# Should I Pay To Fix or Sell/Trade?



## phreesoal (Apr 28, 2005)

Some of you may have followed my 2 page thread *here*http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?t=104072 about my '93 Max GXE most recently being very sluggish & skipping. This happens when the car is cold (has sat for awhile), I crank it and immediately start driving it.

It's still doing it, but if I warm the car approx 10 min before driving, it does not do it as badly. The longer I drive the car, the sluggishness goes away. 

I've had the car diagnosed for various things and here's the final analysis of the major problems from the most recent Nissan specialist:

-No transmission problems
-Need new motor mounts 
-Need new timing belt (was last replaced in '98)
-Need new water pump
-Need new tensioner
-Need new belts
-Need new shifter bushings

The price to do all of the above work with parts is approx *$1,391* ($680 for the timing belt, water pump, belts and tensioner; $620 for the motor mounts, shifter bushings; then add 7% tax). They said the shifter bushings being worn is why I'm having the sluggishness when driving it immediately from a long sit, versus letting it warm up. 

I'm at a crossroads, as this is currently my only means of transportation and I need a car to last at least 2 years. I bought it in April of this year from a college student who claimed it was in very good shape. 

I've already replaced left & right busted CV joints, put 4 new tires on it there were terribly worn and it's been in an accident - I found this out after I took ownership of it. There are new brakes needed, I'm concerned about other "sounds" upon stopping (could be needed motor mounts) and I've yet to get a tune-up. 

I paid $2,000 for the car & have currently put about $1k into it. According to KBB, I should've paid $1,775 for the private party value in "fair" condition. I'm merely seeking advice on putting an additional $2k-$3k into a car worth less than $2k, or consider selling it/trading it? My first mind is telling me to rid of it.

Await your replies...

PS


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

well, it's still a good car.
the parts you're talking about are all regular maintenance items that would wear out in the lifetime of any car.
the timing belt must be done every 60,000 miles- otherwise you get to buy a new engine when it breaks.. that'll run around $2000 minimum if you pay someoen to swap it.

If you can do the work yourself, you can save a LOT of money. you're looking at $3-400 in parts instead of thousands.
timing belt, water pump, drive belts, tensioner, etc are all a 1 day job and will cost around $250 in parts.
engine mounts, you can repair them by filling with urethane for about $30-40, or you can replace them at about $50 each. two of them are $30-40 and the other two are about $100 each.. most likely it's going to be your front and rear engine mounts that are worn out, and they are the toughest to replace. still nothing you can't do in your driveway in an afternoon though.

If you want to keep the car and are willing to get your hands dirty- or enlist the help of some locals, try going to maxima.org and poke around in the regional forums.. see if you can hire another local Maxima owner to come by and help- either bribe them with beer, food, money, or all of the above. I find that works very well among the other college students that wouldn't mind making a couple hundred bucks for a couple days work.


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## phreesoal (Apr 28, 2005)

Matt, I thank you for the info. 

You're right about the pricing of the parts, as I've priced them out on my own and found that I could spend much less.

Honestly, as a lady, I'm confortable with checking/refilling fluids but beyond that, I am not.  

I am calling around to find if I can get this done for cheaper, if I buy my own parts. I'll check the boards too to find anyone here who is in/around the Triad NC to offer some help. Thanks for that suggestion! 

PS


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## alexnds (Oct 1, 2005)

phreesoal said:


> Matt, I thank you for the info.
> 
> You're right about the pricing of the parts, as I've priced them out on my own and found that I could spend much less.
> 
> ...


and
My advice is keep the car. You'll get almost nothing for it if trying to sell it and the car is no longer a high demand car. You've already put so much money into it, you're sort of commited to getting along a bit further in its path to recovery. The water pump and timing belt are the most important repairs, since if there is no coolant flow,goodbye engine. If the timing belt would have broken, the pistons would have went into the valves and also goodbye engine. All the other belts keep your accessories working, like your A/C compressor, power steering pump and so forth. While it will not make the accessories new, it will prevent failure due to a simple thing like rubber belt breaking and keeping you stranded. So in essense, the water pump, timing belt and outer belt are all cheap insurance and you've just added another 60k miles into the engine. The other stuff you mentioned are all "maintence" type stuff, not repair stuff. Basically, the car is old and things wear. But the heart of the car, the tranny and the motor, are in good shape. If you do as suggested, you got yourself cheap daily transportation that can last at least 3 more years. The cost of all items combined is still less than 3 car payments on a new car. That's my advice. I hope it helps.


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