Until recently my intrepid has done what it needed to do.
here is what is wrong with my car
-extremely loose tie rods
-grommets missing
-in need of an alignment
-new fuses for my horn/radio
-new battery (corroded)
-new belts (they're really badly cracked %26amp; frayed)
-the brake fluid is at 100ppm when it is required to be at at at least 200ppm
-really really really really loose steering
-has been over 50,000 on the same shocks %26amp; struts
-exhaust system leaking
-engine fluid leaks
-slow leak in RF tire
-need two more tires (^^ including above)
My sister was the one that had the car before me, and didn't do preventive maintenance on it at all, and only changed the oil when it absolutely needed it, instead of after ever 3,000 miles.
The cost to replace the tie rods %26amp; get a new grommet would cost me $436.61 (mainly because of the time it would take to replace it)
That does NOT include the other replacements that are obviously needed. and.. clearly, i cannot afford this sort of maintenance until after about two months. I have a cell phone bill, insurance, and basic necessities to pay for first, so that is why it would take me that long (at the very least).. and i cant go without it, and I made an agreement with my parents that i would take care of everything myself aside from rent/gas/electric/water once I got a job, and I absolutely refuse to ask my parents to help, because I would have to pay them back, and I don't know how long that would take me, and I hate the feeling of owing someone money, I have always been very good with paying people back because of that. I hate it! Also, Especially with how the economy is going, I want to be able to learn on my own how to deal with saving money without asking others for help, I want to do this on my own!
Now, that you know that ^^ here are the choices.
- I can either, take advantage of all the specials that car dealerships are presenting because they are desperate for sales, and get a much newer car that would only need maintenance checks and oil changes for a while, or - spend another 1,000 on the car I have now. After graduation in December.. I graduate early, ( I am guaranteed a waitress job for day shift) I can make enough to pay from the job i have now for the basic needs, and then my serving job to pay off the car within a reasonable amount of time.
I was looking at getting either some sort of KIA or an 05-07 chevy cobalt
Which, in the long run, do you think would be a smarter choice?(what would save me the most money, I plan on keep this car, whichever it turns out to be, for a very long time)
If you say keep my current car, what ways can i go about saving money on the costs, and how could i get it done in a faster process
If you say go with getting a newer car, What car would be best for me? I need something cheap, but obviously more reliable than my 14-year-old dodge. Also, it needs to have good gas mileage!
Thank you so much for all of your answers!!
Car trouble with today's economy, what should i do?the tie rods need replaced right away. thats a major safty issue. leaky engine is lower on the list. just make sure to check and top off the fluids. I get so angry with car dealer and mechanics. Some are good but a lot rip people off. My advice to you is this. either but a maintenance manual for your car, and do serious research on the internet and learn to fix your car yourself, which is how i learned to do all the work on my car, or find a friend who knows abotu this stuff and see if you can get him/her to help you for the cost of parts and a couple pizzas. if you buy another car, i would get a toyota or honda, they are the most reliable in my opinion, stay away from kia, hyundia, and ford. also, make sure to check www.craigslist.com for your area and the classifieds in the paper, because you can almost always get better deals when buying from an individual instead of a dealer. also, if you finance the car, be cause what interest rate they give you, don't get a loan for more than 8% apr. goign to school you will get enough loans, you don't need to be paying off a car too at an impossible high interest rate
