The Breaks (1999)

I owe money on a car and now it needs upwards of $3k in repairs, what should I do?

The timing belt on my 1999 Nissan frontier broke and the mechanic I took it to said that he will be working up a formal estimate, but if there is any valve damage we are looking at $3k in repairs. I already owe $6500 on the loan. I have been exploring voluntary repossession but I don’t know if it makes financial sense. I can’t afford the repairs on my own and my credit sucks right now. Any suggestions?

The ‘99 Nissan engine is NOT an “interference engine”, which means; when the timing belt breaks, the valves are not SUPPOSED to be able to hit the pistons, whereby damaging the valves (or pistons). If the car was running at high enough RPM’s, it’s possible that they could hit, but STILL quite unlikely.

$3000 is a VERY high estimate for a valve job anyway. I could understand this price if one or more pistons were damaged. The most likely scenario is that all that needs to be done is replacing the belt; this should cost about $400-$600. If valves were bent (which as I said IS doubtful), then you WILL need a valve job, which should add another $600-$800 to the cost. The $3000 figure is in the case of the MOST unlikely scenario, one or more pistons damaged, in which case the engine needs to be rebuilt. Hopefully, he’s giving you the worst case price just to prepare you, just in case. If he tell you it’s gonna cost $3000 and there is NO piston damage, I believe he’s trying to milk you. Get another estimate from someone else.

As far as voluntary repossession goes; if the finance company can only sell the car for $2500, you’ll STILL be legally on the hook for $4500. As you can see, having the car repaired is probably going to be your best option.

The Breaks Trailer

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