Pay for the repairs on the piece of junk, or buy something reliable from a dealer?
I just bought an 03 Ford Escape for $3000 in Hawaii. Did a pretty thorough inspection, took for a test drive, and bought the car from a local. Next day, all hell breaks loose. Engine begins misfiring (needs new coil paks), sway bars almost fall off, back door doesn't lock, and then the battery dies on me (could be the alternator). At this point I'm unsure wether to spend all this money on repairs, trade in and buy from a dealer, or sell on Craigslist and buy from a dealer.
Do not spend any more money on that 13 year old car… Trade it off if possible and get something for it as it is junk… Find a dealer that will give you a 50 to 50 warranty for 90 days or buy a car that is less than 5 years old --- how long do you plan to live in the '' salt aire '' state -- it might benefit you to buy a new car with a big warranty…
*Update* I'm only on the island for 3 years.
Unless it's new -- and perhaps even then -- you can't be sure that buying from a dealer is going to mean no more repair bills for a while.
Wow. You must not have done much of a test drive. All those things couldn't have just popped up the day after you bought. Sounds like you want to jump from one problem to another, assuming you'll be just as careless when buying the next vehicle. You should fix the vehicle you have to keep from losing more money. Doesn't sound like the problems are all that expensive to repair.
Your inspection/inspector sucked! Coil pack - 22-25 usd from amazon about 20 minutes to install Sway bare is just bushing can't be more than 100usd - buy a voltmeter and check the charging voltage - but an alternator or battery will cost in the 100-150usd with about 100 install fee for the alternator, You missed the door - it didn't break overnight.
I doubt you will get your money out of the trade since it no longer runs or drives well. You should get an estimate on the repair cost, including any hidden problems so you can make an informed decision. All older used cars will have some repair issues, even newer ones purchased through a dealer.
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