Car advice

[Trixie]

I'm currently the owner of a 1999 Oldsmobile. I hate this car. I had an Oldsmobile before it for 10 years and even though it needed repairs it ran until the head gasket went on it and at that point wasn't worth to fix. I've had this car for three years and probably put the same amount of money into it that I did the other one.

I've replaced the water pump, the starter, the battery, brake line and probably a few things I've missed. I took it in a few months back and they found some more problems. The power steering is leaking and the harmonic balancer (who names these things?) needs to be replaced. But the car was driveable.

My plan was when I got my tax refund to make some sort of repair that would get me a better deal if I traded it in even though I don't have much money for a car. But things didn't work out that way.

Which brings me to now...I came home from work the other day and the engine was smoking. Back to the garage it goes and I get told it could be the intake valve (with no guarantee that would fix it) or a new engine. Rebuilt would run about $1800.

I hate to put any other money into this car and honestly if I could do without I would. To complicate things, my credit is shit and with my pay couldn't afford car payments on top of my regular bills.

I'm sorry this is kinda lengthy but I'm stumped. I think what I'd like some fresh eyes to look at this because I know theres a wide range of experiences here and get some insight. Or maybe just tell me to shut up and buy a scooter.

[Ophbalance]

If you have to dump that much into it anyway, I'd maybe look into a Saturn SL1 or SL2. Good on gas, plastic body panels and fairly cheap. If my car were to die today and I didn't want a car loan, I'd pick one of those up with a manual and easily average 40 mpg in my daily driving.

[Buzzard]

Smoking engine isn't a good sign. There's a few things that will do it, and few of them are cheap/easy. I'd recommend finding alternate wheels soonly.

Saturns are pretty damn good. They don't wear out so fast.
Metros are economical as hell (Dad gets 50+ with his little 3-cyl, manual while I get in the 30's with an LSI auto)) and are a bit easier to maintain vs. large cars. Downside is they are lightweight cars and won't put up with certain behaviors for long. Properly treated, they'll haul light loads all over for cheap. Hard part is getting someone to turn loose of one without using a crowbar.

[Javarod]

I'd be one to suggest considering a scooter, since i m'self have done that when my truck died. Of course depending on the weather in your area, it might not be that practical, 30˚ is mighty cold even on a slow 50cc. And then there's the fact that you can't carry much. And a top speed of 40MPH, although realistically, 35 is the top speed. Still, if you can live with that, its a great way to get around, depending on local regs, no license, insurance, registration, etc, plus mine gets 82MPG.

That said, for cars, not sure what to recommend, i've had some luck with Kias, a 99 Sephia and an 02 Sedona, both served me well, though the Sedona was a bit flakey at times. Suzukis have also been good to me (i've had a Samuari and a Sidekick, and a friend has an SX4 he swears by), and those tend to be on the cheaper side, but the company did fold up operations, so i'm not sure how good the support is nor will be.

[Trixie]

Thanks for the advice so far! A manual is definately out of the question for me. So is a scooter, the weather and the roads are two major reasons it wouldn't work. A good, cheap, okay well-priced car is probably what I need. I drive less than 10 miles a day both ways for work and anywhere else I go is pretty close by. I'll be looking into the cars mentioned here and hopefully I can find something.

[KiaKat]

What about a smartcar? Cars.com has some used listed for only a few thousand, and that's here in upstate NY.

[wolfie]

Don't forget Hyundai. While they may not have had the best reputation in the past, my experience has been that the reputation was undeserved. Both my '93 Excel (bought new) and the used '96 Elantra I bought used to replace it have served me well.

[protege]

A good Honda Civic/Accord or Toyota Corolla might be in your price range. Loads about, a plentiful parts supply, and low running costs, are all in your favor.

[wolfie]

Another option would be the Pontiac Vibe. It's a "twin" to the Toyota Matrix (built on the Corolla platform), but since it's an "orphan" (the Pontiac nameplate has been discontinued) prices are likely to be lower.

[Trixie]

I probably would lean towards Honda or Toyota. I'm not in the situation of where I need a car right now but I do need to make a decision. I'm going to call them tomorrow and see what options I have.

Hmm, I started looking for a part-time job before this happened. Wonder if I actually mechanic experience to work in this place? Nah, not crazy enough to do that.

Thanks everyone for the input though!

[Trixie]

Got an update on this whole car mess.

After having it sit at the garage for a week or so, my sister suggest I try they place they go for a second opinion. So off it get towed to this other place, a mom and pop garage, no corporate bullshit. Turns out it's not a bad engine but the power steering fluid leaking on the engine making it smoke. Grand total of repair...couple hundred bucks.

Since there was such a big difference in what was wrong I took it up with the other place and they still stand by their opinion that it's the engine. Part of me says they'll full of shit but part of me still wonders if maybe it could be something with the engine.

What I do know is that the wheel bearings will need to be replaced and that needs to be done sooner rather than later. And there goes another $500 bucks. I think may look around for another car and dump this money pit while it's still running. Somehow I think this car was supposed to be yellow.

[wolfie]

I'm currently the owner of a 1999 Oldsmobile.

Which brings me to now...I came home from work the other day and the engine was smoking. Back to the garage it goes and I get told it could be the intake valve (with no guarantee that would fix it) or a new engine. Rebuilt would run about $1800.

Turns out it's not a bad engine but the power steering fluid leaking on the engine making it smoke. Grand total of repair...couple hundred bucks.

Since there was such a big difference in what was wrong I took it up with the other place and they still stand by their opinion that it's the engine. Part of me says they'll full of shit but part of me still wonders if maybe it could be something with the engine.

If a valve were causing the engine to smoke, the smoke would be coming out the tailpipe, not the engine compartment. Leaking power steering fluid getting onto something hot would cause smoke to come from the engine compartment - you're lucky it was a small leak, otherwise it could have caused a fire. My diagnosis: First garage (that said it was the intake valve) has a condition known as "plein de merde" - I leave the translation from French up to the reader.

What engine does your car have? The reason I ask is that some GM engines from the '90s were known to have warping issues that would cause a gasket to not seal properly (can't recall if it was the intake manifold gasket or the head gasket).

[Trixie]

About all I know is that is has an engine in it. So yeah, I really have no idea about specifics like that. I have one nice thing to say about the first place...I could always get my car in there and they always got the work done fast. And I guess the work was done good because I never took it back there for the same thing twice. They just saw me as a sucker.

[protege]

What engine does your car have? The reason I ask is that some GM engines from the '90s were known to have warping issues that would cause a gasket to not seal properly (can't recall if it was the intake manifold gasket or the head gasket).

Other makes can do that...if they've overheated. Too much heat can damage the head. If/when the gasket was replaced, and the shop didn't bother to check the mating surfaces (and correct the warp by grinding the surfaces level), any new gaskets will quickly fail.

Like wolfie said, if it was a valve problem, the car wouldn't be running well--spluttering, down on power, poor economy, and possibly smoke out the tailpipe. However, if the power steering pump (or its hoses) is leaking fluid, the smoke would be inside the engine bay. Carefully look around your engine bay--are there any fresh stains? Check the steering pump hoses, are there any splits? Even a tiny hole can lead to drops of fluid getting on a hot engine block or exhaust manifold.

[Trixie]

The car is fixed now and it was the powering steering. I drove it to work today and it didn't smoke so hopefully that's that.

I'll be sure to keep an eye on the valve thing though.