out!
I would do it if it was my Civic. Mine is a 1998 DX, and I plan to keep it running until it has at least 300,000 miles. If you want to keep yours running for another 100,000 miles, go ahead and get the work done. I have recently had all my belts and radiator hoses replaced, so I am now faced with replacing all the small hoses at the back of the engine, which I plan to do when I get to 200,000 miles (I am at 185,000 right now).
Does yours have a manual transmission or an automatic transmission? When was the last time you had the transmission fluid changed? If it is a manual, is the clutch in good condition?
All the items you mentioned either wear out from use or age. If the body is good and the seats are comfy the $500 is worth it. Now if you were asking about replacing the transmission or it needed a new engine, the answer would be no.
At this age you need to be prepared to spend more money on repairs. The radiator is old, the transmission is old, starter, alternator, etc., are all old. Each of these items good last years or go tomorrow. The longer you keep the car the more likely something will wear out.
Some owners of older cars neglect maintenance (oil changes, trans fluid changes etc.). If you keep it maintained according to the mfg recommendations the car could last 300K miles and beyond. Your mechanic doesn’t want to charge you a lot of money and then give you more bad news a week later when something else goes wrong. That’s why he wants it to be your decision. I’d spend the $500 and hopefully that will keep it going for a few more years.