Car just died, do I spend the money to fix it? (rental, insurance)

[FrankTheTank2]

My wifes 2000 Honda Civic needs a new engine at a price of $3,500.

The car is worth about $4,500 if it was working properly. Is it worth it to invest in a new engine? The car is 8 years old and is in below average condition.

Awful timing as we are buying a house this month too

[Mike409]

I hate to ask, but who forgot to put oil in it?

J/K.....Hondas usually last forever. If it's only a $1000.00 difference between the cost of repairs and the blue book value, then it's not worth it, IMO.

Maybe take the $3500.00 and use it for a down payment on another car.

[njguy]

What's wrong with the engine?

How many miles on the car?

[FrankTheTank2]

The guy told me that Piston Ring broke off and is dragging inside the engine. He said this was a very rare thing and could not have been prevented.

Just bad luck I guess......

[groove1]

Buy another car. I just had to have a manifold and new gaskets put in my 2001 Buick. Thank you GM for Dexcon coolant.

[Mouser]

IMO, NO

Buy something for cash until your house is a done deal

[wankel7]

You can probably get an engine from a salvage yard...maybe find somebody local in a small shop to do the work if you show up with a dead car and a salvage engine. Or do it yourself....its really not that hard.

[Roaddog]

There are places that sell used low milage engines from Japan, they are low priced, you can find there adds in local camera adds. A friend did this and it was only around $500.00.

[njguy]

Originally Posted by Roaddog

There are places that sell used low milage engines from Japan, they are low priced, you can find there adds in local camera adds. A friend did this and it was only around $500.00.

I agree with you, at least after the engine replacement work is done FrankTheTank2 will know the car he/she already has verses purchasing another used vehicle with possible unknown issues.

[sunsprit]

It would be very difficult to justify spending $3,500 on a car worth $4,500 that is otherwise in poor condition.

In view of the general high mileage and durability that these cars achieve at reasonable cost, your situation suggests some pretty demanding use through these years.

IMO, you'd be better off purchasing another car to get you by for awhile. Perhaps there's a rental car agency or fleet sale going on in your area where you could purchase a couple year old car with a warranty remaining on it?

If you are not a mechanic with the appropriate tools, an engine swap with a japanese home market import engine is not for you to do yourself, and they're a lot more than $500 for a no-core motor for your Honda. The only motor that would be a reasonably easy swap-out would be a wrecking yard pull-out.

Generally speaking, these cars are run to very high mileage and the only ones being parted out are either very worn out or have been in a crash and totalled out by an insurance company. I've walked enough miles in "you-pull-it" boneyards looking for parts to know that Honda's just aren't coming off the road in any quantity .... of course, it doesn't hurt to call your local boneyard and see if they have or can locate a servicable used motor ... but I'd still expect it to cost around $2,000 for your car if it's a low mileage motor. By the time you get it installed, you're still looking at the better part of a $3,000 bill ... which doesn't make economic sense.