My car broke down and the Mechanic wants to buy it from me...

[JanetRose]

In the last month, I put a new axle shaft, timing belt and four new tires (total $750) on my 1994 Honda Accord. It broke down this past week and needs a new distributor - $350. I guess it's time to get another car. The Accord has over 200,000 miles on it. The car is now at the mechanic - I asked him how would I get rid of it and he said he may make me an offer on it. I want to do the easiest thing - what would be a good price? The body has some dents and the radio/CD player does not work. Should I just give him the car?

Thanks.

 

[TerryKitten]

My DH had this happened to him. The transmission went out and the cost was way more than the car's worth. The mechanic offered him to buy it so he could fix it up. He offered 500, which was good since the car was worthless w/ out a transmission. Well 10 years later we found out it was still ticking because it was in a accident and someone contacted us about it. Look up its value in Kelly Blue Book and use it as a starting point.

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

I did a smiliar thing. To fix the car it would be about $700. I sold it to the mechanic for $600.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

Whoa!! I have a very similiar delimma! I also have a 1994 Honda Accord with 201,000 miles, and the radio doesn't work, either! I put alot of money into it over the last year - new timing belt, new starter, new radiator fans, new tires. But I absolutely LOVE my car - I bought it new, and it has been very faithful and reliable for many years, and I even took it from NJ to Disney three times in the last seven months!

But my car's oil light started coming on, as apparently it is now burning oil inside the engine. I took it to two mechanics and both said it can't be fixed, you have to get a new engine block and the car isn't worth it. Funny thing is, the car still runs absolutely fine, and I am still driving it, and keeping an eye on the oil level. But a mechanic at my dealer also expressed interest in buying it, for about $500. The skeptic in me almost wonders if anything is really *that* wrong, and these mechanics are taking avantage of a solo female, but what can I do?

I did make the decision that I needed a reliable car, so I did just buy a newer Honda, which I love, too! But I may just keep the old Accord until it just dies, or if it fails inspection (which fortunately doesn't come up until November). I am not sure what value it truly has, so I'll think about it for awhile.

To the OP - probably a new car is on the horizon. Hope you find the perfect one!

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

Whoa!! I have a very similiar delimma! I also have a 1994 Honda Accord with 201,000 miles, and the radio doesn't work, either! I put alot of money into it over the last year - new timing belt, new starter, new radiator fans, new tires. But I absolutely LOVE my car - I bought it new, and it has been very faithful and reliable for many years, and I even took it from NJ to Disney three times in the last seven months!

But my car's oil light started coming on, as apparently it is now burning oil inside the engine. I took it to two mechanics and both said it can't be fixed, you have to get a new engine block and the car isn't worth it. Funny thing is, the car still runs absolutely fine, and I am still driving it, and keeping an eye on the oil level. But a mechanic at my dealer also expressed interest in buying it, for about $500. The skeptic in me almost wonders if anything is really *that* wrong, and these mechanics are taking avantage of a solo female, but what can I do?

I did make the decision that I needed a reliable car, so I did just buy a newer Honda, which I love, too! But I may just keep the old Accord until it just dies, or if it fails inspection (which fortunately doesn't come up until November). I am not sure what value it truly has, so I'll think about it for awhile.

To the OP - probably a new car is on the horizon. Hope you find the perfect one!

Do you have a male friend who can take the car to a mechanic for you? I would think if two seperate mechanics said that was what was wrong it is wrong.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I would say 1,000-1,500. A car that runs and passes inspection is at least worth 1,000.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

Do you have a male friend who can take the car to a mechanic for you? I would think if two seperate mechanics said that was what was wrong it is wrong.

Unfortunately, I know absolutely no one to ask to help. But the car does have an engine problem, I just wished I knew how bad it was!

Even when I bought my new car, I had no male to bring with me (which they always say a women should do!), so I am sure I paid more than I should have, but I accept that as a limit of being a solo female in our society. Oh well! My new car was very close to the blue book, so I probably did OK.

The two mechanics at different places said the same thing but I know one didn't spend anytime with the car, though. I think they opened up the engine and looked at how oily and sooty it was, and declared it a goner! With labor prices, it isn't worth fixing. But if I sell it to a mechanic, he can fix it rather easily (I get the impression), and then sell for a nice profit. That's why I am a tad suspicious that they are so anxious to declare the car a goner. But if I did that, the car would live on, which makes me happy. Oh well - at least the pressure is off right now, as I can take time to decide what to do.

 

[powellrj]

I know nothing about cars, but my DS has friends that love to collect old cars and rebuild them. Could these guys just want to buy the car from you for the parts? Maybe the car really isn't worth fixing, but it has enough usable parts for someone that knows what they are doing to use?

 

[Imzadi]

I made the mistake of selling an old heap to a junkyard for $75. Two guys from the junkyard showed up, thinking they'd have to push & tow it. Even when one of them asked if I had the spare key, a lightbulb didn't go off in my head.

It wasn't until my brother, a mechanic, who lives in another state, said I GAVE a car away that still RUNS & let people drive off with it, that I realize it still had some worth.

If the car is still drivable, it has some worth. The question is whether it is worth it to YOU? Because of my brother, the mechanic, I have driven many cars that had a whole host of problems, but were still drivable. Once I had a car that leaked from the radiator & oil AND tires, all at the same time. AND the gas gauge was broken. Each stop to the gas station meant topping off the gas tank since I never knew how much I used, adding a can of oil, then pulling over to the air & water pump & filling up the car that way. I simply couldn't afford a newer car at the time, (saving for school.) It was cheaper (at the time) to keep buying a can of oil with each fill up. (Bad on the environment though. ) Since the car ran at all, it was worth the extra trouble. However, I won't do that again!

Since your mechanic fixed all the items broken & obviously knows he can keep fixing whatever else is going to break, at no labor cost to himself, the car is worth something to him. The mechanic can also scrap the car & reuse/resell the parts he just fixed.

There also comes a point where you know the history of what got fixed, & there simply isn't that much more that can break (in a reasonable time,) since practically everything is "new" again. You could end up changing the exact same things on a "newer" car, in a couple of years.

When you factor what price you want to sell the car for, you really can't factor in the broken radio. The car is still DRIVABLE without a radio. That is a cosmetic item. If need be, throw in a portable boombox you got from a garage sale, if people try to lower the price on you because of that.

 

[Dznypal]

I think that if a mechanic wants the car it has some potenial.

My DD had a 95 grand prix--a year and a half ago the fuel injectors went!!
(our state had a fuel injector problem that (I cant remember how many people had their fuel injectors ruined sometimes twice--but of course its not the oil companies fault!!!)

DD didnt want to put that much into the car and wanted to buy a new one--

the mechanic wanted to buy it--at the time I was driving an 88 olds cutlass-

so we traded titles let her use my car as a trade in since she wouldnt get much as a trade in on the 95 since it didnt run but got 800 for mine--we paid to get the injectors fixed- the mechanic said we made a good decision.

and he wanted the car!!!

the car still runs great!!!

so I would say if you really want to get rid of the car fast and you trust the mechanic I would say go for it-

is he offering you a fair price?

 

[JanetRose]

He hasn't offered me a price yet - I'm not one to bargin so I'll probably take whatever he offers!

 

[DWDreams]

Whatever he offers, I'd at least add in the $750 you just spent on tires etc... Compromise from there would be what he offers plus 1/2 of the $750 or $375. Be fair to yourself, you paid him for that stuff and I'm sure he made a profit from the work.

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

Even when I bought my new car, I had no male to bring with me (which they always say a women should do!), so I am sure I paid more than I should have, but I accept that as a limit of being a solo female in our society. Oh well! My new car was very close to the blue book, so I probably did OK.

You just have to educate yourself. I'm a woman, and purchased both of my cars alone. The first time the sales guy treated me with respect but the "manager guy" started treating me like a dumb chick. I got it below KBB used car price for a dealer.

The two mechanics at different places said the same thing but I know one didn't spend anytime with the car, though. I think they opened up the engine and looked at how oily and sooty it was, and declared it a goner! With labor prices, it isn't worth fixing. But if I sell it to a mechanic, he can fix it rather easily (I get the impression), and then sell for a nice profit. That's why I am a tad suspicious that they are so anxious to declare the car a goner. But if I did that, the car would live on, which makes me happy. Oh well - at least the pressure is off right now, as I can take time to decide what to do.

They probably can fix it and make a nice profit from it. They'd also be fixing everything that is wrong with it. But that's money you'd have to sink into it if you were to keep it. I'd go on KBB and find out what the low end trade-in and low end private party prices are and compare it to what they are offering you. So if it would cost you $2k to fix everything that is wrong with it, you've just sunk $2k into a car that is still on its last legs vs. putting that $2k towards a new (to you) car. $500-$800 is probably what I'd take for what you have.