6G Celicas Forums

So I'm moving to Philly to start a new job in mid-August, and am trying to decide what to do with the Celica. It's 16 years old, has 130xxx miles on it, and while I've kept it in as best shape as I can (3500 mile oil changes, new fluids whenever needed, a car wash and vacuum once a week), some things are starting to go.

Brought it by a mechanic today who quoted me for the following:
New front rotors and pads (old ones are warped)-- $180
Power steering pump-- $125
Transmission flush-- $150


Not sure if this includes labor or not, but I'm looking at a decent chunk of dough for those repairs. And that's not to mention the new bumps, dents, and peeling clear coat the car has acquired over the last 6 months (when my sister drove it). It's not looking good, but it still cruises on the highway and it's paid off, which is a big factor-- and plus, it's my first car.

So my question to you guys is: what would you do? Would you pay the money to fix it up and hope it lasts a couple more years (would be huge to not have a car payment to worry about in addition to college debt), or would you say sayonara and go trade it in for something more reliable (my commute each day will be roughly 40 miles, so that is a concern)? And are any of those repairs things I can so myself with a mechanic's wrench set and very limited knowledge of cars?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

you know that if you've taken care of your celi then 130k is really nothing on the engine at all. still got another 130k in there if u treat it right. mine is about 200k now and runs beautifully.

and brakes and rotors you can do yourself as well as a transmission flush.
not sure about the power steering, never really looked into that before. maybe other more experienced members can chime in.
but I'd say keep it and it'll still be a reliable ride. unless you got the cash for something better?

I went through the same thing about two weeks ago. My valve stem seals and piston rings are starting to go and the smartest thing to do was just a full rebuild of the motor. So for about a week and a half, I was trying to sell my Celica and was looking at and driving other cars, but when I realized that I never felt "at home" when driving any of the other cars, I decided to bite the bullet and keep/fix my Celica. These are wonderful cars and I don't want to get rid of mine.

That's all easy stuff you can do yourself. Also, you know the history of your car. Go and buy a "better" car, only for it to have some serious problems shortly after getting it. That'd be my luck anyway.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brembo-25425-Front...40f&vxp=mtr

$40 dollars, there's your rotors...will probably be better than whatever generic your mechanic would use. Another $66 for the front brake pads, and you've just saved yourself $74!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HB318F-669-Hawk-Pe...8d5&vxp=mtr

This is a nice street setup, capable of auto-x conditions as well. Much better value for money than going through your mech.

Have a look around RockAuto.com for the power steering pump, they usually have a good rate. The transmission flush may not even be necessary, unless the tranny is slipping or otherwise acting odd. It's a good measure to take, but it is also important to remember that completely renewing the tranny fluid can cause issues if a piece of metal becomes unlodged.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Jul 23, 2012 - 12:08 AM

RockAuto has the PS pump for $52? plus a $35 core charge.

you'll obviously get biased responses but i say keep it. the car will last a long time and just needs basic maintenance and replace wear & tear parts like the brakes. unless you're having terrible brake squeal or vibrations from braking, it can wait a little longer. the power steering pump and transmission flush can definitely wait until the money is there. doing a transmission flush is really easy to do and not worth paying someone $150 for and can be done in 15 mins with a ratchet and 3 sockets if i recall correctly. brakes are really easy to do too. what you're spending here is essentially how much it would cost you every month for new car payments, so keeping the celica is a no brainer. people with little to no mechanical knowledge are often tempted to buy new cars because it's the easiest decision, but definitely isn't the cheapest option. so rather than paying someone $50/hr and up rates to do easy jobs for you, buy the tools you need which costs just as much as half the jobs on your list and do the job yourselfs. you'll be happy that you did and i'm sure other members can vouch for this. also, the fulfilling satisfaction of completing a job and knowing you saved $XXX is a bonus.

This post has been edited by azian_advanced: Jul 23, 2012 - 12:29 AM

those are minor things, just routine things that every car goes through. i was in the same situation. almost got ride of my car for a brand new genesis coupe. its honestly not worth getting rid of a beautiful, reliable, easy to work on car that gets kill gas mileage, thats also fun to drive and forums like this with endless information on them, and im assuming its paid off, to go out and get a new car youll have to pay more money for, and have the same problems down the road. id keep it. i knew if i sold mine id hate myself everyday for letting her go. just my 2 cents

can you feel the love

My wife regularly drives her 97ST (with around 135K miles) between KC and Florida.

besides, even if you have someone do the work, that's about the same as 2 payments on a new one.

My vote totally goes for keeping it. Mechanics are super expensive, but you can do a lot of your own work... A shop near here wanted to charge me 15hrs labor (like $400?) to change the distributor o-ring and valve cover gasket on my girlfriend's 5s-fe Camry to fix a "profound" oil leak, got the gasket and o-ring for like $26 and changed it out myself. I'd be broke 4x over if I paid a mechanic for all the stuff I've done myself by now - and I knew absolutely zero about cars prior to getting my Celica like 10 months ago and getting my hands dirty. 6GC and RockAuto all the way!

...
(and they recognize me at the Advance down the street)