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6 of 1 or half a dozen of the other

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1filthygp

New member
Hey People, I'm at a crossroads with my GP. '02 GT sedan.

I'm at a point with it financially were I'm not sure what to do with it. Fix it or sell it, may trade, depending on the vehicle. I've had it for 1 year, the car is paid for, have approx. $1000 into it for repairs and it needs ball joints and some shocks couldn't hurt it either. Shops around here and have been quoting me in 400-$500 range to do the work. Right now I'm getting anywhere between 19 and 24 mpg. I drive 30 miles a day for work. I'm doing about $130/month for fuel. That includes all the other running around I do.


I'm getting ready to purchase my first home and If I do this, I don't want to stuck with a car that's going to nickel and dime me to death. Granted it's an unknown quantity. What would you do? Keep or sell it?
 


I'd keep it and do the owkr myself, you'll learn valuable skills to have and save a ton of money. Parts for our cars tend to be pretty cheap, rockauto.com is where I almost always shop.
 
ball joints are under a 100 bucks. you get the whole lower arm, they run about 45 a side, its really a 3 bolt job. can be done in a couple hours with hand tools.

id keep the car, its paid for. new car = payments most of the time. sink a few more bucks into it, read a how to or two, and your'll be all set.
 
Agree with both of those statements.

Don't get yourself into an unwanted financial situation. You'll be kicking yourself if you get locked into a payment that doesn't work for you.
 
I was gonna say keep it, but go with your gut and do what is best for you. I enjoy no car payments and the fact that something always needs replacing keeps me interested. Hell, if I had a car with no problems, then that would be no fun. I'm to lazy to stop working on cars and find a new hobby. Go with your gut.
 


It's almost never financially advantageous to swap from a w-body. that being said, when money is your limiting factor, you should be a man about it and work on your own car. I bet you got a buddy that will come share his help for a case of beer and a pizza. Way cheaper than $500.
 
Sorry for not getting back sooner..........been balls to the wall at work lately. I'm still somewhat reluctant to sink more money into it. But crunching number tonight, it does make sense to fix it and keep it.

I would love to know how to do more work on my own car, however, tools, money to buy them and a place to do it are the major factors missing here. So taking it in makes more sense in my case. Unless a member here is willing to help?
 
i simple 30 dollar socket set from lowes will get 95% of most common jobs done. that and the cars jack.

i do tune ups in the stop and shop parking lot by my apt, did my brakes there as well. and rotated my tires.
 


Heck, $20 at Harbor Freight will buy you a cheap version of most of the tools you need to work on the car. Should last about a year or more, which is enough time to learn which tools you'd rather have. I do most of my work in the street across from my house year round.

If you've got some specific issues with the car, we can point you in the right direction. And searching and reading the forums is a big help. Sometimes, there's a member in a nearby town willing to help out for beer and pizza... anywhere in Ohio's just quite a hike for us PA/Jersey folks.
 
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If your worrying about gas the Grand Prix won't do you that great. Just sell it and buy a boosted four cylinder so it's good on gas and kinda fast. Manual too, like a civic si or an rsx. Just don't go ricer.
 
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