# Should I keep spending money on my current ride? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [June 19, 2007, 11:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-keep-spending-money-on-my-current-ride/740 "2007-06-19T23:42:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![john\_haff](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/john_haff/32/169_2.png) [@john\_haff](https://community.cartalk.com/u/john_haff)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 11:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-keep-spending-money-on-my-current-ride/740/1 "2007-06-19T23:42:12Z")
Hello everybody! My 95 escort consumes about a quart of oil every 1000 miles. other than that it runs pretty good. Is the oil consumption a sign that compression will soon deminish or possibly exhaust will escape past the piston rings? My escort currently has 177,000 miles on it. Should I be saving for a reman motor to replace the current old one or should I be saving for a new comparably priced, (cheap!) car that might serve me better? Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/1/d/1d47c66a543aa6c5a7873bb2320858f978ff52ed.png) [@system](https://community.cartalk.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 11:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-keep-spending-money-on-my-current-ride/740/2 "2007-06-19T23:50:17Z")
I would not waste the money on reman engine for this vehicle. A quart of inexpensive oil is still around $1.You can potentially go another 100,000 miles for $100. Much better than wasting money on a new motor. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 11:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-keep-spending-money-on-my-current-ride/740/3 "2007-06-19T23:55:58Z")
It does depend on just why it is using oil, but it is not an unfair guess that it is a worn engine and personally I doubt if I would put that kind of money in that car. Maybe if I had a son who wanted it as a project car, but not normally. ---
**Author:** ![Beadsandbeads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@Beadsandbeads](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Beadsandbeads)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 12:57am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-keep-spending-money-on-my-current-ride/740/4 "2007-06-20T00:57:52Z")
Put oil in it and keep driving it until it dies. Save your dough for a newer car. Is it burning the oil or leaking it? One option, if the engine dies and the rest of the car is in great shape, is to have a salvage yard put in an engine from a low-mileage wreck. Since Escorts were terminated in 2003, a low-mileage wreck might be difficult to find, but my wife just bought a 2002 with 24K on the clock. No, we have no plans to wreck it. ---
**Author:** ![Scooter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Scooter](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Scooter)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 3:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-keep-spending-money-on-my-current-ride/740/5 "2007-06-20T03:56:47Z")
I have a 99 SL2 (Saturn) that is using 1 quart per 1,000 miles. It is running fantastic. There are compression rings, and oil control rings. On many cars the oil control rings become dirty and ineffective. It is common with the Saturn engines, and some Corollas had problems. I would perhaps change the brand/weight of oil. Some oils are on the thick side. Actually, I will be using an HDEO oil next. Rotolla-T. The 10w-30 is a heavy 30 weight oil, with a robust additive package. One Saturn member will reach the 500,000 mile mark in July with an oil burning Saturn. I would just keep the oil topped off, change it often, not worry about it. I just checked Luke’s signature: 95 SL 2 = 498,125 Miles 41.73 MPG, as of 6/18/07 ---
**Author:** ![pleasedodgevan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@pleasedodgevan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pleasedodgevan)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 4:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-keep-spending-money-on-my-current-ride/740/6 "2007-06-20T04:38:05Z")
If the oil is burning try a quart of straight 40wt next time the engine needs one. Oil consumotion may slow down. You have nothing to lose. Have the front end alignment checked if it hasn’t been done in over three years. You don’t want surprises on the road. You can keep on driving, maybe a couple of years.