to sell or not to sell...

[tweety2300]

So the day has come and the wife wants to sell the mp3... I don't think we should and she does. A quick summary of why she wants too- needs all 4 motor mounts struts and endlinks, and the head needs to be rebuilt. She thinks its a good deal for the dealer to offer 3500 for it I was pissed since they just think it needs minor susp. Work it will be less than that. Money is tight andeverything so I'm trying to talk her out of selling it cause we could have it payed off by the end of summer and she could get another car anyway but she's hard headed. My question is would anybody else sell it for 3500? Or put 2000 in it and it be like a new car again.

 

[ScratchNSniff]

Definitely sell...needing that much work, it will be hard to get more than that for it...

 

[blackmica_es]

i'd keep it, specially since you've already admitted that money is tight. why take on another payment when you currently have a great platform that you've probably had since new and are thus familiar with its entire repair history. plus the fact that it's much cheaper to insure and register a slightly older car. most importantly, however, now you have the perfect excuse to build the car up with whatever performance products your heart desires!!!

 

[pat_neumerz]

While thats pretty high of an offer, what is 3500 dollars grand scheme of life? not much. For me, its about 3 credits at school. That said take your mp3 into the grand scheme of life scale. Does it make you happy/ will it make your wife unhappy enough to make you unhappy enough to outweigh the happiness the car brings you. Not trying to be biased either way but thats an equation i tend to be applying to stuff these days.

 

[tweety2300]

Well the bigges problem is is that I had to sell my car last year and got royaly screwed out of it so its our only car we just use my moms when I work I'm a temp so right now not much. Her mom pays the insurance and we pay the payment but her mom won't pay it anymore if we sell it so wed have a higher payment AND insurance on top of that. We only pay 125 a month as it is so it wldnt be possible to get a nice car anyways. I forgot to put that the dealer only test drove it but said he wanted to take a closer look so the original offer will more than likely go down. I want to take our tax money and fix it pay it off by the end of summer save up and buy a newer car so we can have 2 she won't listen >.< I'm stuck on keeping it 3500 isn't a lot of money its got 133,000 miles on it and there's one for sale now for. 8,000 with 80,000miles. Its not like they won't turn it around and sell it for 7k if they decide to really look they will realise that its been wrecked but never reported the stainless steel radiator bracket fiberglass front bumper and off color paint you can easily tell if you know what your looking for

 

[tweety2300]

While thats pretty high of an offer, what is 3500 dollars grand scheme of life? not much. For me, its about 3 credits at school. That said take your mp3 into the grand scheme of life scale. Does it make you happy/ will it make your wife unhappy enough to make you unhappy enough to outweigh the happiness the car brings you. Not trying to be biased either way but thats an equation i tend to be applying to stuff these days.

She's just (sick of stuff breaking) but she doesn't realise that everything that is messed up on it is meant to go bad so that more important/expensive stuff won't wear out. She will get over it. I told her that if we keep it ill buy her a mazda 3 if I get a full time position which where I work will be almost triple her income. But time will tell in the end its in her name so she has the final say. But I agree 3500 is not much money at all really 100k isn't a lot. Buy a house and pay taxes and its gone

 

[KrayzieFox]

So $3500 is a fair offer in all honesty considering the amount of work that needs to be done to the car. So you wouldn't be getting screwed as far as the trade is concerned. But on the other hand, if you can't afford to take on a higher payment on a newer vehicle (plus higher registration and insurance) then your best bet is to keep the MP3 and drive it until it runs. Simple as that..

 

[tweety2300]

Ya but I'm gona say the 3500 is gona go down to 2500-3000 once they get their "better look" and I would def drive it into the ground then rebuild it if it was up to me I love the car its like our kid well almost

 

[jonridinhi]

With all that needed and iof you can get 3500 sell it. Heck I got only a little more for mine in nice condition.

 

[tweety2300]

I'm doing some price checking now to see exactly what its going to cost to fix if it can be done with under 1800 itl be worth keeping the only thing I'm worried about is how much its gona cost to have the head rebuilt that and attatching the spring to the strut is the only thing I'm not doing myself

 

[peavey]

So the day has come and the wife wants to sell the mp3... I don't think we should and she does. A quick summary of why she wants too- needs all 4 motor mounts struts and endlinks, and the head needs to be rebuilt. She thinks its a good deal for the dealer to offer 3500 for it I was pissed since they just think it needs minor susp. Work it will be less than that. Money is tight andeverything so I'm trying to talk her out of selling it cause we could have it payed off by the end of summer and she could get another car anyway but she's hard headed. My question is would anybody else sell it for 3500? Or put 2000 in it and it be like a new car again.

sell the wife.... JK!

tbh,

you already stating that monies is tight, if you do sell, you will need another car and with that will come a new load of problems with a new oldish car... bit of the devil u know to the devil you dont..

if u do get the price down its a saver.

all wives are hard headed, mine is a trip!! as you said she is just pissed at braking down but as stated, its problems with this or another one.

GL with what you do

 

[Droopy]

Keep it!

 

[shane02pro5]

Somebody around here must have some decent used struts and endlinks. I have some endlinks but have to check which ones. Also can get a set of oem replacement mounts on ebay for a good price. This is such minor stuff a few hundred bucks can fix.

What the problem with the head? Having a shop do the rebuild isnt bad if you can pull the head yourself.

 

[StealthWyvern]

If itsthat close to being paid off keep it! You can fix all that crap when its paid off and when you can comfortably aford to do so. A higher payment and another monthly bill will ought weigh the total exspense of gettign a new car in the long run. And not to mention one less bill in the next few months will help you guys breath a little better.

Personally I'd keep it and put that 2k to paying it off instead of fixing it right away. Then take your monthly not to fix it up slowly over the next year. Any car is going to be a money pit if you dont keep up with the maintence.

 

[tweety2300]

I saw the motor mounts on ebay for 120 but it seems odly cheap to me but ima order them Friday there's also a set of struts on there for 400 I believe. And since I'm finally working again regularly I hope week after next I may get the adjustable endlinks so they won't break. Right now it really depends on our tax returns mazda quoted me $1,800 to rebuild the head and for that ill learn how to do it myself I need to find a how to on rebuilding a head if I can get the head part don for under 400 ima talk her into keepin it. As long as I can find me a $300 dollar beater to last a few months that is. The main part that's making me wana sell it now is the knocking its either mounts or an axle

 

[shane02pro5]

Get the car up and check it out the rear mm tears most commonly or passenger side which is up top. Jack up the front wheels and spin each axle and look for a buldge in the green cv casing or split boot and grease everywhere.

 

[tweety2300]

I will as soon as I can find a dry place the front mount and trans mount are torn I'm sure the rear is too and if 3 are bad I'm just gona do all 4. Cv joint was my first thought but doesn't it usually click when you make turns? What's really annoying me is that it doesn't seem to do it untill the car warms up. When I leave work about 10 min through my drive home itl start but won't do it untill then. Kinda makes me think its a bearing somewhere. Could the bad motor nounts cause all this?

 

[dstmsp03]

keep it.. motor mounts can be bought cheap.. the rebuilt on the head?? why rebuild it? you can get a good used head for 100-200.. could prob stand for new timing belt anyways..
yes, torn mounts could do that..

 

[tweety2300]

if i get a used head its hard to tell how long it will last if I have mine rebuilt ill know what I have. I plan on replacing all the belts and watter pump and if I have everything pulled off it I may do the clutch as a preventive maint. Thing. I havnt had time to look at it yet due to 7 day work weeks but ill have the money to buy stuff. I'm gona take it to a local mechanic Friday I hope to have it diagnosed. I had an estimate from a machine shop for 250 to rebuild my head for labor but its cleaning and polishing everything something to do with lifters I didn't really understand what he meant but it was 100 of the 250 so I'm not sure if ill have that done or not. Its a ticking lifter and bad valve seal I'm not too worried bout it right this very sesond

 

[tweety2300]

Thanks to a member offering me rediculously cheap prices on stuff I think were keepin it. Ebay motor mounts for 134 shiped and have a warrenty will work for now and I saw some tokico blues for 400 shipped a few weeks ago. So now that were keeping it its time for a second car. Its going to a mechanic Friday to figure out what's wrong with the front end I'm thinking it could be the wheel bearing again but if it is the axle it needs a gear oil change anyway I don't think its ever been done or hasn't within the 70k she's owned it