Hi everyone, I have a 1997 ES with 223,000 miles on it, I recently took it to the Toyota dealership to have the check engine light checked and the car looked over for the California smog test.

They found it needs 2 new oxygen sensors, and charcoal canister. I also mentioned that the front suspension was making noise and it turns out it needs new struts all around, brakes and has a small power steering leak on the rack.

They wanted around $6000 for everything to be fixed, and that's way more then the car is worth by a lot. I really do not want to get rid of this car, I have access too all the tools to fix myself, but is it worth it?

 

only you can answer that... if this isn't your only car and you can justify having it sit in the garage for a few weeks while you work on it, then 'fix' by all means.

The only reason its 6K its because those are OEM parts and stealership prices along with the more expensive Lexus labor rate.

It's rare to have to replace the charcoal canister on these, the one thing I've read on when researching these is changing the vacuum switching valve on the canister itself 'does the trick'.

The struts would be easy if you buy a 'quick strut' unit, since you slide out the old and slide in the new...

 

If you have the tools and time, then fix it yourself.
As 01LEXPL mentioned, you can get cheaper but equivalent parts.

Many years ago, I did search for quick strut for my 97 ES300 but there was no such part available. Maybe they have it now....

 

A Lexus sales person once told me they view any vehicle with over 70,000 miles as high mileage, even a Lexus.
An appliance repair site's view that an appliance needing repairs in excess of half it's value, is not worth repairing. I don't see why a car is any different.

 

You have to take all their recommendations with a grain of salt. You could check out the parts they mentioned, and see if they really need immediate attention. Fix the emissions for now, leave all the other things for later if possible.

 

Good call here Booby, it is no skin off the dealers back to just say you need a full suspensions and brake overhaul. In fact this is how they make money.

If you want to keep this car and you don't do your own maintenance, the first you need to do is find a good independent mechanic.

 

get the oem pricing of the parts. eg oxygen sensors cost about 100 each. contact any local ase certified mechanic for labor costs and make your decision.

 

It is true for appliance where the repair could cost almost as a new appliance.

But for a car that requires $2000-3000 repair isn't the same as buying a new car for +$30k....it is still a big difference. And if the owner spends a little bit of time to source his parts and do his labor, the repair is even cheaper....

 

Apparently you all think cars with 230,000 miles on the odometer are worth spending thousands on. How much is the car trade in value with that mileage. If the owner was capable of DIY repairs, they most likely wouldn't be asking; "FIX or SELL". The owner has another option which is sell the car, and purchase a used 1997 - 2001 ES300 with only 65,000 miles on the odo for 8,000 - 10,000.

 

Yes, it is worth spending a $1000-2000 on repairing the existing vehicle with known history rather than spending $8000-10,000 on an used vehicle with-not-so-well known history.

And there is no guaranty that the "newer" vehicle would not need new components/repairs in the next few months.

If you read the original post, the OP has tools and is capable of fixing himself. He is simply inquiring if it worth his time/money.



murkurie, you need to have a 2nd opinion. Take your car to another trusted mechanic to verify if those things need to be replaced.

 

Agree, it's well worth fixing it if you have tools, most parts you can get off ebay rather cheap. O2 sensors $65-$75 each, struts as low as $50 each, etc. you just have to search for parts, they're out there.

 

I'd like to see a 97-2001 ES300 with 65K miles for 8-10K . I think you live in a la-la land.

OP should fix his current car, it will cost him a few hundred bucks in parts (he can do labor himself) That is way better than having a monthly payment on a newer car, which is going to break sooner or later anyways.

 

Those repairs should cost you nowhere near 6k

That's a rip off BS estimate.

 

Right, 2k once for the remainder of the cars life cycle is definitely 'dumb' since, you know a 300$ car payment every two weeks is cheaper in the long run... Idiot.

They'll fetch that price... there's always a few on ebay, saw one this week, 2001 for 10k asking.

 

Hey! There's no need for name calling, moonphase has a valid point. We don't know the complete history of OP's car, so it's a guessing game at this point.

Sometimes it's better to get a clean used car for 8-10k, than spend 6-8k on a poorly maintained vehicle that's only worth two grand. You may end up in the same boat, but which one would you rather have? Having said that, not everyone can afford a fairly large purchase, so maybe small to moderate repair bills are better for some than others.

I was in that particular situation when I got my car. I was more comfortable with getting a decent used car for a low price, that had some issues. It never left me stranded, and I was able to fix it up over time. In my opinion, it's a lot more satisfying to do that. I learned a lot of technical knowledge and gained plenty of experience to never have to worry about car problems again. But again, different strokes for different folks.