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Should I keep my broken 96 Ford Escort?
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skassal
Anonymous Poster
Dec 11, 2007, 11:27 PM
Post #1 of 3
(2442 views)
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Should I keep my broken 96 Ford Escort?
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My 96 Ford Escort wagon is in disrepair... again. My general philosophy in life is always to keep things as long as I can and repair rather than replace, but I am not sure what to do about this car. In January 2005 it broke down for the first time - it was the timing belt. Then it broke down again in May of 2006, leaving me with a VERY expensive repair of the inertia switch and the rear springs and struts. At this time I began to question whether it was worth spending so much money on my old car, but I did it. This month, I've had another problem making the car undrivable - the heater core is leaking. There are various "little" things wrong, too, both unrelated things and related things like the thermostat now being broken. The car has 128,000 miles, and I am racking up more fast.
So, my question: I am a freelance musician, which means that I am on the road a lot and absolutely need a reliable car. Also, money is REALLY tight for me. An $800 repair bill (for example) is a major expense, and I don't want to keep pouring money into a car that is going to keep breaking down and in the end will be worth nothing. On the other hand, I sure would like not to have to take out that loan for a newer used car! (Which, if I'm unlucky, could also turn out to be lemon, for all I know!) No one can predict the future of course, but does anyone have an opinion as to whether this car is likely to last awhile reliably if I do this repair and keep it or whether it is more likely to be a problem-causer and sinkhole for my money? With what I have spent in repairs in the past 3-4 years, I could be halfway financially to a much newer car.
I have been thinking of repairing it and trying to sell it and use what little I make towards my next car, but this car also has "minor" problems that will make it worth less, such as a speedometer that doesn't function properly and non-functioning air-conditioning (which I don't feel I can afford to repair.) Thanks for any advice.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Dec 12, 2007, 1:33 AM
Post #2 of 3
(2436 views)
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Re: Should I keep my broken 96 Ford Escort?
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I'd bail out and cut losses. Essentially the car sounds like it's worth nothing now so take your pick - buy this one and fix it or another that doesn't need fixing. It costs one way or the other,
T
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Guest
Anonymous Poster
Dec 12, 2007, 8:25 AM
Post #3 of 3
(2432 views)
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Re: Should I keep my broken 96 Ford Escort?
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you should sell the car but when getting another car it would be worth your time investing getting a new one. Because when u buy a used car you are putting yourself right back in the same situation u were in. The reason why is because technically anything that has more than 60,000 miles on it will have parts that might start to be going bad. so its not a matter of if they brake its a matter of when.
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