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still can't decide if my 94 ls400 is worth repairing
its so tough to make the decision - especially since mine only has 155Kmiles.
i have enough saved up for an 8-9K used car....but it would be newer with just as many miles likely...
things needed to be done: power steering pump, steering rack, ac... (i'm in LA - heat of the valley) probably a drivers seat replacement...replacing the car amplifier etc
no rust, seats are good for the most part...exterior was good- only was in 1 accident, rear ended but no bumper damage
the car runs well for the most part. i know it has a few other things needed but those are the main things...
how would you decide about dropping about 4K into the car vs getting something new & letting her go ?
its so tough to make the decision - especially since mine only has 155Kmiles.
i have enough saved up for an 8-9K used car....but it would be newer with just as many miles likely...
things needed to be done: power steering pump, steering rack, ac... (i'm in LA - heat of the valley) probably a drivers seat replacement...replacing the car amplifier etc
no rust, seats are good for the most part...exterior was good- only was in 1 accident, rear ended but no bumper damage
the car runs well for the most part. i know it has a few other things needed but those are the main things...
how would you decide about dropping about 4K into the car vs getting something new & letting her go ?
Dump it. You live in Cali, where they are absolute ***** about passing emissions tests. On a car of this age, unless its mint(which yours isn't), don't bother dumping $$$ into it, cause it will end up failing its next emissions test and needing another grand or two worth of work. Also at this point, condition/confirmed maintenance history is way more important than miles.
Also your car needs a bunch of EXPENSIVE work done. If it was just ONE thing, then yeah maybe go ahead and fix it, but at this point I think she's done.
I can tell you love the car that's why you're debating & asking for reassurance so here's the answer: It depends if you're a DIY'er or not. If you are then you can save a lot of money from not paying for the labor. Use the money to buy & replace the ps pump & rack first. Once you've got her back running then you can fix her up little by little & before you know it she'll be a gem in your eyes again.
If you can't do the work yourself then I suggest you move in to something else. . I would not put 4k into the car and believe me I was at the same crossroad a couple of years ago. I moved up to a 430 and and then a 460. I do not regret my decision one but. I kept the 400 as an emergency car for a couple of years and finally just have it to me brother last winter.
If you can't do the work yourself then I suggest you move in to something else. . I would not put 4k into the car and believe me I was at the same crossroad a couple of years ago. I moved up to a 430 and and then a 460. I do not regret my decision one but. I kept the 400 as an emergency car for a couple of years and finally just have it to me brother last winter.
my family is saying not to put more money in the car- even my parents who i bought it from...it just drives sooooo smoothly though...maybe it can be a project car where i can try and learn to fix it myself...but i have 0 experience working on cars
yeah- everytime i drive it (once a week these days) i'm reminded of how smooth of a ride it is- the luxury of it....is the PS pump tough to replace myself if i have no experience working on cars? I have a driveway at lest to use...
The ECU is also part of this if it has not been checked. If it passed smog cleanly then unless something drastic changed since then the car may be running ok. Someitmes we like our old cars so the joy of driving them goes beyond practical reasons.
i had my ECU replaced about 3 years ago- and also now have an extra ECU CA version since my car was brought in from out of state....it was not accelerating before i replaced it
Replacing the power steering pump isn't easy but can be done. I did this on my '06 Avalanche. But that's a totally different animal. Here's a video on it:
It's pretty easy if you know how. Once done, you'll have to flush & fill the system w/ new ps fluid. Here's the procedure on how to flush & fill the system that I had shown to another forum member. Good luck.
With the current covid tax on cars, if you're willing to learn how to work on it (it helps a lot if you have someone with experience who can assist) then I'd definitely keep it.
Having $8k for a used car doesn't mean that it, too, won't need a few thousand in repairs immediately/soon.
FWIW, he had the power steering pump leak all over the alternator. Not sure where it is now, but I'm sure it is still running.
It lives in Tavarish's garage on Youtube! It's planned to be restored... Eventually. It took such a cosmetic and mechanical beating during the million mile journey