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Same model car. The timing belt and water pump are due at 100k miles. Car A has 98k miles, and this service has not been done. Car B has 120k miles and is 20k overdue. This would suggest the owner didn't keep up with other maintenance, although its hard to tell. Dealership says they will do the $880 timing belt and water pump included in the price of Car B. How would I know if they really did it? I understand the timing belt is not easily accessed and that's why the service is pricey... would a new water pump be reasonably visible?
I would choose the vehicle I felt was maintained better.
If you like the 120K vehicle but are leary of the dealer doing the repair, negotiate them down cheaper and take it to have the repair done at a shop you trust.
Or, if you let them do it but want to inspect, insist on seeing the old belt and pump first hand.
Without having maintenance history of both cars, I would not assume one was better than the other. True, the 120K mile car has lapsed, but that is an expensive maintenance an owner might be willing to forgo if he is planning on replacing it. May not be indicative of oil change intervals.
Maybe, if your nervous on either, have an independent mechanic inspect the car over for you, to see if it appears well maintained or not.
Not sure which I would choose on this info alone. I tend to lean towards lower miles, but would take in both these cars as a whole too, since mileage is not too far apart.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Unless you are getting it for a son ($3-4,000) I'd always get an independent mechanic to check out a car with that many miles unless the maintenance is up-to-date with receipts to prove it.
What one person considers "maintenance" another person would consider a repair. According to the maintenance schedule on our van, for instance, the struts should have been replaced at 80K miles. We're 100K beyond that figure and they still work fine with no leaks or bounce, so replacing them at 80K would have been a waste of money. And all my vehicles with timing belts have been non-interference engines, so I just run them until they break and have them fixed then.
If everything else on these vehicles is truly equal, I would go for the one that they're offering to change the water pump and timing belt on. What would cost you $880 retail to have fixed, they can probably do for an actual cost of $300 not factoring in overhead, so they're really not sacrificing as much as it might seem.
Nowhere near enough details her. Some cars are simply shot at 98K. Some last considerably longer.
I would not buy a 98K or 120K car as my main source of transportation. A toy, or specialty car maybe.
I realize I should have said all other factors being the same (as far as can be determined when buying used). I'm only looking at Hondas and Toyotas, so a car at ~100k isn't even halfway through its life.
I realize I should have said all other factors being the same (as far as can be determined when buying used). I'm only looking at Hondas and Toyotas, so a car at ~100k isn't even halfway through its life.
Don't be so fast to drink the Kool Aid. If your thinking just because the car has a Toyota or Honda badge on it, it's going to last well over 200K miles, you may want to rethink. I'm sure some folks here will tell you (from experience) that their Toyota's and Honda's have gone well over 200K and others will tell you that they were in the crapper before that. I'm a true believer that maintenance is a big factor, followed by how the vehicle was operated and a little luck mixed in will never hurt.
What one person considers "maintenance" another person would consider a repair. According to the maintenance schedule on our van, for instance, the struts should have been replaced at 80K miles. We're 100K beyond that figure and they still work fine with no leaks or bounce, so replacing them at 80K would have been a waste of money. And all my vehicles with timing belts have been non-interference engines, so I just run them until they break and have them fixed then.
If everything else on these vehicles is truly equal, I would go for the one that they're offering to change the water pump and timing belt on. What would cost you $880 retail to have fixed, they can probably do for an actual cost of $300 not factoring in overhead, so they're really not sacrificing as much as it might seem.
Well said. I agree that some "SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE" items are just a way to get you into the dealership.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by exhdo1
Don't be so fast to drink the Kool Aid. If your thinking just because the car has a Toyota or Honda badge on it, it's going to last well over 200K miles, you may want to rethink. I'm sure some folks here will tell you (from experience) that their Toyota's and Honda's have gone well over 200K and others will tell you that they were in the crapper before that. I'm a true believer that maintenance is a big factor, followed by how the vehicle was operated and a little luck mixed in will never hurt.
True, we got rid of a 4-Runner at 101,000 miles after it cost us $3,400 for a transmission rebuild, brakes every 10-15,000 miles, and everything electrical starting to fail like power windows, doors, and even the power radio antenna.
Definitely not enough detail on either car - are they really identical in trim and condition, just that one has 22K more miles? Assuming the dealership actually does the timing belt (asking for old parts would give you some assurance it was actually done) if it's the same money, same car, then the 120K mile car is the better value, by, anybody know? Anybody? Buehler?
That's right Ferris, by $880.
Like I am always posting, all miles are not created equal. You have the rural, blue road mile put on by me, under near-ideal conditions, car in sharp tune, good oil, premium filter, then you have the urban mile put on by a knucklehead who is rough on the car, does no maintenance, hits pothole after pothole. Not at all the same thing.
Forgot to add, that the water pump on this car is probably inside the timing belt and driven by it, with that setup it makes sense to change the water pump pre-emptively when you do the timing belt. You should be getting a new belt tensioner (roller) as part of this service too. TB service on Honda particularly is not super simple like it is on older VW cars, but it's not exactly brain surgery, a proper home mechanic can do it, typically you have to support the engine and take apart one motor mount (which is designed to come apart by removing one bolt).
It makes sense to replace any V-belts or serpentine belts as these have to be removed to get at the timing belt, no additional labor to put on new parts. I would replace at least the upper (hot) radiator hose as part of this service as well, recommend doing both but the upper one is usually the first to go as it sees higher temperatures.
Make sure you are getting Honda or Toyota genuine antifreeze, preferably mixed with distilled water (good luck getting the dealer to do that short of sitting there and watching the mechanic whilst holding a 12-gauge on him), not the cheap stuff and tap water they tend to use in "old" cars.
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