Is car worth the $$ for head gasket replacement?

Question

I have a '01 cavalier. I've had it forever, it was my first car.. I've driven it off to school and all over the state. So that's like 7 years.. I say it's probably got about 110, 00 miles on it. Over the last couple of years, I've been having problems w it.. the car would over heat.. the heating would not work.. the ac would not work.. it;s made funnt noises.. I've replaced the water pump and thermostat several times now and the fuel pump. There was talk of a blown head gasket.. bad heating core.. blah blah blah.. but recently, I discovered that my head gasket had actually blown. Now, I thought that meant a car was done for, but people keep insisting that it could be saved. Who knows what else will go wrong w it. I don't really know if it's worth it.. and I'll be the one paying for it either way. Can anyone tell me if there is hope for my hinky dink cavie?

Answer 1

$781 isn't bad for a head gasket. Hard to tell if its worth it. If coolant has been leaking into the oil for any period of time, the cam and crankshaft bearings could be heading for an early death. That would be the end of it.



On the other hand, it could run for another year or two. Consider what it would cost to get another car....



Your wallet, your roll of the dice.

Answer 2

hinky dinky cavie wow nice lol



ok depending on if it is a 4cylinder or a 6 yea that is a fair price. Is it worth it well that is a tough call it comes down to how long you plan on keeping the car.

I'm guessing the car has around 120k on it now and usually under normal wear a 4 cylinder automatic will start to have issues around the 130 to 160k range that outweigh the cost of keeping the car.

But heck if your in the 120 range that is 2-3 years off. In that time you can be saving for a new used car.

Think about it this way that $1000 that you will spend will actually save you in the long run because you will not be making payments and have higher insurance that you would with a newer car.



Another thing to consider is the damage the lack of a gasket has done. If you toasted the engine to the point of knocking or where the rings scored the walls then yea get rid of it.

But if you just noticed white smoke that cavie may be worth saving.



If you do decide to sell it do not put any more money in it just discount the things like the gasket, old tires, or whatever from the general price.



You just need to sit down and figure how much the car is costing you now and how much it can save you. If it is costing more then it is saving then get rid of it.



Goodluck

Answer 3

It will blow again before you hit 150k miles. Any year Cavalier or Corsica, similar issues for both, will always have problems.



They inheritly have motor and tranny issues. There are some that I worked on that never made it to 60k miles before the motor blew.



For $800, the head gasket change should include having the head shaved to be even. Make sure they do that cause if they install it back on and its warped, it will blow soon after again.



But to be really honest the car is not worth it as it will continue to have problems, alot of times the cooling fans never work and cause issues also.

Answer 4

positioned it on e-bay as is, fairly some photos, describe the blown head gasket and the different problems. then permit the domicile handyman varieties bid on it. 4 grand for a reconditioned head is around 40% to high priced, it will be under $3000, domicile handyman will do it for around 50% under a workshop.

Answer 5

well unless you can find a good car for 781 bucks



even if you fixed the head gasket though, if its overheated a lot, there could be more damage to the engine

Answer 6

price to repair cheap and really it depends if you can get another for that repair price think about it if your spending more than what car is worth its time for a change what you have listed is normal parts everyone replaces so really it depends what kind of shape its in and how well you care for it many cars able to drive pass th e 400,000 miles

Answer 7

thats overpriced for the head gasket...the gasket itself is only about 20 dollars...and to change it about 400...total youll be looking at 500 max...it could be a clogged radiator or a manifold gasket also...heater core could be leaking...do you have to fill it up with coolant at any time? warped head... thats about what i can think of