since we seem to have a wide range of people here of many different backgrounds i need some advice.

right now i own a 2001 plymouth neon which has had its share of odd problems for the 5 years that ive had it. these ranged from electrical issues (if i turned on the high beams, it would burn a wire causing my car to smoke/smell) to spark plug issues (they would pop out of the cylinder). luckily my dad and me have been able to fix all of these issues (saving a good chunk of change along the way). well my car fucked itself up again.

the timing chain on my car, after much wear, somewhat went off its track. this bore a hole in the water pump that, when it ruptured, caused the timing chain to get completely fucked. now the engine type on my car is a free-wheel engine. with out getting to technical this means that the timing chain runs right by the cylinders inside the engine. so when the chain went, it fucked up some of the cylinders as well. now, my neighbor is a mechanic (thats how we figured out what the problem was) and he made it seem like it was an easy fix (or as easy as it can get). after looking around online i found the "how to" and it seems a whole lot harder then he made it seem. anyway, if i took the car into get it fixed it would cost around $1200 if i took it in somewhere or i could try to fix it myself for something like $150 and 5 hrs of my time and hope that we do it right.

i looked online, the car is only worth about $1300. i have it paid off.

so what do you think i should do?

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Check out my website: http://www.artistzero.com

"That wasn't very nice...I do believe you killed my hat."

Driver of the FIRE LINDY RUFF Bandwagon since 2008.

I don't know what type of vehicles you like, whether it be better gas mileage or one better in the winter, but 1300 bucks alone could get you started towards a good vehicle.

This may sound generic, but look at craigslist and see if you find something you like. I bought my truck from craigslist from a reliable guy that lives in North Tonawanda. It worked out great for me.

2001 does seem a little too young to die, though.

Just my 2 cents.

Timing chain on an engine with it inside of the engine could cause sooooooooooo many fuckups.

You'd be way better to sell it off to anyone, and then get a new car.

One of the worst things that could happen is having the timing chain break like that. It probably caused damage to your head as well and replacing valves and such is just more money down the drain. Also if it is an Overhead Cam engine which I'm assuming it is since it has the timing chain inside the motor, you could have possibly screwed up your cam also. Metal shavings are also going to run rapid throughout the engine now and can possibly clog many oil passages.

I would just get a new vehicle without these problems, as it would save you in the long run.

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Markus: 2001 is young to die but the car is "special" when i was working on it i found out half the bolts were metric the other half werent.

ive been looking around to see if something catches my eye. good idea about craigslist, ill check them out. im going for gas mileage. living in chicago, we dont really get the heavy snow like buffalo we just get nut shattering wind and cold.



Sky: my neighbor told me most of that. when i learned what type if engine i had, i new i was more or less boned.

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Check out my website: http://www.artistzero.com

"That wasn't very nice...I do believe you killed my hat."

Driver of the FIRE LINDY RUFF Bandwagon since 2008.

2001 isn't too young to die honestly, and dodge had a relationship with Mitsubishi for awhile, but I think it ended a little earlier than 2001 so that could be why it has metric bolts. I think they still shared their partnership for awhile, because Mitsubishi need engines and Dodge provided for them there.

2001 cars die just because it would depend on how much you drive it. My dad's truck is a 2001 and it has close to 120K miles on it.

My mom's van is a 2005 and has almost 80K on it.

Things start to go bad on engines, and sometimes at only just over 120K or so on it.

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sounds like the flux capacitor.

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i thought so too but im at the recommended 1.21 gigawatts and the plutonium reactor is full.

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Check out my website: http://www.artistzero.com

"That wasn't very nice...I do believe you killed my hat."

Driver of the FIRE LINDY RUFF Bandwagon since 2008.

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"Go out and run 'em."
- Lindy Ruff, 23 Feb. 2007

The car may be "worth" 1300, but in reality a dealer will "take it off your hands" for a couple of hundred. For me, winter is coming....get a reliable car or small 4wheel drive truck, SUV and keep the old car to screw around with next summer. Maybe fix it up and sell it yourself. Get ready for winter though. I've been stranded a few times with clunkers in the winter and had to fix them myself in a snowbank...literally, shovel a spot in the driveway and work on it. Craigslist is a good idea...better than dealers right now. In this economy, dealers are scumbags who are desperate and will fuck their mothers in a heartbeat for a profit to stay in business.

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I try to think, but nuttin happens.......Curley Howard
There is no past as it exists merely as a slippery bond tying the memories of the past to the dreams of the future.............Me
If we started life as an old person and lived until we were young, we would eventually finish off fucked as an orgasm.......George Carlin

i too come from the "drive-it-till-it-dies" school of thought and was hoping to get another couple years out of it. I would go with a used car simply because of the cost.



the $1300 was the "rough condition" quote from Edmunds.com. the dealer resale was something like $4000. the winter im not to concerned about. everyone at my house has a car and with my dad working from home there is pretty much an extra car around (like right now im driving a mini-van ).

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Check out my website: http://www.artistzero.com

"That wasn't very nice...I do believe you killed my hat."

Driver of the FIRE LINDY RUFF Bandwagon since 2008.

It sucks, but it's time to get out of that car.

It's just not worth it.

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Wheelhouse

It depends how much cash you have I suppose.
Personally, I'd try to fix it myself...at least try. Then if that falls through, trade up.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

Yea i'm under the impression that a car/truck should run for atleast 20 years into it's total death.


I mean you said you wanted gas mileage, while I always suggest trucks I understand city driving is different.

Look for a 5-9 year old Ford focus, Chevy Malibu, Pontiac gp, pontiac g6, or something around those lines.

I've had some problems with Chrysler before. Even their Jeep models nowadays are lacking the toughness that they once had. But still the Jeep lineup > dodge and chrysler.

Gm or Ford or a jeep model would be the best for lasting awhile longer.

Up here in WI we had this truck that was about 14 1/2 years old, got about 1300 for it after a dealer tried to take it off our hands for 200$.

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"Call a cop he robbed Delmore blind!!!"
Rick Jeanerette after Marty Biron's diving save back in 2000.

"I'm going to go to the spa and have a hot tub and massage and relax," Miller said. "That's it, and it's back to work tomorrow." Ryan Miller after clinching the North East division.

I'd sell the car. You're only going to run into more trouble in the future if you keep it. Go on craigslist and look for a cheap civic or corolla. Those will last you for a long time and are pretty easy to work on, and will give you good mileage. Just stay away from the civics that look like they have been riced out or beaten.

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The thing about a 20 year idea for cars all depends on where you live.

you live anywhere in the North where Salt is present on the roads 5 months out of the year and you'll be lucky if something lasts that long there, 10 years before the body starts to just rot away, 15 years if you're lucky, but 20 is pushing it unless you never drive in the winter.

In the South, a 20 year old car could look almost brand new, my car is 15 years old and has no rust at all, so that would all depend on where you live, how you maintain it. Vehicles can last 300K miles easy if you maintain them properly.

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my old 97 eclipse had no rust or any wear due to weather. thats outdated thinking, for the most part. the salt and snow does have an impact, but not as much as it did in the 80s and prior.

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Also depends on how much you would wash it also.

And no it's not outdated at all. My Grandma's 2001 is getting rusted up. My dad's truck would be all rusted to crap if we had stayed in PA, his truck is a 2001 also. There isn't paint on the underside of his truck due to the 4 years that truck was in PA.

Also living in a city and in the country has a huge effect also. since in the city they tend to use more salt than sand and the roads are never nearly as bad as the country roads.

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the rain washed my eclipse.

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Had a 74 truck in 84....a 77 in 87...and a 84 in 94...the rear fenders of all of them would wave to you on the way by. Holes in the floor boards and doors you could roll up the windows from the outside......

then I bought a new truck in 97. I traded it in 07 with no rust at all. They do a much better job today with alloys and rust measures. The bad.... today's vehicles are much harder to maintain and repair, minor and major. It was nothing to yank an engine out of a car or truck from pre-electronics eras. Today is a bit different. Specialized tools and meters to diagnose electronics along with extensive knowledge and experience is essential for repair. But with enough time and ambition, it can be done....but for the most part, it may be worth it in the long run, much like a crazy girlfriend, to part with a clunker, drink heavily, and move on.

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I try to think, but nuttin happens.......Curley Howard
There is no past as it exists merely as a slippery bond tying the memories of the past to the dreams of the future.............Me
If we started life as an old person and lived until we were young, we would eventually finish off fucked as an orgasm.......George Carlin