Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have been pondering the use of a secondary car as I am starting a new job that involves a 100 mile round-trip commute, and would rather not rack up the miles or incur the wrath of poorer gas mileage on my primary car (a '10 Nissan Maxima with 6-cyl engine).
My back-up car, a 2000 Toyota Camry, had its engine die (engine seized in the middle of the road) -- it had about 150k miles on it. The car itself is in fairly good shape -- newer transmission belt, good set of tires, no dings or frame damage, etc.
1. Is it worth it to have my 2000 Toyota Camry's engine rebuilt? A local shop quoted be $3,000 for Parts + Labor. I would assume that I'll probably have to pay around $4,000 since the quoted price is never the final price...
2. If I am to have the engine rebuilt, what are some things that I should be aware of? Are there any signs of caution or things that I should keep an eye on to ensure that the job is done well? I assume that a shop will simply pull a used engine from another Camry and I'll have no way of double-checking mileage. Should I even trust a rebuilt engine?
3. Am I better off simply toasting my Camry and getting another econo-box? The issue here is that I don't know how well other econo-boxes were maintained. Plus, this means a higher expense compared to the $3k quote. For example, a 2003-2005 Honda Civic with 100-150k miles is averaging around $5k - $7k (and that's BEFORE dealer fees).
4. Am I just crazy to even consider repairing/buying a cheap econo-box? Or should I just suck up the commute in my current car?
The idea of putting $4000 into a car that is worth $2000 does not make financial sense.
Right. However, what complicates the issue is what it would cost to buy a trustworthy vehicle to replace the Camry. Decent cars are just stinking high-priced!
Also, it really should not cost $4k to get a good engine into that car.
Last edited by GarageLogic; 11-12-2013 at 11:14 AM..
If I were to do this to a Camry, it would have to be in amazing condition other than the bad engine. I find it hard to invision many 13 year old Camry's with higher miles fitting this.
If you do go ahead and do this, I would find a place which will install a high grade remanufactured engine with a decent warranty. I would have to personally know a mechanic and know he is excellent to let him do a rebuild on the existing motor.
However, if I were you, I would just pay for the additional gas in your Maxima. That $4,000 you are thinking of pouring into a much older and well used Camry will go a long way to covering the difference in fuel mileage between the two.
(BTW, what is the mileage difference? I am just throwing numbers here, but If the Camry averaged 35 MPG for the trip, the Maxima 28 MPG (so a whopping 7 MPG difference), The Maxima would burn 0.72 more gallons a day. Not sure what your paying for gas, here it is 3.50. So the Maxima would cost $2.52 more per commute. So, you could commute the Maxima both ways 1,587 times before you just break even on investing in the much older Camry. Sicne that would equate to 158,700 miles worth of driving, the prospect of every making out seems low.
If you want to really save on gas, take the 4 grand, and the Maxima, and trade it in on a hybrid or another very small, very efficient car.
If I were to do this to a Camry, it would have to be in amazing condition other than the bad engine. I find it hard to invision many 13 year old Camry's with higher miles fitting this.
If you do go ahead and do this, I would find a place which will install a high grade remanufactured engine with a decent warranty. I would have to personally know a mechanic and know he is excellent to let him do a rebuild on the existing motor.
However, if I were you, I would just pay for the additional gas in your Maxima. That $4,000 you are thinking of pouring into a much older and well used Camry will go a long way to covering the difference in fuel mileage between the two.
(BTW, what is the mileage difference? I am just throwing numbers here, but If the Camry averaged 35 MPG for the trip, the Maxima 28 MPG (so a whopping 7 MPG difference), The Maxima would burn 0.72 more gallons a day. Not sure what your paying for gas, here it is 3.50. So the Maxima would cost $2.52 more per commute. So, you could commute the Maxima both ways 1,587 times before you just break even on investing in the much older Camry. Sicne that would equate to 158,700 miles worth of driving, the prospect of every making out seems low.
If you want to really save on gas, take the 4 grand, and the Maxima, and trade it in on a hybrid or another very small, very efficient car.
My Maxima gets around 22 combined, and my Camry got around 28 combined before it was toast. Beyond gas efficiency, the idea of driving my Maxima into the ground is painful to think about. The Maxima is at 60k miles already, and I still have 3 years left of a 5 year loan.
I'd add approximately 26,000 miles per year purely to commute (100 miles round trip x 5 days a week x 52 weeks a year) -- let alone driving that isn't commute-related. This is why getting a econo-box for < $5k is appealing to me.
My Maxima gets around 22 combined, and my Camry got around 28 combined before it was toast. Beyond gas efficiency, the idea of driving my Maxima into the ground is painful to think about. The Maxima is at 60k miles already, and I still have 3 years left of a 5 year loan.
I'd add approximately 26,000 miles per year purely to commute (100 miles round trip x 5 days a week x 52 weeks a year) -- let alone driving that isn't commute-related. This is why getting a econo-box for < $5k is appealing to me.
If you were to buy a V6 granny mobile(~'05 Impala/LeSabre/etc.) with lower mileage, which isn't that hard to find in our general area, you should be able to get a few years out of it(dump it by the 12th year) for less of an outlay than what you would spend on the Camry. These cars usually pull 30 on the highway if driven reasonably.
If you were to buy a V6 granny mobile(~'05 Impala/LeSabre/etc.) with lower mileage, which isn't that hard to find in our general area, you should be able to get a few years out of it(dump it by the 12th year) for less of an outlay than what you would spend on the Camry. These cars usually pull 30 on the highway if driven reasonably.
What are your thoughts about those V6 cars vs. a gas-friendly mobile (e.g. old Honda Civic or old Honda Accord)?
I've actually thought about maybe throwing down $5k-$7k toward one that has mileage no greater than 150k. A relatively newer Civic and Accord EX's (e.g. early to mid 2000's) will come with a bit more features that won't make me feel like I'm driving in a complete piece-o-junk.
Although this route isn't as financially sound, it also doesn't drive my Maxima completely into the ground while giving me at least a little bit more of a modern vehicle to drive around during my round-trip two hour daily commute.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This is why getting a econo-box for < $5k is appealing to me.
