So I've had this car for about a little less then a month, it is used and from Arizona(now in Michigan) pretty solid car for $1500 it had 206,000 miles on it and was serviced at 185,000 but after my short time with it I've put break pads on it and will now be replacing L R outer tire rods RF wheel bearing, power steering pump, Drivebelt tensioner and drive belt, I love this car and I think it's worth it after getting parts $487 and labor $500 or less I'm about 2.5k into the car which is not bad. but man I took it to the dealer and they estimated all this stuff to cost $2500+ smh my mechanic buddy will do all this for no more then $500. May have to replace a gasket or oil pan as well for a oil leak but I'm going to be saving atleast $1500 man dealership are so damn pricey it's ridiculous. But I'll pay for there diagnostic work my metro Toyota dealership actually made a video which was pretty cool please check it out and give me your thoughts, do you think it's worth it to put 1k in to the car?

https://app.truvideo.com/v/VmSblCnh?s=SJhGVB6owNC9nHMNyqTbPKpoU3wo7c8L

 

The dealership is always going to be the most expensive option. They have highly trained technicians and there priorities are to the customers who spend money buying new cars. They almost price stuff high to discourage people from bringing their older vehicles in. And they rarely repair any components. They would rather sell u a replacement and make money on the parts, and not have to make excuses if the repairs don’t hold up. Fortunately there isn’t a shortage of neighborhood shops willing to do repairs. These cars are very well designed, without any problem areas that require special knowledge to repair. And the work your describing is pretty common on an older vehicle. It’s always better to identify it before making a purchase, so u know what your getting into. But if this car was mechanically perfect, it would have certainly cost more money. If your budget is tight, consider doing the work yourself. This website is a great resource with a healthy how-to section covering all kinds of common issues. And plenty of people willing to help solve any problems u come up with.

 

You can find parts at the junkyard which is a huge bonus.

We just bought a 00 gs300 for 1500 in Virginia with no rust but a huge list of problems. Needed a wheel bearing, ball joint, front control arm bushing, battery, coolant leak, shaking going down the road, VSC light on, brake problems, fog lights didn't work, radio didn't work well, horrible rattling noise of the exhaust hitting the body, etc etc etc. It's pretty close to sorted out now and we have put maybe 300 into it thanks to junkyards and knowledge.