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I'm no expert, but I bought a 93 Nissan pickup last year, and I bought an a/c aftermarket kit for it shortly afterwards. I can't afford to pay someone to put it into the pickup yet, but I am still excited about this purchase.
The reasoning for me, is that I expect to keep this vehicle for the foreseeable future. As long as possible. I bought it for about $2000 and expected to put at least $2000 into it, which I have done. This included new tires and a great stereo.
For me, one of the reasons it's worth putting money into this rig, is because it's a King cab AND it's an automatic. Both features I felt were absolute necessities.
At any rate, the bottom line is whatever is important to you, is what's worth the money.
I am in a similar dilemma now, I have the evaporator and expansion valve sitting in front of me, and considering to just do the heater core at the same time, why not as it is a $40 part? I am hoping my mechanic wont add up hours, just to replace the 3 parts, since they are in the same location.
Does this make sense to me, with over 200,000 miles on a 03'? I already have a new compressor, timing belt and water pump installed. I could get an extra 80,000 miles with the work done, and a dent less car. I will end up paying for the repair, no ac sucks! This AC job will last me for a good number of years.
Financially its unwise.
Anything else is not a finance question.
My current car has air conditioning, this is the first time I've had it in 30 yrs.
I don't use it.!
You'd be surprised what you think you need that is really just a want.
It's time to replace the car. When the cost of a repair exceeds the value and is an "intrinsic repair" {meaning it isn't needed for the car to operate/drive}, it's time to replace.
If you have a 4 cylinder, it may not last the 200K miles, as one can reasonably expect 150K miles out of one, some will last far beyond that, but many won't. A 6 cylinder is really only rated to last about 200K. Besides, exactly how many Geo's do you see on the roads of that vintage? I've only seen one in my area, and not sure it's that old.
I had a 6 year caravan, and the ENTIRE a/c system needed to be replaced, I was told, as they were noted for system-wide failures {common in that generation of caravans}. I was told this by two different shops, one chain and one local. It cost me $2,200. Because it was only 6 years old, and I intended to keep it till it failed, I paid it. Took 2.5 dyas to get it done. I traded it at 16 years old, so got 10 years out the a/c, which was still working well on trade.
I currently have an '06 Kia Sedona and the a/c will blow cool air, but not cold. I will take it and get it "fixed" so long as some type of sealer/recharger will work. I could try it myself, but I'd rather the professionals do it. I plan to {and have to really} keep it another 5 years, so even if I have it recharged each summer, it shouldn't cost me much. It's not worth the money to replace the whole system. I, too, am a white collar {though lower pay scale} worker who doesn't need to arrive all sweaty, and just can't see putting a lot into the Kia. It just cost me $1,800 in various fixes, but that is all it has cost me during the 7 years I've owned it, besides regular maintenance, breaks and tires. The vehicle only has 94K on it, and they are disappearing off the roads from that year it seems, so I may already be getting to borrowed time.
By all means, go and get another estimate and an exact diagnostic on what is really wrong with it. The compressor maybe, maybe not.
FYI, for those with a/c, I learned when I had my caravan's replaced, from a different shop who wanted more money to replace the whole system, that one should run the a/c on really warm days during the cool/cold weather to cycle the system to keep the oils in it lubricating the O-rings and seals at joints. I don't know if this really works, and have been doing it for years, but I can't say positively that it works. It seems to help, but not sure how long it adds longevity. I also learned that since it's a sealed system, if you tamper with one part of the system and have it replaced, you run risks of other arts failing, hence the reason I was told to replace the whole system.
Jacob: If I were you, I'd either drive it till it drops with NO A/C and use the $1k to put towards another vehicle, or you could keep the Prizm as a winter beater, though. There is another thread you might want to read, the title is roughly to this effect: cost of keeping it till it dies, vs. buying a new one. Look for it and read and see what you think.
Best of luck in your decision and hope you find a solution that works for you.
If you're at a commuter keep the car and find a better/cheaper mechanic. $900 is waaaaaaaaaay too much even for a shop to replace that. I did my wife's compressor, expansion valve, and drier for around $300 all in myself with aftermarket parts. $600 in labor...nope.
If you're at a major it's time for a new car if you can't do the work yourself.
IMO spending $900 on a car thats worth maybe $500 is throwing your money away,time to think of a newer car.
That said if the car is mint it maybe worth your while to fix the A/C, how are the tires/brakes/suspension/exhaust/cooling system,any rust issues?
I would pay it if you plan on keeping the car. The car isn't worth much on trade in, and you are unlikely to get a better car without paying way more money than what you could sell it for private party.
Its a car that should realistically last another 50K miles.
Now, if you're planning on upgrading in a month, I wouldn't do it.
I would get some other quotes for the job, though.
I understand that you're paying half as much as you could sell the car for. $900 is a lot of money.
BUT, if the car is functioning and you don't want to spend the money on a new car, and $900 buys you another 12-24 months in it, that's worth something too.
If the compressor is replaced, you MUST also replace the dryer / accumulator, and perform other steps to do the job right. Get a second opinion from a reputable AC specialist if you can.
I don't use A/C in my vehicles but my family likes it and we are taking the Land Cruiser camping in a couple of weeks so I turned the A/C on for the first time since owning it. Low and behold it blew hot air. I decided to troubleshoot the problem myself because I do not want to pay someone else to do it as I know it can get expensive. I first checked the pressure of the system and it was around 5psi which means I must have a leak. I took a can of r134a and tried to pressurize the system and instantly heard a leak once the pressure built up. I located the leak and luckily its on an easy access line but unfortunately I cannot locate this line anywhere. I decided I am going to get a splice kit for about $30 and give that route a shot. Once I fix the line I will bring it to the shop to get vacuumed and recharged and hopefully be good to go. I almost always try to attempt repairs on my own as it just saves so much money. In fact (non A/C related) I needed to replace a small front end component on my Mustang and the shop quoted me $1000 in labor alone. I bought the part for $70 and it took a couple hours of my time.
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