My girl has a 98 Cavalier Z24. The tranny was replaced a couple years ago at some random shop and after taking it to the dealership recently to have the tranny checked out , they said the wiring was "ghetto rigged". Yesterday, driving up a hill (foot steady on the gas pedal), RPM's started bouncing way up and then way down and the car felt like it was gonna die. The windows don't go up or down anymore.. both sides cracked an inch and a half (I just love it when its raining
), the paint looks like hell and to top it all off, when my girl was driving it last week she was adjusting the rear view mirror and the thing just fell off. Is this car a lost cause.. or should we take the time and money to fix it back up?
depends....is the engine good, low mile? is the car rusting.....if yes to the first and no to the second then it should be ok
The car's run like crap since I've been around.. so I don't know if the engine's good.. it's always had tranny problems. No rust on the body at all. I think mileage is around 150,000. I know that most of the issues are minor.. but the tranny problem really worries me.. because then.. it's a safety issue.
At this point, we can't really afford another car.. so we have to make do with this one.. any tips on the windows?
power or manual?
either way take off the door panel; and manually crank them up
They're power.. i can manually crank them up?!?!
Motor probably went out. Kinda a bitch to replace but not real expensive. Did you check the fuses?
I would think before dumping some major money into it. Sure it may be worth 500 to fix it. But then what happens when something else goes out? You figure ahh its only 100 bux and I dont want the 500 to be a waste. That will do that over and over again before you know it you've dumped all your money into a lemon.
I'm kinda in the same boat...my old wagon has some issues ..
so I'm wondering if I should put some money into mine..
I would say if the fix is not too crazy..like more than 500-600 bucks...
Though I have seen cavs in that shape get a fix repairs,,,and run pretty good...
Since you don't have the money to buy a new car, you have pretty much answered your own question.
Keep the car and learn to do as much fixing as you can.
Find a good mechanic to do the trany if that intimidates you, the rests you should be able to find at a scrapper or jury rig yourself. Don't hire the cheapest mechanic, but don't spend much at high dollar dealerships either - its in their best interest to make your used car too expensive to maintain. Find a mechanic that is licensed, but also belongs to another governing body, like CAA (or AAA) approved. They will cost more per hour, but it is always cheaper to hire someone who does it right the first time, then pay a little less per hour for twice the hours.
The rear view mirror is a quick fix, for example, just buy the glue at your local auto store (Canadian Tire, Autozone or whatever) and stick it back on. I think my mirror falls off every 100,000km.
Go to a scrap yard where you remove your own parts and remove a window motor. That way you can practice/butcher some one elses car, learn how to do it right and avoid butchering your own car.
Alex T wrote:My girl has a 98 Cavalier Z24. The tranny was replaced a couple years ago at some random shop and after taking it to the dealership recently to have the tranny checked out , they said the wiring was "ghetto rigged".[.b] Yesterday, driving up a hill (foot steady on the gas pedal), RPM's started bouncing way up and then way down and the car felt like it was gonna die. The windows don't go up or down anymore.. both sides cracked an inch and a half (I just love it when its raining ), the paint looks like hell and to top it all off, when my girl was driving it last week she was adjusting the rear view mirror and the thing just fell off. Is this car a lost cause.. or should we take the time and money to fix it back up?
Ofcourse the dealership would say that... they don't want you to go else where and get the job done better in most cases (In my 5yrs experience) for much much less.
When was the last time you got a tune-up done?
