|
In April of 2000, I bought a 1982 Volvo 240 Turbo for my college son. It had 186,000 miles on it and I thought it was a bargain at $1300.00. It had nice wheels, power windows, a sunroof, good AC and heat, and seemed in decent shape. Now I wonder.
The car started smoking occasionally, and we finally replaced the turbo with a used one ($1200 job) in the summer of 2001. Not long after that, we had the brakes repaired.
In November we noticed the car really shaking and rattling, especially when veering to the right at speeds above 50. The repair shop gave us the following appraisal:
Here's what it needs to be "safe":
left inner tie rod, labor $50.00, parts $86.00 right outer tie rod, labor $50.00, parts $39.53 front crossmember, labor $300.00, parts $160.00 Total = $685.53
In addition, it needs:
front wheel bearings, labor $150.00, parts $115.66 engine mounts, labor $100.00, parts $55.83 front brakes, labor $100.00, parts $243.94 front struts, labor $150.00, parts $143.08 Total = 1058.51 Tax = 143.89
Grand Total = 1887.93
If I did all this, what would I then have? How long would it last?
The repair shop may buy it for parts. They're doing a compression check. I'm sure the offer will be under $500. I don't know whether to let it go. It has 199K miles on it now, but that figure may be low. Sometimes the odometer doesn't work well.
What's your advice - fix and keep it or let it go?
|
