I have a '92 Acura Legend with 142K miles on it. I’m wondering if it is worth the repair. The car has had few problems over its lifetime but I am hesitant to invest $1000 in a car that might only last so long.
A new car off the lot may have problems tomorrow.
A thousand dollars is not a lot, even if you only get a few more years out of it. I don’t recall if your car is an interference engine, but if it is and the belt goes the value of your car likely will suddenly hit zero.
I have owned a 91 Legend Coupe, 92 Sedan, 94 Coupe, and they were great cars. But they must be maintained. Had a tranny failure on the 91 at 74K and just put in used one for about $1000 at the time. The 94 Coupe had the tranny replaced by the factory even though it was beyond warrantee by several thousand miles. The only other issue is absolute maintenance of the cooling system and don’t hesitate to replace the radiator at this age. The tanks were made of plastic and tended to fracture at attachment points. I sold my 94 Coupe for $10K with 160,000 miles and it looked brand new and ran perfectly…hated to part with it.
You have the wrong mindset. A timing belt is not a repair but maintenance. I am unclear why it is $1000 to change one out.
I am unclear where $1000 comes from(dealer?). Seems very steep, keep dialing for the cheapest estimate.
If you’re not willing to spend the money, please sell your car to me. You’d have to deliver it, of course.
Seriously:
A Legend with only 142K miles is worth maintaining, and a timing belt is maintenance, not repair. Your car, with proper maintenance, might last 250,000 - 300,000 miles.
Don’t cheap out now. Your Legend will last many more years if you take care of it.
There must be other issues with the car that make you hesitate at timing belt replacement.