need help with what to do....

hey everyone,

well my wife's 93 camry is finally starting to really act up. the load distribution valve broke (just the pin) and now the brakes lock up all the time after she parks it. the mechanic told me not to bother fixing it since i would have to do the brakes lines with it and the car is too old in his opinion. the price quoted just to replace the ldv and brake lines was $1800. the starter will need to be replaced likely within a year. the exhaust is very rusty and will likely need to be replaced within a year or so. the windshield is pitted badly and should be replaced this summer. this is all i can remember right now.... now my wife has just signed up for college this fall and needs a vehicle to get to school since it is not close to home nor transit. my question is, should i just say f''' it and get something else for her? the problem is though that because she is going to school, money is going to get really tight in the fall. in your opinions would a used matrix/corolla from a dealership for 10 000 cad be a good choice for a few years or should i look for something cheaper? i know her coworker just bought a pontiac something and pays very little a month. so should i just buy her a new cheap pos or risk getting an older yota from the stealership?

sorry for the long rant but i have no friggin clue what i should do right now.

thanks guys

 

Well you could donate the old car and get the tax deduction and then buy something else and take the tax deduction for interest and tax on the on that you purchase with the new stim. package.

 

i'm in canada and we dont get any benefits from the stimulus package here...useless government, sad thing is i will likely have to pay to get rid of the car

 

sorry I missed that part......that bites that you would have to pay to get rid of it to only pay to get something else......get it running good enough and trade it in...

 

there's so much that i would have to do...i frigure just to get it up to certification i would have to do about $5000 worth or repairs.

 

Just does not seem right or worth it. I lived in Oregon that had certifications that you had to keep your car in a certain running order and I knew several people there that it would cost more than what the car was worth just to pass DEQ cert. Good luck with all of that.

 

thanks going to need all the luck i can get

 

Your best bet is to figure out what your budget will be and then go look for something. It boils down to what you can afford. I prefer going new, because I don't want to inherit someone else's problem, and I plan on keeping it for a LONG time. A new cheaper car with a warranty would be better than used with no warranty IMHO.

 

you make a good point about the warranty. thanks for pointing that out!

 

i've never worked on a vehicle... i can anything you ask with wood but when it comes to vehicles all i know how to do is fluid changes mostly

 

Lol thanks chris, my man card is in jeopardy.... i how how to do basic things (taking off nuts and bolts, grinding/cutting rusted shit off, changing tires, etc). i should have just said that i wouldnt know what to do it properly (how to redue all the brake lines and making sure i dont fuck something up by not removing them a certain way, etc etc).

 

whoo well after all this crap with the old camry we went to the stealership to look at a 05 corolla tonight and almost ended up buying it. well there, the wifey saw a yaris she liked and got me to ask for a price quote. well surprisingly for the exact same amount each month, we ended up buying a brand new 2009 yaris sedan!!!!!!! big relief for me, got the wife a brand new car! odo reading was 11 kms!!!

 

'09 Yaris....Low monthly payment,rock solid reliability,full warranty and sips gas?

Nice move Brandan,you won't regret that one!

 

thanks Marc! i'm very happy that it worked out, just got the call from my buddy (the dealer) and everything has been approved! even tossed in a set of all weather mats for free!

 

Definately a good move. Toyota's most reliable vehicles are their little economy cars. I had a Tercel which was the Yaris of the 90's and that car was unstoppable. I miss it and wish I still had it.

 

thanks chris!!