Fix it or junk it? a 1995 century

[skate1968]

A retired friend of mine has a 1995 Buick Century with a busted head gasket.

Oil is leaking and mixing with the antifreeze.

It has roughly 140,000 miles.

At the moment he does take it on short trips around the neighborhood.

He has maintained it religiously. It has new brakes, etc. And two years ago he had a rebuilt transmission installed.

He still likes the car. And aside from the head gasket everything else runs well on it.

Would it be worth fixing? Installing a rebuilt engine?

Might installing a used engine be worth the gamble?

My friend's mechanic has already said that it's not worth fixing. But i am seeking a second opinion.


Neither he nor i is a mechanic and we'd be having someone else do the work.

This site provided me with lots of uselful information for my hondas. But i know nothing about Buicks and what it costs to maintain them.

thanks for reading

[rkvons]

Originally Posted by skate1968

A retired friend of mine has a 1995 Buick Century with a busted head gasket.

Oil is leaking and mixing with the antifreeze.

It has roughly 140,000 miles.

At the moment he does take it on short trips around the neighborhood.

He has maintained it religiously. It has new brakes, etc. And two years ago he had a rebuilt transmission installed.

He still likes the car. And aside from the head gasket everything else runs well on it.

Would it be worth fixing? Installing a rebuilt engine?

Might installing a used engine be worth the gamble?

My friend's mechanic has already said that it's not worth fixing. But i am seeking a second opinion.


Neither he nor i is a mechanic and we'd be having someone else do the work.

This site provided me with lots of uselful information for my hondas. But i know nothing about Buicks and what it costs to maintain them.

thanks for reading

The cost to fix it is going to be $1000+. It is almost 20 years old. I would take $2000 and buy a newer vehicle that was maintained by its owner. Also, this is pre-OBDII, so the check engine light just causes problems when it goes off.

[Tech II]

It really depends on the condition of the car....main concern would be the underneath of these cars.....if this car is driven in a salt area, then chances are the underneath of that vehicle is rotting away....brake lines, fuel lines, fuel tank, trailing arms, struts, cradle, etc.

He should not have been driving the vehicle if coolant is mixing with the oil......say goodbye to those bearings.....

It's a tough call because we are not there to look at the actual condition of the vehicle....

[Crvett69]

see if you can find a car like it on craigslsit and see what going price is, will help you decide what route is cheaper. and if you get about the same year and make some of the parts he put on can be swapped. but with oil in the water your looking at a rebuilt engine for probably $2500 or more installed or at least $1500 for a used one installed depending on engine you get and what shop charges to install. you could just put a set of head gaskets on it but wouldn;t bet on the engine lasting very long