Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Branches Eastern Canada Finally Time to Sell/Dispose...

I took my contour in to Can Tire, and was told I need a new tie rod end, two new control arms, and replacement springs/struts in the front. They quoted 1500 bucks, which is not too bad, but too much for me to put into a car this old.

Question is, how much could I get selling it as is, or even parting out? Its a black 98 2.5 SE ATX, 150,000km body and mechanicals in reasonable condition, new rear suspension 20K ago, new (guaranteed) transmission rebuild, new starter and ring gear 20k ago.

I know that labour is 'free' if an enthusiast buys it, and sourcing front suspension parts may be possible for an enthusiast such as a CEG'er. A reasonable car which could be fixed up cheaply as a daily driver by the right person... Opinions anyone?

Question 2: Anyone ever considered taking over someones short term lease? There are some pretty good cars on there for1-50 months. (eg takemypayments.ca) Thoughts, opinions, anyone?

Cheers,
T

Tim. I would not trust Canadian tire to save my life for what they tell you your vehicle needs. As I recall they work on commision. I recomend taking it to another mechanic for an estimate. I remeber what you bought the car for and had to do with the transmission. Seems like a great loss to sell it now given you will really not likely see more then $3000 out of it tops. Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

pm sent

Unless you are having any other major problems I would fix it. Assuming that you still like driving the car too. Those are regular wear and tear items that do wear out especially with the mileage that you have. You still have many more good years and mileage ahead of you with that car. But if you are wanting something new then don't listen to me.

I guess Laura's car must have been built the day after the Ford employees got their bonus, cuz I've heard how many clicks it has done! I know you got lucky, but I think mine might have been built the day after a public holiday, after much drinking, and their team still lost!

Seriously, I've been thinking about whether to do the work/have it done. Here's the list:
New lower control arms (bushings)-both sides (160 used, 352 labour)
New Right outer tie rod end (38 parts, 45 labour)
New springs/struts/upper mounts both sides (491 new, 180 labour)

'New' doesnt have to be new, but the cost of used v life of new for the springs is probably a no brainer.
The quote broke down into 690 for parts (used Control arms) and 650 labour, ie about 40 mins tie rod end, 5 hours for the control arms, and 2.5 for the springs/struts/mounts.
Can someone tell me if those labour charges are reasonable?

If I had the equipment and someone with knowledge, I'd even attempt to do it myself. Anyone have a garage lift/pit, experience and wants to help a willing grunt for cash?

Failing that, I heard that Total Suspension in Scarborough is pretty good.

One other caution- there seems to be a small oil leak, and the steering fluid needs a flush. Would this add any weight to a repair/replace decision for the car (ie big issues down the road)?

Thoughts?

Cheers,
T

Okay, so who's your mechanic, and what do I have to do to have him like me the same as you!
T

If the rest of the car is okay, definitely keep hold of it!

Whatever you replace it with, expect to drop $1k or more into the 'unexpected'.

An example is my son-in-law ... sold out his old VW Golf because he was told it needed 1k of work ... then bought a Cavalier which quickly needed replacement struts on all four corners! Also sold Grand-Am which needed minor wiring work, again about 1k, then bought a Malibu in which the AC packed up within a few months. Then sold the Malibu and bought an explorer that now stalls at low rpm, is hard to start, and the tranny bucks!

Lesson here is that the grass is not always greener, and it's better to dump a little money into a car you know well than roll the dice on a replacement!

I would say fix it but shop around for pricing. I have pretty much done most of that stuff at least once on my car at some point in time over the past few years. I know some of it needs to be done again but I just can't afford it right now. My goals is to keep the car running and worry about that stuff when I have to. But I would say to fix it if the car is still running well and is in decent shape.

I had Total Suspension do my suspsension a few years back
and was very happy with them.

My car has lots of mileage but that doesnt mean I havn't put money into either. I have probably put more into it than most people would. But in the end it is cheaper than me buying a new one and I still love my car.