Alright, I have a 2001 Ford Escape XLT V6. It was my very first vehicle, I got it 7 years ago, and has served me well, until recently.
LONG story short, it's been giving me problems the past to years, to the sum of nearly $4k.
After the last expensive repair, it was acting perfect till Tuesday. I was taking a friend to work when we heard a loud BANG and then smoke flooded out of the engine. I pulled over into a housing complex as soon as possible, and when we opened the hood radiator fluid was everywhere. Pieces of the upper radiator hose was everywhere, too, including the heat guard which seemed fine, except it was sitting on my battery.
Mechanic says the water pump seized. . . and it caused the radiator hose to explode. The hood is now dented and has a hard time closing (though it LOOKS okay, it no longer locks closed), and it's a $830 repair without fixing the hood. . . And they don't know for sure that'll even make it good.
Mechanic has been wonderful, but they told me a year ago to fix this thing, and they tell me every time, but for the amount I have spent I could have gotten another vehicle without half these problems.
It has: Damage from when the transmission overheated, the shocks and struts desperately need to be replaced, the warning lights don't work and are constantly on. My driver side seat is broken, the mechanisms were destroyed by some car wash employees who deny it was their fault. My back seat is partially eaten by my dog, and the rear door for the trunk will not lock (we used a guide found on this forum to make it so it won't lock after it kept getting stuck as locked). Even one of the rear break lights is out and no one is quite sure why.
What do I do? We don't want to put more money into this car. Every repair is being $800+ dollars, and then it goes for a month or so. . .
If I don't keep it, what do I do to get the most money for it? New AC compressor, new radiator, new tires. . . how can I get the most money out of this, to go toward a new car?