Impasse

I'm at an impasse, a fork in the road, and I don't know which way to go.  Here's the deal ... I was given a 1992 Toyota Previa by my friend's brother in October.  At the time, I knew that I would to invest in some body work (he hit a pole, so the front end needs work) and a radiator.  Not bad, hey?  So I pay $450 for a new water pump and thermometer (and a new battery, oil change, etc).  Then something goes wrong with the exhaust, and I pay another $450 for a custom exhaust system.  Then I wind up blowing a gasket/spark plug, and that costs me yet another $900.  So now this "free" van has cost me $1800, and I haven't touched the body work yet. 

THEN ... I discover despite the water pump, I'm now leaking radiator fluid, so I know that'll be another $400.  I figure I'll get an estimate from an auto body shop ... it just came in today, and they want $3802.09 - to do the body work, plus a radiator, plus an air conditioning condenser.  All this for a 1992 van with 160K miles on it.

The impasse?  Should I do the repairs?  Or cut my losses?  On one hand, doing all these repairs basically will extend the life of the van, but what if the all wheel drive goes out or transmission?  Basically this "free" van is now up to $5600.  For a 14 year old van. I know Toyotas run forever, but geez!  Oh yeah ... my friend's brother also mentioned that they took the van on trips to Florida, and after a day of driving, the steering wheel would shimmy.  When they got an estimate, it was $2000.  So now we're up to $7600, and haven't touched the all wheel drive or transmission. 

Faced with a decision, I did what I do best ... surf the internet *LOL* And I think I've found a really great deal on three vans at a local car dealer:  1996 Chrysler Town & Country Sport LXI, a 1995 Nissan Quest GXE, and a 1999 Pontiac Montana.  And they'd all more or less cost me what it would cost to fix my Previa.

So what should I do?

Comments

[Dawn]

Buy a new (used) one, definately! That or get estimates from other shops- you are being rooked. That is way too much money to pay for repairs.

Or find a mechanic to do the simple work for you. (I like being married to a mechanic)