Graaah! What do I do!?

[Therin]

Well, that was the idea, anyway.

I get to my mom's house this evening, steam is coming out from under my hood. Now, I just got this car back from the mechanic two weeks ago. But whatever. My mom has a friend who is a mechanic, he comes over, checks it out:

Blown Head Gasket.

Which means?

Don't drive it. Bring it over to a mechanic, have them assess it, see what can be done.

Ballpark estimate?

$1500, and that's if the blown head gasket is the only thing wrong with it. I've seen far worse.

Great, thanks.

...Well, wonderful. Gripe number one: $1500 is half of my total savings. All of it was directed at Atlanta. So...wtf do I do now?

Also, at 150,000 miles and climbing, would it be better to just look into getting a new car? But what, if anything, can I get for 1500 dollars? And even taking that into account, it's still 1500 dollars straight out of my Atlanta fund.

Fsk. That's all. Fsk.

*beats head against wall*

[Tobias]

god damn it. Thats pretty much what i can say.

Well, its at 150,000 miles, so i would say you invest that in a cheap car, drive that to atlanta, and then try to sell it again when you get there, and try to make the money back. If that works, you make themoney back, and maybe resort to using a bike or public transportation to net some more money in to get enough to get a decent form of transportation.

Thats the tobs' suggestion.

[Ultrawolf]

Well you already heard what I had to say but I definitly think a new used car might be a good idea. You just repaired this hunk of junk and it broke down again, Now I see two possibilities : It's Time to Take It Out Back and Put it Down, or Gremlins. A big chunk of your money will be gone but you've still got enough of a buffer you can still move. You're just gonna have to hustle to find a job, which I'm sure there will be people to help you

So yes It's frustrating, but you just have to work Harder.
Life Sucks, It'll never be easy but you'll be a stronger person for not breaking down when it puts on the pressure.

[shadokastur]

I was a mechanic for a little while and depending on what type of car it is, once he gets that thing open it could be a lot worse. Some cars crack the head when the head gasket goes and depending on the car, again, would end up costing you almost double your quote. If he's a good chap about it, he could break it down and let you know just how bad it is and if you don't (and/or can't) fix it, you could either donate it to a charity for a tax write-off, give it to him if he wants it (sounds strange, but it happens a lot), or tow it. Look into your options.

But overall: Sh**ty luck, man!

REY

[Blackmage]

as i posted in the other thread 1500 is insane for a head gasket. i think dealerships for 4 cylinders around here charge around $600 for the head gasket. I had a friend do mine for $200 a while back on the eclipse.

[Therin]

Well, 600 dollars might be doable. My car isn't worth more than like 800, though, because it's old and has a lot of miles on it.

I've been looking at cars all day, two popped up and caught my eye. First, does anyone know anything about a website called Automotive.com? Are they accurate? Reliable? Trustworthy?

Now, the cars:

First:

1990 Nissan 240SX SE: $1,950 or best offer.

Second:

1983 Firebird Trans Am: $1,500.


I realize this is sudden, but should worse come to worst, I have under one week to find and buy a car, so I decided to start looking now, just in case. So, any thoughts at all on either car?

Wish me luck on my poor car *cries*

[Ultrawolf]

Nissan Are usually pretty good.

Have you tried Yahoo Auto?

[Tobias]

another thing: Is there the possibility that anyone wants to take a road trip with you and take you to GA?

If thats the case, that could always work.

[Blackmage]

I love my 240, its a little interesting in the rain, but insurence is dirt cheap. mines $385 a year

[Shino]

I would definatly go the 240 over the transam