Authors addendum 5/10/2007 : As I started to make repairs on the Maxima, more problem started to emerge. As I see them, I'm actually more excited about having a fun project to work on. But, I've come to realize that the maxima has to be just that..a project. Not our main family car that we rely on to get to groceries, slurpees, medicine and church. So, we're back in the market for a new car, and will plan on keeping the max unless a dealer wants to give us a decent trade-in for it. (And believe me, my ideas of decent for this car are low) .In the end, I need to have my family driving around in a car in which they feel safe, and that we can expect to last 5-10 years. And I also hope I get to keep my project car. I have a sentimental attachment to it. :)
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So, it's finally time to get our Nissan Maxima through the Maryland safety inspection. Our Kansas plates run out at the end of May. I had the inspection done, and it turns out that a few things need to be brought "up to code" as they say. Namely, the following need to be replaced:
- Steering rack and pinion
- Break rotors (What?! I replaced them both last year! Might be under warranty)
- Front-right tire (Might also be under warranty)
- Some light bulb
- One of the rear view mirrors (cracked and broken)
- Parking brake(not replaced, but adjusted)
$1200? Hmmm. It's a 14 year old car with 145,000 miles on it, 100,000 of which we've put on it over the past 7 years. We seem to have that car in the shop too much lately as well. Is it worth it?
Well, to make a getting-too-long-story shorter, we looked at a bunch of used cars. Everything in our price range doesn't really work for us. And most used car places were willing to give us only $300-$500 for our Maxima!
So, we finally decided to fix it, and keep it going for a few more years. I think it's got another 50k in there. I can fix it for only a few hundred dollars, saving us a ton. It's a big project, and I'm look forward to getting my hands dirty, and keeping our savings where it belongs.
9 comments:
Good call. Looking at the facts, 50k miles for a few hundred dollars is not a bad deal. Plus, I know that I get a little boost to my manly-ness when I take the car apart, put it back together, and it works! Ah… yes. Plus, with the internet and a Chilton’s Guide, you can fix most things on your own.
Well, if you can fix a catalytic converter for that price maybe we could go without buying another car for a few years too. I think you've made a good decision. It kind of takes the pressure off. How was the auction?
Ugh! That sounds hard, but I'm sure you can do it. The good new is, you don't have to do this again for a long time (if ever, I think). MD is really picky, but you don't have to do it all the time.
Yeah, that's a funny thing about MD. Pretty strict safety inspection, but the next day, you can drive your car without tires or doors and no one would ever care.
In Kansas, there were no safety or emissions tests ever. You just showed up once, and proved that your car had a VIN and you were done.
Emily, we never made it to the auction. We ended up staying around here looking at cars from used car lots. Ugh.
Emily, that converter on your Taurus can probably be found for a few hundred dollars. (Depending on the year, 200-300.) I'm game for giving it a shot, if you're serious.
It is kinda like pulling teeth. Sometimes it needs to be done. You don't want to. But you gotta. I'm told, there are tons of excellent-priced BMWs in Southern Cal. Everyone's got to have this year's model, so they trade them in yearly, and nobody wants to be seen in last year's, so, they sell for way less than the same car would in, say, SLC.
Don't tell KC that. He might take it into consideration. I'm ready to let go of my good old car. I've let my mind go too far into thinking I'm getting one. Maybe we should be smart and keep it going. Oh well.
You should check your roter gerter to make sure it is ok! We have the same dilema with the van. It has about the same miles, and will be about 1500.00 to fix the wreck. The fixing place keeps not getting to it, so now we don't know if we should just bag it and get a new car we can all fit in-- Then Todd could drive the passat when he doesn't need a gas guzzling truck. What to do!
Ha, very sneaky with the revisited addition. I wonder if any has noticed. Well, I think you did a fine job with the replacement car. In fact I want to find one close to that style. We'll have to try the place you went.
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