Thread: When does a car become hassle than its worth?

Originally Posted by Lore

I agree with @Nibblet

If you don't need it everyday to get you from A to B then you're not under the pump to fix it overnight. Spend an evening on youtube and figure out what you need, order the parts and buy the tools. Remember that almost everything on an old vehicle is bolting and unbolting things and it's easy. Righty loosey, lefty tighty.

The main expense will probably be the tools and the time spent getting the knowledge but if you invest in them, instead of paying someone to do the work for you, they'll last your lifetime.

I’m keen to see some righty loosey action on a suby

Originally Posted by MSL

I’m keen to see some righty loosey action on a suby

You mean some stripping action lol

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

ok heres my take on it...Im 45 and drive a truck for a living...that said Im not really the spanner spinning type,I change oil,can do spark plugs and other simple stuff but have got to stage where if I dont KNOW I can do it....I just say faark it and pay someone to do it properly the first time rather than pay more to fix my stuff ups.
radiator flush piece of piss,take off bottom hos and keep garden hose running in top till its clear....play with othe hoses to flush them too,put it back together,refill radiator,go for drive then rinse and repete..... then fill with good anti freeze and you good to go.
our 90s terrano costs us about $500 per wof
the toyota sprinter car diddly squat...touch wood it stays that way
the son however buys lemon after lemon,thrashes them then sells at huge loss and cant work out why has no money and no good car!!!!!!
finding a tame mechanic who does back yarders in spare time is a great thing (once you find a good one) autoo wreckers sometimes have one too..... food for thought.

If you decide to hang on to it, keep in the back of your mind how much it is worth so when something goes wrong and the mechanic says it'll be $3000 to fix, you know you will never get that money back. Whilst cars/vehicles 99% of the time are not an investment, you do need to invest in one to get you from A to B and to participate in your hobbies/interests.

Don't be that guy on Trademe who has has spent $10,000 on a $1000 car and is trying to make their money back, because it wont happen.

Agree with the earlier comment if you can't do the cam belt yourself just leave it, get your moneys worth without spending much on it.
Oh and don't worry about it being your first car, I was glad to get rid of my first car, it was crap and I made my money back on it, never looked back.

it becomes more hassle than its worth after any of the following is installed:

abs, traction control, air bags, neon lights, electric mirrors, electric seats, stability control, seat belt pretensioner, reversing camera, automatic steering of some description, a t.v., two t.v.'s, three t.v.'s, self closing or opening doors, a European badge, is often called a "TRUCK" when it is actually just a large ute, is not a hiace.

Originally Posted by 223nut

On the other wide, my partner has a daihatsu terios and they are an amazing little car, can fit 18banana boxes in it or 2ppl, 3border collies in the boot and he backseat free for gear. Goes 90% of the places I'd take my landcruiser, really lights and just skip over any mud, small enough to ft up forestry tracks without scratching.... CeCenthe diff works and 1St is pretty low on them (no low box)

Yeah, my Mrs had one and she didn't have a problem racing around town with the oil light on.

Most bits under a car are consumables. They wear out. Once you've made peace with reality you'll be happy to maintain and replace to keep your chosen car going. And eventually your banger is eligible for classic car road tax discount.

How mechanically minded are you make sure your fully confident before attempting the cambelt had to do quiet a few that have turned into fuk ups from a customer who thought they knew better starts getting expensive if the head has to come off

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

ok heres my take on it...Im 45 and drive a truck for a living...that said Im not really the spanner spinning type,I change oil,can do spark plugs and other simple stuff but have got to stage where if I dont KNOW I can do it....I just say faark it and pay someone to do it properly the first time rather than pay more to fix my stuff ups.
radiator flush piece of piss,take off bottom hos and keep garden hose running in top till its clear....play with othe hoses to flush them too,put it back together,refill radiator,go for drive then rinse and repete..... then fill with good anti freeze and you good to go.
our 90s terrano costs us about $500 per wof
the toyota sprinter car diddly squat...touch wood it stays that way
the son however buys lemon after lemon,thrashes them then sells at huge loss and cant work out why has no money and no good car!!!!!!
finding a tame mechanic who does back yarders in spare time is a great thing (once you find a good one) autoo wreckers sometimes have one too..... food for thought.

My brothers done a cambely with his boss recently so should be all goods.

Originally Posted by Beetroot

If you decide to hang on to it, keep in the back of your mind how much it is worth so when something goes wrong and the mechanic says it'll be $3000 to fix, you know you will never get that money back. Whilst cars/vehicles 99% of the time are not an investment, you do need to invest in one to get you from A to B and to participate in your hobbies/interests.

Don't be that guy on Trademe who has has spent $10,000 on a $1000 car and is trying to make their money back, because it wont happen.

Agree with the earlier comment if you can't do the cam belt yourself just leave it, get your moneys worth without spending much on it.
Oh and don't worry about it being your first car, I was glad to get rid of my first car, it was crap and I made my money back on it, never looked back.

Thanks. I hope to get another 2 years of use out of it.

Originally Posted by northdude

How mechanically minded are you make sure your fully confident before attempting the cambelt had to do quiet a few that have turned into fuk ups from a customer who thought they knew better starts getting expensive if the head has to come off

Reasonably. Done a Subaru clutch which was a ball ache. Not much room underneath with super cheap auto axle stands.

Originally Posted by berg243

if you flush the radiator make sure its not one that is lower than the head as they can airlock as my wife found out trying to change water in a Toyota diesel corona , $1200 dollars later car was back on the road.

If I raise it up with the tire jack and then flush it. Then run it while it's using the air conditioning it should get rid of all of the bubbles?

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

squeezing hoses both bottom and top moves a lot of water around and "burps " things rather well.....never had an issue myself.

Originally Posted by Cordite

Most bits under a car are consumables. They wear out. Once you've made peace with reality you'll be happy to maintain and replace to keep your chosen car going. And eventually your banger is eligible for classic car road tax discount.

iv been told that diesel is not eligible for classic car rego... do you know if that is true?

I had an some air trapped in my old Mazda's rad. Used to moo when I shut it down. Burped the system every which way but could not get that last little bubble out so just lived with a mooing ute. It adds character.

Originally Posted by Lore

I had an some air trapped in my old Mazda's rad. Used to moo when I shut it down. Burped the system every which way but could not get that last little bubble out so just lived with a mooing ute. It adds character.

you dont know airlock till you owned a british leyland vehicle

So, yes, the wiper linkages are totally fucked, but the cambelt doesn't look thaaaat old, and neither does the water pump. I reckon you just run with it and give the thing a bloody good flush. Did you find some linkages?

Edit: Whoever did it used a genuine belt

Originally Posted by Tommy

So, yes, the wiper linkages are totally fucked, but the cambelt doesn't look thaaaat old, and neither does the water pump. I reckon you just run with it and give the thing a bloody good flush. Did you find some linkages?

Edit: Whoever did it used a genuine belt

Attachment 86195

Yeah. I picked up them after work. I'll put them in the car tomorrow if its not locked inside a gate

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk