....not on the TA, on the Probe.

I do not need this right now damn it.

So the decision I have to make is invest more money in the Probe or bail. And if I bail, what to buy to replace it. I need something cheap, maybe a 2 year old Sunfire.

I just spent $600 to repair the rad. Tires are new - $700. Alternator last year $400. New battery clutch, muffler and shocks last year as well. Also bought a new radio and speakers in the last 2 weeks. - $400.

So anyone know what is involved replacing head gaskets. I don't have the garage available what witht he TA in pieces and it raining outside.

Any idea about what parts needed? I think the gasket is only leaking into a water jacket as the oil seems fine but there is definately steam coming out the tailpipe and a lack of power at low rpms although strangely it does seem to get back to normal at higher rpms.

 

$400 ALTERNATOR!!!! man you pay too much for these things!!!

do you have a haynes manual for it? i had one go on my turbo chrylser laser and it was pretty simple by following the manual. start from there, im assuming the only parts youll need is gasket, oil and antifreeze.

 

i'll trade u a nice working GM vehicle for ur busted up ford

 

I would ditch it and get a 2-3 year old small gm car where you can get a warranty from a dealership to put on it and drive it till it quits.

Steven

 

Roy

What tends to happen is that the car dies on me and I need it fixed ASAP. Thus the alternator and rad were fixed by a shop. I need two cars on the road with my family situation.

I think the alternator part cost was $232.

I'm agreeing with you Steve. Given you can lease a new Sunfire for about $200 month.

 

OK

So it looks low end option include the Pontiac Sunfire, the Neon SX and the Toyota Matrix.

I'm leaning toward the Pontiac but anyone have any opinions on the other options?

 

Ya but then youre stuck with a sunfire which are pretty lousy cars. Having said that headgaskets on turbo cars are usually a bad deal. They tend to blow over and over again after the first one. Even if you deck the head/block. At the shop we would not do any turbo headjobs and if we did there was no warranty. Sell ya a camaro? Its slow enough now to drive easy in the rain. Even an automatic . Anyhow, keep me posted on your desicions as I can usually tell you what to look out for on most cars for common faults. Or if its used I can give it a look over with you. You sure its a headgasket and not just an intake gasket ?

CoryM

 

Why pay extra for a Matrix when you can get the exact car in Pontiac form---> the Vibe for cheaper?.. It's the exact same car with the same motor. One of GM's joint ventures with Toyota If it's a money issue, I would get the sunfire, however knowing you it's not that much of an issue I would go for the Vibe in that situation.
Or you could get the newly designed Malibu.... major awards on that one, for ~25k fully loaded. V6, ranging from 145-200hp. Linky It's got all the options and ranges from a low MSRP of 22k to 30K. And MSRP can be played with. Unless you like to pay full price. I bought my wife a 2003 fully loaded for 24k + tax. Trust me they are really nice cars. And that motor has got lots of torque IMHO. Call me if you need some hookups on them
Personally, I think it's one of the best bangs for the buck in it's class. The finish on the interior is now pretty top notch. ..... damn I should be a salesman for GM.

 

Yeah its a head gasket and yeah, this is not an expected expense so planning on going as cheap as possable.

I must say that there are a bunch of discounts on the Sunfire. Cost about $16,000 all in right now.

The game plan is to give it to the kids in 5 years.

 

Sunfires are decent cars Shaun . Arek has a 98 and has had it for a few years no probs and decent power and comfort to get around. Also are you still planning on repairing the car if so give me a holler.
Later
Mike

 

Neons are junk. You may as well do the headgasket on the ford because you will be doing it on the neon soon enough. Dont know much about the matrix as they havent been around long enough yet. Out of that selection I would be inclined to suggest the sunfire. My mom bought a new 02 civic for $16k with pl & a/c. I would say its a better car than a sunfire. In the $16000 range there isnt much to choose from. Sunfire, focus, civic, corolla would be the main choices. A base model (no power windows or a/c,) sunfire is an ok car but they have leaking problems and the automatic tranny is questionable. Focus are reasonable but they have a few electrical problems which may become a headache over the years. They also leak water into the cab/trunk
The civic is a solid car compared to the rest although I do not personally like the auto tranny in it. It has a higher stall convertor and it doesnt seem to work as smooth as I would like it. The 5 spd cars are not too bad. The corrolla is an oil burning turd. I dont like them. Anyhow, just somethings to ponder. The sunfire probably has the most torque .

 

Didn't think of the honda, My brother had one for going back and forth to work for a while before he got a murano (or however you spell it) Was a good car drove decent. plus you know you can always get a turbo kit for one

 

why dump another 16k when you can just spend the money on parts to fix it? youve replaced so much already on it. just keep it. im sure if it wasnt the head gasket you wouldnt be thinking of another car.

 

to me its like a rusty bucket if ya plug one rusted out hole there is going to be another. When a car starts costing you more to repair it every month than to get a diff car newer with a possible warranty then its a no brainer.

Steven

 

yeah i guess i dont know the condition of shuans car. may be fall apart?