Car Situation

[MamaBelle4]

Ugh. It never rains, but it pours, right?
I'm looking for some advice.
We have four vehicles.
1999 Plymouth Voyager, which we sank hundreds into (if not thousands), and something kept going wrong once one issue was fixed. Right now it is the timing belt. I hate the idea of putting an more into it, but...
1996 Saturn Wagon, a good reliable car that my husband mostly drives to work, but can't fit our whole family.
2001 Ford F150, not sure what's wrong with it. Possibly a coil pack, possibly more.
2007 Ford Explorer. We just had the transmission rebuilt and that was a battle and a half, now something is wrong with the head. Could be a lifter, could be more. Also the heat needs fixed and something else I can't remember. We still have one more year of payments to make on this one. This was our family vehicle.

I just am angry and frustrated. And so tired of the constant influx of car repair. Right now, the only vehicle we have that is operable is one that we do not all fit in! If you were in our shoes, what would you do? Which vehicle would you fix or move on? Thank you!!

 

[Albort]

sell your cars, get toyotas...

 

[verleniahall]

I would keep your DH work car, fix the family car, and sell the others

Good Luck!

 

[Ngwira]

sell your cars, get toyotas...

Or hondas.

 

[MamaBelle4]

Or hondas.

Yeah, but my husband can fix fords. He's leary about foreign cars because he's unfamiliar with them.

 

[calypso726]

sell your cars, get toyotas...

LOL These were my thoughts exactly. After years of problems with cars that don't last my family has become a Toyota family.

 

[Ngwira]

I'm still driving my 2002 Honda Accord with 209,000 miles on it. Other than general maintenance ie oil changes and tires..no major repairs.

 

[havaneselover]

I'm in the buy Japanese camp too, but considering the age of the cars, the fact that they are still running is impressive. You're lucky to have a handy husband.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I'm in the buy Japanese camp too, but considering the age of the cars, the fact that they are still running is impressive. You're lucky to have a handy husband.

Don't I know it!!

 

[Marionnette]

Ugh. It never rains, but it pours, right?
I'm looking for some advice.
We have four vehicles.
1999 Plymouth Voyager, which we sank hundreds into (if not thousands), and something kept going wrong once one issue was fixed. Right now it is the timing belt. I hate the idea of putting an more into it, but...
1996 Saturn Wagon, a good reliable car that my husband mostly drives to work, but can't fit our whole family.
2001 Ford F150, not sure what's wrong with it. Possibly a coil pack, possibly more.
2007 Ford Explorer. We just had the transmission rebuilt and that was a battle and a half, now something is wrong with the head. Could be a lifter, could be more. Also the heat needs fixed and something else I can't remember. We still have one more year of payments to make on this one. This was our family vehicle.

I just am angry and frustrated. And so tired of the constant influx of car repair. Right now, the only vehicle we have that is operable is one that we do not all fit in! If you were in our shoes, what would you do? Which vehicle would you fix or move on? Thank you!!

Nissans all the way here!

I know this doesn't help you, OP. But I had to chime in and add that my Japanese cars have been the most reliable that I've ever driven. But looking at your list, I think we need more info. Is the F150 essential to your family? Can you part with it and not miss it? Then let it go.

What kind of mileage do all of the vehicles have? My father said it over and over, "it's not the years, it's the mileage that counts".

How are the bodies holding up? Are they puttied up or clean and free of rust?

IMO, you should focus on keeping one family car running and then make do with the other two until you can either fix them or unload them. And by "running", I mean being able to get to and from your destinations safely. The heater is a luxury and can be fixed at a later date. You don't need it with summer coming up. If the Explorer is the only vehicle that you all fit in, then I guess that I would concentrate on fixing it if I were in your shoes.

 

[Albort]

Or hondas.

I was gonna mention Honda but my civic has so many issues so far. heck, I'm sitting at the mechanic as in posting this because I got my belt replaced and now it's making a clicking noise. I think they are saying it's the alternator.

 

[MamaBelle4]

Nissans all the way here!

I know this doesn't help you, OP. But I had to chime in and add that my Japanese cars have been the most reliable that I've ever driven. But looking at your list, I think we need more info. Is the F150 essential to your family? Can you part with it and not miss it? Then let it go.

What kind of mileage do all of the vehicles have? My father said it over and over, "it's not the years, it's the mileage that counts".

How are the bodies holding up? Are they puttied up or clean and free of rust?

IMO, you should focus on keeping one family car running and then make do with the other two until you can either fix them or unload them. And by "running", I mean being able to get to and from your destinations safely. The heater is a luxury and can be fixed at a later date. You don't need it with summer coming up. If the Explorer is the only vehicle that you all fit in, then I guess that I would concentrate on fixing it if I were in your shoes.

The truck also fits all of us. We do need it as my husband frequently does side work and needs to tote his big old welder around.
Mileage: saturn is over 200,000; van is 120,000; truck is 145,000 ish; Explorer is 145,000.

I do agree that the Explorer ought to be the priority. I'm just terrified it's the head and not just the lifter. And I do agree about the heater being a luxury now, but in winter it isn't, especially if it remains unreliable while I'm toting 4 kids 7 &under around. While he's got it own, might as well take care of that too.

 

[supersnoop]

Yeah, but my husband can fix fords. He's leary about foreign cars because he's unfamiliar with them.

Being able to fix a car is irrelevant if the car doesn't break. Besides, Honda's are easy to fix. You just need small hands.

How can your entire family fit in the truck, but not the Saturn? Why do you need so many cars?

 

[MamaBelle4]

Being able to fix a car is irrelevant if the car doesn't break. Besides, Honda's are easy to fix. You just need small hands.

How can your entire family fit in the truck, but not the Saturn? Why do you need so many cars?

I suppose that's true, but that's never been our experience. We like to do things ourselves rather than depend on others.

The truck is an extended cab and seats 6. The saturn seats 5. We have 4 kids.

We just kind of accumulated them. When we got married, I had the Saturn and he had the truck. Then we purchased our explorer as a family vehicle and when the explorer was down due to needing a transmission rebuilt, my husband's grandmother passed away and we purchased the van for $500 so we could get through until we could get enough to rebuild the transmission.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I would buy a newer vehicle (toyota is what I love and Honda is what my husband loves - neither have given us any problems) and then sell the 3 vehicles with problems. I owned a ford once for about 2 years - it's nickname was "fix or repair daily". Hated that thing. I got rid of it as soon as I could.

Keep the Saturn until the new vehicle is paid off and once that starts having problems get rid of that and buy newer.

I had a 1996 Plymouth Voyager and got rid of it in 2008 when it started having problems. Hearing your story about that van means I made the right decision on that one. Thanks!

 

[cedricandsophie]

I have two Toyota Solaras. One is 2004 with 195000 miles and the other is 2008 with 125000. Have had nothing but the normal issues like brakes, tires, batteries. Love Toyota.

 

[tvguy]

Fix the Saturn and the Explorer, sell the rest.

 

[tvguy]

sell your cars, get toyotas...

LOL. My son's Little League Coach is a Toyota Dealer Mechanic, has been since 1969.
His comments on Toyota reliability are two fold. First "If they are as good as people say, why do Toyota dealers all have service departments?". Second "The Toyota difference isn't in better quality, it is in better customer service" The example he cites are the awful head gaskets on V-6 engines. If they blow, Toyota will fix them for free, for the life of the car. Ford had a similar issue, and they didn't extend the warranty on their engines with head gasket issues, but there was a time and mileage upper limit.

 

[MamaBelle4]

LOL. My son's Little League Coach is a Toyota Dealer Mechanic, has been since 1969.
His comments on Toyota reliability are two fold. First "If they are as good as people say, why do Toyota dealers all have service departments?". Second "The Toyota difference isn't in better quality, it is in better customer service" The example he cites are the awful head gaskets on V-6 engines. If they blow, Toyota will fix them for free, for the life of the car. Ford had a similar issue, and they didn't extend the warranty on their engines with head gasket issues, but there was a time and mileage upper limit.

Actually, with our explorer, the transmission was a known issue. It was months ago and I'm not a huge car buff so I'm sure to get some terminology wrong, but the fix released by ford to their ford certified service men was that the case had to be moved and new holes bored into it. It would happen before 100,000 typically.
They knew and did nothing about it for their customers.

 

[tvguy]

Actually, with our explorer, the transmission was a known issue. It was months ago and I'm not a huge car buff so I'm sure to get some terminology wrong, but the fix released by ford to their ford certified service men was that the case had to be moved and new holes bored into it. It would happen before 100,000 typically.
They knew and did nothing about it for their customers.

I know. My wife has a 2000 Mercury Mountaineer (an Explorer with a Mercury name tag on it ) and it looks like this will the year for a new transmission. I figure I can't complain, 16 years isn't too bad. But I keep my cars so long, I always have to replace a transmission. Replaced the trannie in our 1987 Suburban last year. A new transmission costs less than the sales tax on a $20,000 replacement car.