To buy or not to buy that is the question...

Ok so heres the story....I have this 97 (???) Buick La Saber right...and well the transmission went out the day before yesterday. I don't know if it'd be worth the money to fix it since the engine might go relatively soon as well...that and there are other things wrong with it...=[

The question:
Should i get it fixed or...buy a new car?

Opinions anyone?

Get a new car, that way, there are a lot less surprises each month with money being tossed out the window.

Need more info, like how much is it going to cost to get it fixed, will the repair shop provide a warranty on the repairs, can you afford a large amount of money up front to get it fixed, and can you afford a payment on a new car...

Quote:

Originally posted by Demonicmale

Need more info, like how much is it going to cost to get it fixed, will the repair shop provide a warranty on the repairs, can you afford a large amount of money up front to get it fixed, and can you afford a payment on a new car...

....and some pics of you

I agree with RumDum, if you can safetly afford the monthly payment then I would buy a new car. Another option is to go with a certified pre-owned vehicle, they come with a warranty and they are less expensive then buying new. If you don't drive a lot of miles you may also want to consider leasing. A good financial rule of thumb is to buy things that appreciate and rent or lease things, like a car, that depreciate. Good luck

Quote:

Originally posted by BiChickLuvsU

Ok so heres the story....I have this 97 (???) Buick La Saber right...and well the transmission went out the day before yesterday. I don't know if it'd be worth the money to fix it since the engine might go relatively soon as well...that and there are other things wrong with it...=[

The question:
Should i get it fixed or...buy a new car?

Opinions anyone?

Get a newish car...the engine in the 97 buick lesabre (to the best of my knowledge) is a 3800 V6...and they are fairly bulletproof, but the tranny is probably going to cost between 2-3k. Unless you fucking love this car or something, you might want to step up to something a bit newer. But that's just my opinion.

How many miles does the engine have on it?

Just because the tranny went out doesn't necessarily mean the engine will too.
On the other hand if you put a couple thousand dollars into the transmission and aren't going to get that back when you trade it in, it's not worth it. Save your money for a down payment on a new/newer car.

Try a salvage yard or junk yard to see what a complete (or partial) used tranny is... Wait, that came out wrong.

You know what I mean.

Salvage yards will drop the parts off at the mechanic for you, too. A good fix at a good price.

^ what he said... also what engine is it the 3.8? those are some very tough engines, i have a Bonneville that has over 250k on it and my bosses SSEI bonnivile had just under 400k on it before the second tranny went (engine still ran and was never rebuilt!)

Well in response to most replies the engine has like 130000 roughly ...Im looking for another car and seeing what I can get. Any opinions on whats a good affordable car ?

Quote:

Originally posted by franklin

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....and some pics of you

maybe...

Quote:

Originally posted by BiChickLuvsU

Well in response to most replies the engine has like 130000 roughly ...Im looking for another car and seeing what I can get. Any opinions on whats a good affordable car ?

you'll want to shop around and get one you like,, girls like to shop, right?!

Good question. Though, you should still think about how long you're planning to have the car. If you think you'll wan to keep it for a couple years or so, then put a new transmission into it and be on your way. If it's not your favorite, then maybe trade it in as a "down payment" or partial on a different car.

Either way, do your homework to see how much your options are going to cost, and then try to jump on the lesser of the two.

Quote:

Originally posted by waywardson

...you'll want to shop around and get one you like,, girls like to shop, right?!

oh yeah most def =] but i cant even get to the mall cause well my car died =[

Quote:

Originally posted by franklin

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....and some pics of you

damn your smooth. scary thing is it just my have worked.
watch out on trading your car in. most times you may get more to sell the car than trade it in.
as for what to buy... depends on what your looking for? gas milage, looks, safety or something
you can just plain afford? good luck and take someone with you that knows about cars. good luck.

Well right now im lookin at a 2002 Dodge Neon its in good condition and only has like 60,000 on it. The price isnt bad either they're asking 4000 something for it. Any opinions

Quote:

Originally posted by deathbyboredom

...damn your smooth. scary thing is it just my have worked.
watch out on trading your car in. most times you may get more to sell the car than trade it in.
as for what to buy... depends on what your looking for? gas milage, looks, safety or something
you can just plain afford? good luck and take someone with you that knows about cars. good luck.

to be honest with ya...your not gonna get a whole lot for it as it is right now...

KBB has a value of 2500,- roughly ....that's in excellent condition. with it not running you can expect to get maybe $1000,- as trade ...that's if your lucky... private sale is probably going to be less..

Unlike everyone else ...i'm going to say take it to a transmission shop... alot of them will do a free estimate ..transmissions nowadays are as advanced as engines are and have all kind of little $5,- parts that can break and render a tranny useless....sometimes even a sensor goes bad... no sense in buying another car and loosing $1500,- on the trade/sale...especially if the repair is way less then the difference...... most people always tend to say to get rid of the car when the tranny goes bad...i always say....go for an estimate and then decide if a new car is the best option.

I agree with the above. You really need to have someone check it. A linkage or something like that may only be $100-200 to fix and you are in a place to actually trade it in for something better or just run it till it dies.


Went through a similar situation recently myself. The transmission on my 97 Taurus went out and I went back and forth on whether to fix it or buy a new car. In my case, I decided to fix it because I don't really use my car for much more than back and forth to work and to the kids practices/games.

If you fix your old car it might cost a lot and something else on it might break.
If you buy a used car someone might be getting rid of it because some part is ready to break.
If you buy a new car, it comes with a warranty.
Whichever you choose, do you research on how much it will cost and get second and third opions from people you trust...

When you said you drive a la sabre


you pretty much answerd your own question......