So I have an old '88 Caprice and I need advice about fixing or junking it.
Backstory: I have 4 cars, my daily is a 2013 Chevy Volt with 100K on it. I also have this '88 Caprice which is a tad sentimental because it was a hand-me-down from my grandmother. The other 2 are collector cars that don't get driven in the rain, but I will use occasionally to get to work on a sunny day.
I live 44 miles from work, so the main purpose of the '88 is to be backup to the Volt. I haven't had too many issues with the Volt, but now that it hit 100k, I might. The Caprice came in real handy a few years ago when I hit a deer in the Volt and it took 7 weeks to repair.
The Caprice has a rusted brake line, a dead battery, and both insurance and registration are up for renewal next month, so to keep it on the road is going to be a bit pricey. Paying for the repairs is not a problem, but I don't want to waste money needlessly. I'll be bringing it to a shop for the brake line.
Other issues I won't be fixing include a little bit of trans fluid leaking out of the tailshaft, the valve stem seals leak (it burns a bit of oil). The a/c compressor is also leaking; I might just take the belt off so it doesn't fling oil around.
If I junk the Caprice, I will not be replacing it for the foreseeable future. Do you think it's worth another year of insurance, registration, a new battery and the brake line repair or is this the time to part with it? I can't make a decision here.
Thanks in advance!
Keep it or junk it?
- Thread starter brentalan
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Nick1994
$100 site donor 2023
If you like the car for the sentimental value, keep it. You will probably regret junking it one day.
My Jeep was my grandfather's, while he is still alive, I still have a lot of sentimental value with it. We spent a lot of time in it going out to his gold mine in western Arizona when I was growing up, and I will never sell it. It too is a money pit, but that's ok.
Depends on parking space, if the wife wants it gone, etc ... Get a pulse charger for the next battery so it's always ready to try starting.
You have not said how old the tires are? How long will the gas be sitting?
They're all money pits, from day one ...
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I do like it for the sentimental value and as a spare. Those are the only two things keeping it. I suspect if it were not my grandmother's it would be a straightforward decision.
OTOH, I probably wouldn't keep it if the motor seized or something.
Parked outside for the last ten years. I'm out of garage spots. No wife to worry about.
Tires are about 5 years old and have decent tread. If it's running, I'll likely take it to work one day a week, so the gas won't go stale and ~500mi/week on the Volt is adding up.
Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
Depends on parking space, if the wife wants it gone, etc ... Get a pulse charger for the next battery so it's always ready to try starting.
You have not said how old the tires are? How long will the gas be sitting?
They're all money pits, from day one ...
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2023
Originally Posted By: brentalan
I do like it for the sentimental value and as a spare. Those are the only two things keeping it. I suspect if it were not my grandmother's it would be a straightforward decision.
OTOH, I probably wouldn't keep it if the motor seized or something.
Junk it
People are getting tax refunds and "earned" income credit back right now. I'm sure you can sell the Caprice as is to someone
that wants to donk it:
Drive it to work at least once every 10-15 days, buy cheap good used tires when needed.
If all it needs is a brake line and a battery, it's a lot cheaper to own than a rental car for 7 weeks, as was the case earlier.
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This is just one glaring reason why cultures have difficulty mixing. I just shake my head.
No one is successfully teaching the people who build these cars how to handle money.
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
People are getting tax refunds and "earned" income credit back right now. I'm sure you can sell the Caprice as is to someone
that wants to donk it:
I would find something smaller to remember your grandmother by. I would sell it. If you really get in a pinch and Volt is out of commission you can rent a car by the week.
I could understand junking it because of a bad engine or transmission, but a bad brake line? For me, that's $10 in materials and about 2 hours in the garage to fix. That's like junking a car because it has a burnt out headlight bulb.
This aging Chevy has value mainly for someone who would prize an old B-body.
Fix the brake line, stuff a $48.00 Walmart battery in it and sell it.
Believe me, this thing does have too much value to junk especially since the yard would fix it enough to sell anyway.
Pick up rental car coverage (cheap) on your Volt's insurance and you have no worries.
Originally Posted By: exranger06
I could understand junking it because of a bad engine or transmission, but a bad brake line? For me, that's $10 in materials and about 2 hours in the garage to fix. That's like junking a car because it has a burnt out headlight bulb.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Originally Posted By: Donald
I would find something smaller to remember your grandmother by.
I understand sentimental value but cars will eventually rust or have other issues down the road. Id say junk it. Its too old and other parts will fail. Take what you would spend on fixing it and put that money aside for your future car purchase. Guess it depends on how well it was maintained and cost of the repairs.
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