Should I spend money fixing car?

[Chris-1997]

I have a 1997 mercury mountaineer with 228k and should I keep doing maintenance on it or let it run till it dies? It drives fine but I just don't know how well it was maintained so it's sort of risky as I don't know how long it will last am I just turned 18 and I like the experience and knowing how to fix things on my car so I've been treating it like a project but I really drive this car quite a bit close to 500 a week half highway half city its kind of a work vehicle and I plan to be driving a lot more soon and might even have a trailer hooked to it no heavy hauling but at least 1,400 pounds (mainly highway miles) I also only drive it at 55mph and accelerate it slow and let it run for 30 seconds before I start driving I live in cali so it warm here but again don't know how the previous owners used it. The biggest and most costly things done to my car where replacing the entire AC system- $500 and new tires- $500 those I obviously didn't do myself but over the past 2 months I replaced the camber bolts, uppercontrol arm, shocks front and back and steering damper, lower ball joint, power steering fluid, spark plugs and wires, throttle position sensor, coolant, and radiator hoses by myself and over the next week I'm going to change my front differential and rear differential fluid, brake fluid and oil Today when I pulled my car up on ramps as tomorrow I'm going to start with those fluids And my rear transmission seal is leaking I don't really feel comfortable doing it it's not to leaking to much by how much trans fluid I see its probably only been leaking for 100-200 miles and is very minimal and it's going to cost $120 which is no big deal. And the jobs that I do myself are multiplied in cost because I've had to build up quite a bit of tools that I didn't have before so should I keep maintaining my vehicle? Again I see it as a learning experience and the money I would spend on labor I can spend on tools and fix it myself. (By the way this vehicle was given to me for free by my brother the throttle position sensor was bad but it wasn't throwing a code and he thought the tranny was bad but it was a $50 fix) so am I crazy to keep fixing my car or should I just run it till it falls apart completely?

 

[lobo411]

IME most fixes are minor. The only things I wouldn't fix, aside from a catastrophic engine meltdown or severe body damage, would be electrical issues or a bad trans.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I'd do the maintenance you have planned and run it. If you have the budget when something substantial breaks, consider a new vehicle. If not, keep the Merc running.

 

[MAS Tequila]

Keep maintaining it.

Not only are you going to get a great education, you'll have a relatively inexpensive vehicle.

It may seem like a pain to keep having to do repairs, but figure up what payments and the added insurance costs would be each month.

By the way, which Mountie is it, 5.0, 4.0, AWD, 2WD?

It will make a difference, the 5.0 will go a lot further than the 4.0 if maintained.

 

[Mr. Alligator]

Maintain it. These trucks are solid utility vehicles. You will not have a car payment, or any financial depreciation. And you will gain knowledge and experience and discipline. Priceless.

Good luck with your projects!

 

[RandomNerd2000]

Fix it, I'm presently driving a 5.0 setup likely just like yours, that was ragged out and basically for junk at $200, and I've drove it since June, I'm at 261K and I wouldn't question it, you've got a solid vehicle there, don't let it go, keep it up, take care of it, and it'll take care of you.

 

[Ravenwoodranch]

I would there are a lot of parts available and pretty soon they will be as rare as the old body fords, and they last

 

[koda2000]

If your Mountaineer has the 4.0L SOHC engine, I'd drive it into the ground. The 4.0L OHV engine is a better, more reliable power plant, but the V6 automatic transmissions are a bit weak. The 5.0L V8 and it's 4-speed automatic transmission are very reliable and they pretty easily will go 300K +. If it were me I'd maintain it, but I do my own repairs, as most of us here do. You never know when a 20 year old car will break down on you and having to pay for the repairs is not worth the cost. Your eyes and ears are probably your best defense against breakdowns. Do the repairs yourself and you'll save big time and learn a lot, even if you have to buy some tools. Harbor Freight is a good place to buy inexpensive tools.

Look at it this way. You probably can't afford to purchase a new vehicle and even a newer used vehicle will have it's problems. You've already invested a lot of money in your Mountaineer, if you start doing your own maintenance and repairs these vehicles are very inexpensive to own (other than fuel economy). We still have 2 V8's in the family. A 2000 Mountaineer with 240k and a 2001 Explorer Eddie Bauer with 192k. Both vehicles have been very reliable. With help from this forum you can start making you own repairs. For example the rear seal on the transmission for a 5.0L Mountaineer is under $10 at AutoZone and requires a minimum of had tools and time to replace. Driving an old high-mileage vehicle gently is a really good idea on your part. Abusing an old vehicle will shorten it's life quickly.

BTW - If you're planning on changing the fluid in your front diff, you'll need a transfer pump to suck out the old oil. I think I paid about $10 for my transfer pump and they're probably even cheaper at Harbor Freight.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

As someone who has a SOHC truck that kicked the bucket in June, I have to say Koda has a valid point, I love my SOHC truck, it was my favorite out all four Explorers I've had, thus why I love it enough to do a 5.0 swap, now my white 2000 I'm driving, it's rather rough and if the engine or transmission kicked the bucket, I don't know for certain I'd invest in one, but it's solid so far, so it's really a judgement call, as for yours, you've got a solid 5.0 foundation, all the Mountaineers from 97 had the V8 which lasts just shy of forever

 

[hlg99]

Times two on all the above. When your finances improve you can always jump up a generation or two.

 

[Rhett]

It's the 302/V8! Keep fixing it unless you have a major issue.

Revel in having no payment and no depreciation. More money for wine, women, and song I say.