Sell or Keep

[NightSessions]

So I had a 97 Chevy Cavalier LS pretty much given to me and was wondering if you guys would recommend keeping or selling it? It's a red convertible, really clean, and the big kicker is it only has 70k miles on it.

I'm an 18 year old college kid and live in SoCal if that makes any difference. Had 3500 saved up for a car before this came my way so I'm not sure if I should sell it and add what I get for it to the money I have saved up or drive it for a few years and save up in the meantime. Also does anyone have an estimate of what I could get for this if I sold it? Kbb valued it at around 2k

Thanks for the help

[Stealthee]

KBB is probably close on what you could get. As for what to do, it all depends on what your end goals are for a car.

You could look at it several ways. Since the car was given to you then you could keep the 3500 you saved in the bank for a rainy day and just drive the Cavy til you graduate. If you really don't want the Cavy then you could try to get as much out of it as you can, and add that to to money you had saved to get a newer car (or whatever car you are looking for)

As long as the Cavy is still reliable then there really isn't a wrong answer here.

[j cAT]

With a vehicle like this used in your area it must be in good condition as far as the body goes. If it was properly maintained then with the low miles , keep the vehicle and do the oil/fluid changes , to get the most out of it. being a student your 3500 will most likely be gone , and a car loan and other newer vehicle costs you could have money problems. If you can work while going to school , see how your finances are going then decide if you can get a newer vehicle.

[cousincletus]

FWIW the Cavalier is a very good vehicle. My son took his 5 years through college and I have it now as a daily driver. I bought it new in 2002.

[Stealthee]

Originally Posted by cousincletus

FWIW the Cavalier can be a very good vehicle. My son took his 5 years through college and I have it now as a daily driver. I bought it new in 2002.

I fixed that for you.

Cavaliers can be good cars, but they can also be major POSs and a never ended drain on your finances.

[cousincletus]

^^^Yes, you guys up north seem to have more problems due to salt leaching into strut bearings, etc. I drive an 18 wheeler, and when we were doing Rochester, NY with regular route trucks they all had issues with tie rods and other front end components wearing faster. Our mechanic said between rough roads and salt the northern trucks had a shorter service life. Also they got the "green wire disease".

[Stealthee]

Rust isn't the only thing that can make them a POS.

[cousincletus]

^^^If you say so...