Cutting it off

[Jakw]

At what point do you say, "It's not worth it"?Car cost - $200JDM(tyte) Engine - $120060,000mi Maint w/UD Pulley - $500Labor for swap and 60k - $750Tires, missing side mirror, other various things - $a few hundredSo the way I look at it, that's about a $3,000 car. 200k miles on the body, but the engine is strong.In the last two weeks, a tensioner broke, so my belts were all ruined apparently. Then the starter started grinding. $300 for belts and labor, $230 for the starter and labor, and while I was at it, about $70 for the Darlington resistor. So that's $600 in the last two weeks or so, and that's fine.Until yesterday. My ride got ridiculously bouncy. So now I'm looking at the suspension overhaul which is a 'deal' at like, $850.

Worth it? Part of me thinks that after this, it will be ready to rock, and just need basic maintenance for a while. Another parts thinks the transmission or something else major is next, and I just shouldn't bother.What are your thoughts?

[yodawill2000]

Its a matter of how much you wanna keep rolling the J !!

Kinda weird the car got "Bouncy" in one day though ??Just one corner ???

[colincliff2]

I've been in this situation. I bought a car for like $400 and figured "what a great deal, I'll just put a grand or so into it and it'll be good as new". Boy was I wrong. You never know what you're going to encounter with the "mechanic's special". It's usually more than you bargained for.

Here's how I look at it: what can you get for the J30 if you sell it and what will it cost you to get something else that won't potentially present the same problems? The difference between those two numbers is what I'd look at. In many cases (mine included) it makes sense to keep your current car.

[Victor]

I think the first rule of thumb when buying a used luxury car is make sure everything that is important to you works on the car before you buy it. Repairs and parts for luxury cars are so expensive that repairs can soon make your "bargain" car more expensive than one that would have cost one or two thousand more that didn't need any repairs. For example, four and a half years ago I bought my J30T for $3300 which was a fairly good bargain at the time. Everything worked on it, so four and a half years later I have spent almost nothing on repairs and maintenance. I could probably sell the car for $2500 today, so it only cost me $800 plus normal maintenance to drive it for four and a half years. It now has 194,400 miles on it.

[Jakw]

The problem is, what it costs to keep it is just a big question mark right now. Maybe another $1000 in suspension work will make it cheap and enjoyable to drive for another 30k miles, or maybe in two months I'll have a car with $1000 worth of suspension work, strong motor, and a dead transmission. It's a gamble. I know if I get rid of this, I'll probably find a sub-$2500 Honda or something (if I can find one that hasn't been molested).

And I doubt anyone in the right mind will buy a RWD, engine swapped, 230k mile luxury car that needs suspension work in a WI winter for more than like, a grand, if that.

Also, I think maybe the front right wheel took a hit that was just too much. Not that I can specifically think of one, but WI winters ruin cars.

[colincliff2]

I know if I get rid of this, I'll probably find a sub-$2500 Honda or something (if I can find one that hasn't been molested).

Chances are anything in that price range will need work too. You never really know until a few months after you buy it and you discover something wrong. You'd probably have to shell out $5k or so to get anything close to solid.

So what's the story with your J's transmission? Is it acting up like it's about to die?

[Jakw]

The transmission is fine now. It just seems like the one major thing that hasn't had my attention yet (and the suspension).I just have a hard time spending all this money at one time, I guess. And it still ticks me off that there is NO other suspension option besides OEM or custom, heh. We'll see. If we get that group buy going, I'll probably go for it and get a friend to help me out instead of paying a shop to do the labor.

[colincliff2]

I agree on the shock issue. Mine have been dead for 40k miles now. The cheapest I've found the shocks for is $623. A group buy would be great if we could find a manufacturer to consider it.

I'm glad to hear your transmission is OK, you just need to keep it that way. Keep up on your fluid changes & don't drive it too hard, it should be fine.

[Jakw]

There's some talk of a shock package group buy in a thread named 'January Specials!' in the Q45 section. Let's start getting some people interested or something. If Joe from IOS will work with us, it's business for them, cheaper parts for us, and more happy J30 owners.