To Repair or Buy Used?

[92Squiggy]

Hey Everyone!

Im going to need your opinions and help with a dilemna that Ive been faced with and need to figure out what to do within the next week or so.

I was in a little fender bender a few weeks ago and destroyed pretty much the whole front end of the car (about $500 for OEM parts) and was thinking "well its an 18 year old car with 127k miles on it so I dont think it will be cost effective to repair." So I began searching Craigslist and Autotrader for some cars within the $5000 range. Suffice to say there really isn't a great market due to that wonderful 'Cash For Clunkers' program and prices are insane ($8000 for 10 year old cars with over 155k miles).

Now it seems more cost effective to repair my 1992 Camry LE than it does buying a used car without knowing if it has hidden problems or what-not (mine has been in the family since new and has relatively low miles for its age and a full paperwork history from the local Toyota dealer).

But still as it stands I have 4 options open as I see it:

1. Buy a "new" car with over 100k miles for an insane high price ($5000-$7000) and sell mine for maybe $500-$700
2. Repair the Camry with the OEM parts so with labor around $1000
3. Repair the Camry using more money than to just make it "driveable" and "trick-it-out" but in a nice subtle non-gaudy way
4. Buy my dad's 4th gen Camry and get that into nicer shape and use that (only has 70k miles and has also been in family since new)

I'm a car guy like all you guys and want a nice tsudo-luxo cruiser just to use but at least something that looks decent as well.

Please help me out?

Thanks!

[abew330]

cash for clunkers pays up to 8g's for a old car?? what car is that?
i thought they add maybe a extra 500 to what the car is worth
(car worth 1000 + 500 for cash clunkers)

i would rather repair the car but i would be able to do most of the repair so it would be cost effective for me...

also, like you had mentioned buying a new car you dont know what you'll get. yeah they have carfax but eh....

Originally Posted by 92Squiggy

Hey Everyone!

Im going to need your opinions and help with a dilemna that Ive been faced with and need to figure out what to do within the next week or so.

I was in a little fender bender a few weeks ago and destroyed pretty much the whole front end of the car (about $500 for OEM parts) and was thinking "well its an 18 year old car with 127k miles on it so I dont think it will be cost effective to repair." So I began searching Craigslist and Autotrader for some cars within the $5000 range. Suffice to say there really isn't a great market due to that wonderful 'Cash For Clunkers' program and prices are insane ($8000 for 10 year old cars with over 155k miles).

Now it seems more cost effective to repair my 1992 Camry LE than it does buying a used car without knowing if it has hidden problems or what-not (mine has been in the family since new and has relatively low miles for its age and a full paperwork history from the local Toyota dealer).

But still as it stands I have 4 options open as I see it:

1. Buy a "new" car with over 100k miles for an insane high price ($5000-$7000)
2. Repair the Camry with the OEM parts so with labor around $1000
3. Repair the Camry using more money than to just make it "driveable" and "trick-it-out" but in a nice subtle non-gaudy way
4. Buy my dad's 4th gen Camry and get that into nicer shape and use that (only has 70k miles and has also been in family since new)

I'm a car guy like all you guys and want a nice tsudo-luxo cruiser just to use but at least something that looks decent as well.

Please help me out?

Thanks!

[92Squiggy]

Originally Posted by abew330

cash for clunkers pays up to 8g's for a old car?? what car is that?
i thought they add maybe a extra 500 to what the car is worth
(car worth 1000 + 500 for cash clunkers)

i would rather repair the car but i would be able to do most of the repair so it would be cost effective for me...

also, like you had mentioned buying a new car you dont know what you'll get. yeah they have carfax but eh....

Well the program is over but I was saying that since so many people traded in their old cars to get more "efficient cars" that a whole bunch of 90s cars became scrap. Ive been seeing like 98-01 Camrys/Solaras going for $6000-$8000 on Craigslist with upwadrs of 150k miles.

[Retrospekt]

Cash for Clunnkers paid out either 3,500 or 4,500 dollars. 3,500 if the new car you're getting is less than 10mpg average better than the car you have. 4,500 if you buy a car that is 10mpg or more efficient than the one you're trading in.

But as he said, the program has been over for a while.

[uibalnme]

if there was no mechanical damage, just keep the car. search the local salvage yards for the parts you need to replace, then only spend what's needed to return the car to the condition it was before the accedent.

[ONE_to_HATE]

depends really, if you were looking to get a new car pretty soon and yr finances are good enough for a monthly love letter called car bill... then i'd just take this as a sign to get a new car already.

if yr not in a position to be making car payments, then i'd definetly repair it. at 130K she's still young and will get you from point a to b.

[93XLEcamry]

i would either repair it ooorrrr i like choice number 4.....buying your pops car isnt a bad idea, i mean its been with the family the whole time....and its only 70k miles...depending on how much he sells his car for, i would just buy the gen4....and "trick it out"....cus i think, being a gen3 owner and all, there are a lot more "mod options" with the gen 4....

in the end its really up to you my friend...just my two cent...but i wouldnt get a "new" car, as you dont know the history of it.....u buy one for 5k, drive it for a couple of months and realize theres something wrong with the car, something that might cost you the amount it would cost you to fix your gen3....then your out like what 7-9k???....again think carefully before you do anything u might regret...good luck

[the_professional]

Same thing happened to me, I dont have a crazy amount of damage. She's staying & I am repairing.

[Stillrunning]

Originally Posted by 92Squiggy

So I began searching Craigslist and Autotrader for some cars within the $5000 range.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/search...in&maxAsk=5000

Suffice to say there really isn't a great market due to that wonderful 'Cash For Clunkers' program and prices are insane ($8000 for 10 year old cars with over 155k miles).

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/cto/1578409018.html

Cash for clunkers did not affect Camrys, what is affecting the used car market is people are not buying new and holding on to their old cars longer. Not sure where you're looking on Craig's in Chicago but there seems lots available no where near the prices you're quoting.

[bigbird]

see, we were smart to begin with,so we were not included in the C4C...just look at it that way.

honestly for parts, labor and if the car still runs well and is maintained well then id say repair. Ive had several chances to "upgrade" to a lower mileage car but for the life of me the only cars i can find that would be comparable to the gen3 camry in terms of cost to own are more expensive then what they are worth to begin with.

with your choices...id say 3 or 4.

[carsrus]

I wouldent get OEM parts if I were you. Its an old enough car to not warrant use of them. If your in Chicago theres this place called best value auto body supply. Its a huge warehouse that sells to body shops but they also sell to the public if you just go and pick it up and not get delivery.

Mechanics pay almost next to nothing for body panels. For example a bumper cover is like 35$ for a camry. A headlight for a gen 4.5 is only 35$ also for example.

I am i no way affiliated with these guys, but I have bought parts for mine and my friends cars and there the same place the shops get there stuff. You'd pay like half of that 500$ most likely.

[92Squiggy]

Originally Posted by ONE_to_HATE

depends really, if you were looking to get a new car pretty soon and yr finances are good enough for a monthly love letter called car bill... then i'd just take this as a sign to get a new car already.

if yr not in a position to be making car payments, then i'd definetly repair it. at 130K she's still young and will get you from point a to b.

Well I can but Id rather not since I like to own my vehicles outright.

Originally Posted by Stillrunning

http://chicago.craigslist.org/search...in&maxAsk=5000



http://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/cto/1578409018.html

Cash for clunkers did not affect Camrys, what is affecting the used car market is people are not buying new and holding on to their old cars longer. Not sure where you're looking on Craig's in Chicago but there seems lots available no where near the prices you're quoting.

Um yeah it did, look at those prices in relation to the miles on the cars. I have my gen3 thats fixable for less than what those gen3 owners want with more miles or I can buy my dad's gen with 70k miles for a lower price than that gen 4 with 130k miles.

I know higher mileage really isnt anything bad but still I have "younger mechanical" cars so why would I downgrade?

Originally Posted by Retrospekt

Cash for Clunnkers paid out either 3,500 or 4,500 dollars. 3,500 if the new car you're getting is less than 10mpg average better than the car you have. 4,500 if you buy a car that is 10mpg or more efficient than the one you're trading in.

But as he said, the program has been over for a while.

I think this comment by me about the C4C kinda derailed my main point. I just said it was a horrible idea that destroyed the used car market and got rid of many of the early 90s cars.

[4Cyl'erThriller]

Id either repair what you got, using salvage yard parts not the factory oem parts. Salvage yards are your friend. Or buy dads car that sounds like a great deal and a great car. Good luck whatever you choose.

[zythr]

Even though a car has over 100,000 miles does not mean it's a junker. It depends on how the car is maintained. There are many fine over 100,000 miles cars for sale, it just takes time to find them.

[92Squiggy]

Originally Posted by CleanWhiteCamry

Id either repair what you got, using salvage yard parts not the factory oem parts. Salvage yards are your friend. Or buy dads car that sounds like a great deal and a great car. Good luck whatever you choose.

Maybe I should have wrote OEM-like, because I dont want to ge really cheap parts that wont fit properly and will need extra work at the bodyshop. Also I have been searching junkyards but I havent found any white Camrys to use the parts off of and I really dont want to be driving around with mix-matched colors, I just like my cars to look well-taken care of.

I like my dad's gen4 Camry but it would need a little work to make it as presentable as the gen3. It has a dented quarter panel and scratchedup fron bumper and hood. Like I said I like my cars presentable