Fix it or crush it?

[PandaBear]

About "miles off my other cars":

Wife won't drive this escort because it is too dirty and beat up, not comfortable, and did I say the AC is broken too?

I drive it whenever I am not taking my kids or go on highway (this car is so gutless it is hard to keep above 70mph). My Integra is already 255k miles so I'm not really concerned about adding miles to it.

Most importantly, my commute is only 8 miles a day, so it is unlikely I'll really save much miles driving this escort. Right now it is only adding around 3k miles a year.

 

[Nate1979]

Take the money and run. $1000 plus save at least $350 per year seems like an easy decision.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: oilboy123
I would take the 1K. I would feel cheap and used, but I would still take it.....


Agreed... If the city is going broke as the doomsayers claim, get you money now...

Probably worth more in CA than VA but around here you'd be lucky $1000 for one in condition described... In the end I'd sleep easy, not exactly like it's going to be a classic in the next 50 years...

 

[SeaJay]

FWIW, a older fellow on my block who used a similar vintage escort for a long commute to work and back, finally junked it after it had about 330,000 miles on it. He had it in the shop now and then but more for maintenance than any major repairs. And it was able to pass New York Metro area smog tests.

 

[SirTanon]

I see a few factors figuring into this...

- It has no working A/C

- This car is known to have multiple mechanical issues, which may or may not have begun to present themselves. My family had a few of these when I was younger, and they all had issues with door mechanisms breaking, too.

- The money it will take to make this a comfortable daily driver in summer will be substantial

- Even in good shape, with working A/C, this car is only worth about $1100 on KBB.com

.. add these up, and you're looking at quite a bit out of pocket in what I would consider relatively short time. Add that to the $1000 you'd also be out, and you're probably looking at an effective deficit to you of well over $1500.. or more.. for a car that will ultimately be worth far less and will still be of questionable reliability.

When you add that to the fact that you have 3 other newer working cars, at least one of which will get equivalent or better fuel economy, keeping it makes no sense.

Junk it, take the $1000, and save it for use on one of your other 3 cars (upkeep, gas, repairs, upgrades..)

 

[raytseng]

If you're even considering, just take the deal.
The state thinks your car is a gross polluter-even if it's passing right now, the smogcheck statistics that your make/model will statistically turn into gross polluter soon and trying to get you to volunteer to give up the car.

For those saying CA is stupid, you need to look at the forest through the trees and consider yourself lucky you don't have smog issues. Air quality is a good thing.
Example, if the reduction of smog reduces some kid with no health insurance having an asthma attack and having his healthcare paid by the state anyway then it's a net benefit to spend money to reduce smog then have a bunch of sick kids. That's just 1 use for air. I'm sure you can think of other things we need air for.

 

[Shrubitup]

Originally Posted By: dlundblad


I'd still try to fix it mainly to keep miles off my other cars.

I recently had two beaters for this exact reason.

#1: A '91 Honda Accord that I was T-boned in but was still drivable. Community didn't like me parking its ugly hulk after the accident at my home. Again, car ran/drove fine just had smashed in rear passenger side door and trunk area. So the enterprising youth of the area decide it a good target for vandalism. Several tire slashings and I gave up and sold it.

#2: A '98 Honda Civic that I purchased from co-worker. Great car but I found a bit of oil floating atop the coolant indicating the head gasket was about to blow. Sold it and didn't fix that. Along the way of course did a tune up and new tires.

Car I was saving miles on is a 07 Nissan Titan. In my climate while sitting outdoors in the driveway it developed a moderate underbody rust from sitting. It's not good for cars to sit. Won't make that mistake again.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: raytseng
If you're even considering, just take the deal.
The state thinks your car is a gross polluter-even if it's passing right now, the smogcheck statistics that your make/model will statistically turn into gross polluter soon and trying to get you to volunteer to give up the car.

For those saying CA is stupid, you need to look at the forest through the trees and consider yourself lucky you don't have smog issues. Air quality is a good thing.
Example, if the reduction of smog reduces some kid with no health insurance having an asthma attack and having his healthcare paid by the state anyway then it's a net benefit to spend money to reduce smog then have a bunch of sick kids. That's just 1 use for air. I'm sure you can think of other things we need air for.

Cost of keeping So Cal(especially LA area) smog under control is not cheap. We have special formula gas that costs about 15-20 cents extra to produce, multiply that to billions gallon a year that amount is not potato. One study some year ago claimed that a single gross polluter can foul the air as much as 40-50 new cars.

 

[camrydriver111]

I'd crush that POS. No sense fixing, driving, or trying to sell a crumbling Escort.

There have been advances in car safety in the last 20 years as well.

 

[PandaBear]

Car is gone...

While we were waiting at the junk yard for paperwork and testing, a fellow came up and ask if we were selling and he'll pay more than the yard. I asked him how much and he said the scrap metal price collapsed recently and offer $200, $100 more than what the yard would give for this car typically.

I told him BAAQMD gives me $1k, and he wished me good luck and left.