Looking for advice on my car dilemma

[Concrete Helmet]

Shhhhh... Im just fvkking w Crete here. Dont tell him.

I loved all my Toyota's, in fact I'll keep my Tundra for at least another 10 years or so. 1992 Celica-220,000 miles and given to ex Brother in Law who drove it until I lost touch a few years after. 2003 4Runner 60,000 miles never any issues before it became my ex's and was still in service for several years after she was no longer servicing me, 2002 Tacoma TRD Xcab V6 180,000, drove it like I stole it and still got $6,500 trade in(12 years old) with cloth seats and outboard motor oil saturated carpets....

 

[Swamp Donkey]

2003 4Runner 60,000 miles never any issues before it became my ex's and was still in service for several years after she was no longer servicing me,

It wasnt me this time, I promise!

 

[Concrete Helmet]

It wasnt me this time, I promise!

Shame because I would have bought you a lifetime supply of Rum if it had been. I was more pissed about losing the 4Runner than her.

 

[oxrageous]

Do they even exist anymore?

I was talking to a guy who runs an independent Porsche Audi shop who said so many of the CVTs cant be rebuilt at all. That is insane when you are talking about a tranny that substitutes a big ass belt for gears.

One of my friends, a surgeon, drove an old Mercedes 220/ 200 something that was a late sixties model well into the 2000s. He said he felt A LOT smarter than the people that were flushing 50k (then) in a depreciating assets on four wheels.

Was the engine over heating? You won't really know until the engine is apart, but I would feel pretty good about it not being a warped head or a cracked block if it wasn't overheating. if the engine was oveheating badly Id probably be less likely to roll the dice and spend the money.

In the end you're just going to have to decide whether you want the new car smell or not. Trump does need us to soend money. I've got a bit of new car fever myself.

No one has to buy a brand new car. Just a newer car with a reasonable amount of miles for pennies on the dollar of a new one.

 

[Bushmaster]

No one has to buy a brand new car. Just a newer car with a reasonable amount of miles for pennies on the dollar of a new one.

I quit buying new a long time ago. Bought my current truck from a client who trades at least once a year. Saved about 20K off the sticker,

 

[Swamp Donkey]

No one has to buy a brand new car. Just a newer car with a reasonable amount of miles for pennies on the dollar of a new one.

I have no doubt you are smart enough to do that but that's not most of the public.

 

[oxrageous]

I have no doubt you are smart enough to do that but that's not most of the public.

No, I'm not smart enough to do that. I overpaid for a brand-new truck last year.

 

[URGatorBait]

So what's the verdict @NVGator ?

 

[NVGator]

So what's the verdict @NVGator ?

There isn’t one yet. I used a product I researched called Fiberlock which is poured in the coolant and supposedly seals the leaks. I’m going to pray I make it to Labor Day as dealerships are always running some kind of promotion.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

There isn’t one yet. I used a product I researched called Fiberlock which is poured in the coolant and supposedly seals the leaks. .

Ok..... might be too late bc that garbage often clogs small coolant passages ways but if miracle in a can is your first choice, go with the Subaru head gasket seal conditioner. it won't promise to seal a crack in the middle or whatever but it actually does recondition rubber head gasket seals if you do in fact have rubber in there and I'm not sure what the seal Toyota 4 liter is. (Some of the gaskets are just soft metal, it wont help that.)

 

[Swamp Donkey]

There isn’t one yet. I used a product I researched called Fiberlock which is poured in the coolant and supposedly seals the leaks. I’m going to pray I make it to Labor Day as dealerships are always running some kind of promotion.

the end of the month is always good to buy a car. the salesman and the dealership get bonuses based on how many they sell that month, even LARGE bonuses from the manufacturer. obviously if you're willing to buy last year's model you get bigger discount but you take a much bigger hit depreciation immediately. if you are a keep a car forever guy it may not matter.

A fiend of mine just got a new Jeep Compass for his son for something crazy like 16 Grand minus trade in. Why does Jeep have a Compass and a Renegad? who knows. that's probably why they're on sale.

Just remember that cost of insurance and cost of depreciation are also costs of ownership, too, not just cost of repairs.

The proper way to view that old 4Runner is how much will it cost for me to get another hundred thousand miles. you're in Nevada. I'm sure it's not rusty.

also a thought, especially on the West coast they have used engines from Japan available relatively cheap. the Japanese have very strict regulations that basically require them to take their vehicles off the road at a very low mileage.

 

[g8r.tom]

No one has to buy a brand new car. Just a newer car with a reasonable amount of miles for pennies on the dollar of a new one.

Or buy new and drive it 15 years.

 

[Bushmaster]

No, I'm not smart enough to do that. I overpaid for a brand-new truck last year.

Should have offered a membership here and 100,000 oxbucks.

Damn trucks are getting ridiculously expensive!! My F250 will sticker at $70k plus right now. The sticker when I bought it was $67k. I paid $46k and it was one year old. I knew the owner and he is a good friend. He likes new. I like cheap.

 

[Gator By Marriage]

No, I'm not smart enough to do that. I overpaid for a brand-new truck last year.

You got a like for candor.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

Here's the best advice I can offer a friend like you....pick up the phone and dial....
[

 

[MJMGator]

Don’t listen to all those penny pinching m’fers and just buy a new truck you cheap bastard. One of life’s greatest joys is driving off the lot with a brand new ride! Just make sure you do your homework and they aren’t all booking trips to the Caribbean while you’re signing the paperwork.

 

[NovaGator]

At this point the vehicle has become a money pit. You are looking at around $2500 to
do the repairs that you mentioned. And that is just the beginning. Then will come the starter,
alternator, timing belt (or chain) battery, front and rear oil seals, transmission issues, rear brakes,
and on and on and on. You just won't believe how many things can go bad all at once.

Take the old bomb to your nearest Toyota and tell them you are interested in trading up.
Do it at the end of the month when every one is trying to make their bonus quota. Look for
a low mileage one 3 or 4 years old. It should give you 8 to 10 years of service. It may even have a
couple years of factory warranty left on it. Believe me, you are hearing from someone who has learned
the hard way. You will come out ahead in the long run, and all of your current and future head aches will become the dealer's problems. But he will just take the poor old thing to the local auction and lay it off on some Podunk little used car lot who in turn will sell it "as is" to some unsuspecting sucker who will then face the same dilemma that you have now. Good luck!

 

[oxrageous]

The mechanic says to the customer: “You want a ballpark figure? Strike 3.”

 

[jeeping8r]

I have a few of those customers, The ones who keep throwing money at a POS car because it hasn't broken in a major way....... Yet.
Every car breaks eventually, They're man made and mechanical.