Car Advice

When we had a paid-off car, I'd always convert the repair cost into monthly payments to reassure myself it wasn't as bad as it sounded.  A $1000 repair really stinks, but if you figure a new car might have $250 a month payment, that turns into 4 months of payments.  So as long as the repair delayed me needing a new car by more than 4 months I was coming out ahead.
 
It sounds like you really answered your own question.  If you cant afford to buy a car at this moment regardless, the solution has to be to repair the one you have.  [&:]

The garage probably wanted to give you a front end alignment..


They would probably then tell you,you may need tie rods,ball joints..and probably CV joints.

I am not familiar with mercurys,and think the sable is really the same thing as a Ford taurus.

Seems like a lot of money fro replacing these particular parts..

I would get a knowledgeable friend to go get a second opinion from another garage..Ask around about digfferent garages..Chances are you may find a privately owned business with an honest owner somewhere that wiill give you the right answers..

A little reasearch could save you alot..If it is running good,i would probably have it fixed in your situation.I would only do what was absolutely needed.If you can get by with ball joints and tie rods,I probably wouldnt pay more than 4 or 500 bucks.even that seems high to me....I do most of my own work on my truck..My wifes car I send out because i hate working on it..

my car is a Sable station wagon and my husband is a mechanic and has been all his life.
we've had to do some major repairs on our little silver wagon, but we didnt buy it new.... it came with its own issues and needs, but hey, it only cost us 90 cents to get it.... which is a long story. we havent put any more than $500 into fixing its little issues, which is a deal you cant beat.... it needed a new hood, new bumper, and a new hatch window (he wanted one with a windshield wiper on it) and then some odds and ends under the hood.... Its really a great car. very dependable for me and my needs (kids, dogs, friends, beach, roadtrips, grocery getter- driven almost every day for long distances)
but anyway. i read him your thread and here is what he has to say -

 "Get a second opinion "in person"    it sounds like they are saying  the struts and or CV axles are worn out - personaly I think its just a bunch of air in the pwr steering pump - or rack assembly,  if this noise mostly happens  in the morining or just after cranking, - please however I cannot properly diagnose with out seeing the car- and neither can ANYone else.
 $1200 is what its worth to someone else or in a book. what its worth to you as dependable transporation is something else. $1200 is a far cry cheaper than replacing the car. unless you're jumping railroad tracks, its hard to believe that there is that much wrong with it. replacing CV axles is roughly $250 depending where you are and who you are dealing with. if your bank account cant handle a new car, then try to save your bank and repair the car you have"

I don't know exactly what parts are involved, which is part of what makes this very frustrating for me.  I'm a very analytical person and also good with my hands.  I have a lot of tools since I come from a family of carpenters and contractors, and am a technician for computers, printers, and other IT equipment so I NEED to know how something works and am usually capable of fixing things myself, but I have zero experience with cars.  What they told my husband was that the major problem is in the back and has something to do with coils that help hold the wheels on and possibly struts (?).  The front end alignment thing is a different issue that we're ignoring for now since it's not necessary for our safety.  We've gone to the dealer, a Lentz, and a local mechanic recommended to us.  Lentz said it would be $800, the dealer said $650, and the mechanic said $450 but we're not sure he understands the problem and he hasn't actually seen the car yet, he just guessed based on our discription.  Today we are calling another mechanic we know from church and will see what he says.  We could also buy the coils from the dealer and have the cheapest mechanic put them in, but my husband said something about the struts being involved and I have no idea what that is or how much those cost.  When the fuel injector on the old Blazer broke, I bought one on eBay for $200 and had the mechanic from church put it in and it was several hundred dollars cheaper than if he were going to get us the part and put it in.  I'm inclinded to just drop the car off at his lot and let him deal with it, give him a credit card number, because everyone says he's honest and since we know him, he can't try to scam us and get away with it.  He WILL tell you if he thinks you can get the parts cheaper from somewhere else.

Mhaddog, you are right at least from what I can tell, the Sable is just like a Ford Taurus or at least some Ford I see on the road.

Does anyone have a Corolla?  If we had to buy a used car, we'd want one of these.  My husband is a big guy, not fat, but very tall and athletically built, so there are certain cars he just plain cannot drive.  The Corolla seems more compact and shorter than the Sable, but my husband can fit in them (his dad has one).  I also like how the seats seem more upright.  I like to sit up straight and in high school I always borrowed my mom's minivan, so driving the Sable I feel like I'm way too low and can't see anything (and I'm not even short, I'm 5'7").  We also hate the Sable because the doors seem to open less wide than other cars.  We go on trips and are always having to move or take our animals and we can never get normal size boxes or even laundry baskets into the back seat b/c the friggin doors won't open!  We hate the curved shape of the trunk hatch because my bike rack slides off.  Apparently it only fits securely on a squarish trunk hatch and the time we tried taking our bikes up north, the rack lashing straps started sliding off on the highway and we had to take the bike apart and try to get it in the back (which again was a pain b/c the doors don't open wide!).  Also, we've had our brakes looked at and fixed like three times now and they say they are now fine, but I always feel like I have to brake REALLY hard in the Sable.  When I drive other people's cars, I always lurch at first because their brakes are touchier.  This isn't such a big deal, accept I've developed arthritis in my right foot and braking is one position that really hurts.  I know how to drive with my left foot since I was in a cast for two months, but I don't like doing this since it's less accurate.

I suppose we will just put up with the dern car a while longer.  The clincher is mainly that our car is paid off, so it's not like we have a crappy car that we have to pay to fix AND are still paying off.

The coil that you are talking about is on a TSB.  The rear coil springs in the Sables/Tauruses would occasionally break.  This leads to a rubbing sound and to some stability problems on rough roads.  The wheel won't come off if you hit a pothole, but the broken part of the spring could dislodge and that could cause driveability problems, which are not what you want when you are going 60mph.

The coil springs themselves aren't that expensive, I think they are less than $100 for the pair (and yes, replace both sides!) 

What they were planning on doing for $1200 confuses me, unless they are going to replace the knuckle, bearings and seals as well as the shocks back there.

Do yourself a big favor-call the dealer and find out what the parts (the coil springs) cost to you.  Find out exactly what the mechanic was going to do to your car.  Then call around to a couple of shops that specialize in suspension work (some tire shops are really good, some aren't.)  Get some estimates, remember that you'll also want to get a 4 wheel alignment.

BTW I work in the parts department for a Lincoln/Mercury dealer and have been there for 5 years.  We dealt with a similar situation like yours (Sable Wagon with a busted coil spring) and the crack in the spring wasn't that noticeable until the technician went to replace the rear knuckle.  Same complaint though- rubbing sound when hitting bumps or cornering.

Geez, you guys drive a lot.  2000 with 200,000 miles?  Anyway, I once had a ford many years ago and was told the same thing about my car.  The cv joints were bad and my wheel could come off ect. This thing only had about 70,000 miles on it.
I was fortunate to have a friend that was a mech for Lexus and he just ordered me a whole new axle and replaced it for me.  It was a lot cheaper than what the dealership wanted to charge me.  I guess you should just repair it if you can't afford a new car.  I would personally buy a new car if the one with 200k is your primary source of transportation.  That is a lot of miles for an american make car....ouch! Sorry, but i would think differently if it were a Honda or Toyota.  No I do not have a Honda or Toyota but I know they run forever. 

All I can say is, go Japanese when buying a car..........

Thanks, Xerxes, that sounds more like what they were talking about.  What's weird is my dad told me that my mom's Ford wagon is going in for a recall because of this problem - the coil can break and puncture the tire.  But I guess the recall doesn't affect us and ours are just shot.  All of the roads here are very rough because of the weird winter (constant freezing and thawing) which is why this is a legit concern to us.  The mechanics told us that it was probably the bad roads that caused the break in the first place, since we had the car in two months ago for the front brakes and it did not have this problem in the back (they always check the whole car to try and get us to pay for more).  So what are struts and do they have anything to do with this problem?  Do we just need to purchase new coils (how many?) and have them installed?  Again, the $1200 was a total including other things that we're not getting fixed b/c we can't afford that much.  The estimates for the coil problem were $400-$650.

Jode, we don't drive all that much considering we've shared this car, but the car was bought used with a lot of miles on it and when we have had to drive to my in-laws in Iowa several times (8 hrs each way), Florida (24 hrs each way), and Chicago uncountable times (4 hours each way).  That's the reason why we need it fixed.  In the city, we're fine taking the buses, walking, or carpooling but we need just one car for when we have to do long trips (never fly anywhere) and when we volunteer at the Humane Society, which is on the exact opposite side of town and takes a while to get there.

ORIGINAL: Liesje

Thanks, Xerxes, that sounds more like what they were talking about.  What's weird is my dad told me that my mom's Ford wagon is going in for a recall because of this problem - the coil can break and puncture the tire.  But I guess the recall doesn't affect us and ours are just shot.  All of the roads here are very rough because of the weird winter (constant freezing and thawing) which is why this is a legit concern to us.  The mechanics told us that it was probably the bad roads that caused the break in the first place, since we had the car in two months ago for the front brakes and it did not have this problem in the back (they always check the whole car to try and get us to pay for more).  So what are struts and do they have anything to do with this problem?  Do we just need to purchase new coils (how many?) and have them installed?  Again, the $1200 was a total including other things that we're not getting fixed b/c we can't afford that much.  The estimates for the coil problem were $400-$650.

Struts or shocks, and I'm going to get very elementary here are gas filled hydraulic cylinders that allow your car's suspension to move up and down on the road without causing the body of the car to feel every little bump.  They cushion the shock, hence the name "shocks."  With 200K on your car, they probably should be replaced along with the coils.  The reason behind this is that it won't cost much extra with the labor, and the shocks aren't that expensive. (If you go aftermarket and not original equipment you should be able to buy a pair for less than $40.)  They will also help to improve the ride and the overall stability of your vehicle.

You may want to call the local Ford dealer with your car's VIN and see if the recall applies to your vehicle.  If it does, your repair will not cost you anything.

There are 2 coil springs for your car, left and right.  If you were to crawl under and look at how the wheel connects to the car, you'd see a gigantic spring (maybe 5 or 6 inch diameter by about 10-14inches in heights.)

The estimate of  $500 or so is right on par...figure 2 labor hours per side@$100/hr= $400.  Plus $100 for the parts.  Now these aren't actual book times, just an estimate since I'm not at work and won't be going back until next tuesday. 

If you can get it fixed for that amount or less, I'd say go for it.  Talk with your friend the church mechanic and see if he's got the tools to do the job first though...as this job may require a spring compression tool.

I weas wondering about the spring thingies that were holding the wheels on/..lol

I thought we were talking about the FRONT of the car..lol

 

I just got a 2007 Chevy Aveo with no money down and a very crappy trade in.  My payments are like $214 a month.  A car with 200,000 miles is just like playing roulette.  THat's why I traded my car in.  It ran fine, but with 187,000 miles on it, I didn't want to risk it breaking down.  The last thing I had to repair was the altenator and battery, but it seemed like I was spending a hundred bucks or so every couple of months.  I finally just decided I'd rather stick that money into a new car. 
 
A lot of dealers will work with you with no money down.  You may have to pay it off over 72 months instead of 60, but I'm confident you can get some workable car payments on a used car with just the trade-in of your old car.  Go to [linkhttp://www.nada.com]www.nada.com[/link] to look up what a Corrolla retails for and then go into a Toyota dealer and say, hey, this lists at whatever amount on NADA and that's what I'm prepared to spend.  Also, shop the websites of local dealers and dealers within an hour or two drive and use that as leverage.  When I bought my wife's car, it was a Corolla that was stickered at almost $15,000.  NADA listed the car at $11,500 and a dealer about half an hour away had basically the same car for $13,500.  I told the guy what I wanted to finance and if he wasn't interested, I'd go to the other place. 

ORIGINAL: MhadDog

I weas wondering about the spring thingies that were holding the wheels on/..lol

I thought we were talking about the FRONT of the car..lol

That's where my years of experience come in to play[]

*sigh* I'm getting old. []

I said it was the back, did I not?  Oh well.

I drove the car today and it actually only has 150,000 miles.  That's good to know.  Guess hubby told me wrong.  Unless there's more miles on it than the odometer says...

ORIGINAL: snownose

All I can say is, go Japanese when buying a car..........

What an understatement.  I have a 1997 Honda Accord with 163,000 miles and I've done practically nothing in repairs.  Just routine maintenance and she purrs like a kitten.  Until something horrendous comes along -- and I don't expect it, as I have an aunt with a '94 Accord with 250,000 trouble-free miles -- I'll get a newer car.  It'll be a Honda, of course.  I'm sold on Hondas for the rest of my life, regardless of how much more they cost.  It's worth it in the long run, and I've had a crappy Chevy before.  Never again.  I'll always have a Honda and never worry about problems. 

Oh, and Kyguy78, your Aveo is a Daewoo Lanos/Kalos (depending on the world market) in Chevy drag.  Comparable to a Kia Rio or Hyundai Accent, which are the same cars, too.  If I was going to get a subcompact, I'd have gone with the Honda Fit -- hands down.  But that's my extreme Honda bias, though.

For a Mercury Sable (or any Ford product), 150K is a lot of miles.  I couldn't trust it and would get a newer vehicle.  I'm amazed that it lasted that long, as I've read about the issues that line of cars has had.  Not to sound pretentious, but I trust my 163K Accord more than a Mercury Sable (or let's say a Mercury Milan) with a mere 30K.  I cannot trust any domestic car company, because I was screwed over royally by their lack of quality. 

Honda has my love.

ETA: Corrected the OP's mileage to 150K.