How much is too much?

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Douglas Fenske

TYF Newbie
Joined
May 12, 2017
Posts
2
Reaction score
2
I have a 2005 Tahoe LT w/200K miles, with issues:
  1. The rear end needs replacing
  2. Heater core needs replacing
  3. Head liner needs replacing
  4. Tires need replacing
  5. Windshield needs replacing
  6. And a small oil leak
I haven't explored the oil leak yet, with my luck it's going to be more extensive then it appears.
It all hit at the same time how much is too much, is it worth putting that much time effort and money into it?
FK
 

mpope2

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2020
Posts
109
Reaction score
100
I have a 2005 Tahoe LT w/200K miles, with issues:
  1. The rear end needs replacing
  2. Heater core needs replacing
  3. Head liner needs replacing
  4. Tires need replacing
  5. Windshield needs replacing
  6. And a small oil leak
I haven't explored the oil leak yet, with my luck it's going to be more extensive then it appears.
It all hit at the same time how much is too much, is it worth putting that much time effort and money into it?
FK
Would be be performing the repairs yourself? If yes, then one might could argue worth or not. If you planning on enlisting a shop to all the work, IMO it’s not worth spending the money in this situation.
 

S33k3r

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2017
Posts
2,522
Reaction score
3,476
Location
Dallas, Texas
It also depends on how much money you have, versus how much money it would cost to buy something new-to-you. Keep in mind that if you buy used you are still going to have to invest some money in whatever you get.

Good luck in figuring it out.
 

wjburken

Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2017
Posts
9,962
Reaction score
27,567
Location
Eastern Iowa
Welcome to the forum - Looks like you are a long time lurker, 1st time poster.:rolleyes:

This is the age old question everyone has to answer for themselves when they decide to fix an older car or not.

As has already been asked, are these things you can do yourself or need to take to a shop to get addressed?

Also, I am going to have to call BS on the fact that they "all hit at once."

As for the tires, these should not have been a surprise as they didn't just suddenly wear out. For whatever reason, you just decided not to do anything about them until now and winter is coming. The need to save money for new tires will not go away with a different vehicle. That being said, I am guessing you will not be installing the tires yourself so tires will run you around $800 depending on what tires you go with. This is a safety item so should be a priority.

The oil leak, unless it is just gushing out all of a sudden, probably didn't just happen and has been going on for a while, and again, you made the decision, for whatever reason, not to do anything about it until now. That being said, it can probably be left to go a little longer as long as you keep the oil topped off and don't mind some oil spots under where you park. The fact that you have no idea where the oil is even leaking from tells me that you have been ignoring it up until now.

Rear end work is another area that most folks don't delve into themselves so I would plan on either spending $800 for a good used one or roughly the same amount for someone to rebuilt yours.

Windshield will probably run you around $500, for budget sake and again, and is probably not something you will do yourself. I am assuming that this is not an immediate need and may be something you can put off a little bit longer unless the windshield is caved in for some reason rendering the vehicle unsafe to drive.

As for the heater core, that isn't that expensive of a part, just a pain in the rear to get to so if you can do this or find a friend that will help for a case of beer and some pizza, that can be done without a huge layout of cash. If you take to a shop, you will pay handsomely for this to get taken care of. Same goes for typical causes of oil leaks.

If you do the work on the heater core and oil leak yourself, you are looking at around $2000 in parts and labor for tires, windshield and rear end work and then $200 in parts and fluids for the heater core and most common causes of oil leaks that folks will deal with. You need to make the call on fixing your current vehicle or spending much more that $3000 on a different vehicle that will come with its own set of issues that will cost money to fix.

Sorry if I sound a little stern, but when people ask whether they should fix their vehicle or buy a different one and appear to not have taken the initiative to maintain the one they currently have or plan accordingly for known wear items like tires, I will never suggest getting a different one because the same thing will happen. Things will get ignored, problems will get kicked down the road and then eventually they are right back at the same place saying their vehicle is a money pit and I need to get another one.
 

Thouse

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2018
Posts
181
Reaction score
162
Welcome to the forum - Looks like you are a long time lurker, 1st time poster.:rolleyes:

This is the age old question everyone has to answer for themselves when they decide to fix an older car or not.

As has already been asked, are these things you can do yourself or need to take to a shop to get addressed?

Also, I am going to have to call BS on the fact that they "all hit at once."

As for the tires, these should not have been a surprise as they didn't just suddenly wear out. For whatever reason, you just decided not to do anything about them until now and winter is coming. The need to save money for new tires will not go away with a different vehicle. That being said, I am guessing you will not be installing the tires yourself so tires will run you around $800 depending on what tires you go with. This is a safety item so should be a priority.

The oil leak, unless it is just gushing out all of a sudden, probably didn't just happen and has been going on for a while, and again, you made the decision, for whatever reason, not to do anything about it until now. That being said, it can probably be left to go a little longer as long as you keep the oil topped off and don't mind some oil spots under where you park. The fact that you have no idea where the oil is even leaking from tells me that you have been ignoring it up until now.

Rear end work is another area that most folks don't delve into themselves so I would plan on either spending $800 for a good used one or roughly the same amount for someone to rebuilt yours.

Windshield will probably run you around $500, for budget sake and again, and is probably not something you will do yourself. I am assuming that this is not an immediate need and may be something you can put off a little bit longer unless the windshield is caved in for some reason rendering the vehicle unsafe to drive.

As for the heater core, that isn't that expensive of a part, just a pain in the rear to get to so if you can do this or find a friend that will help for a case of beer and some pizza, that can be done without a huge layout of cash. If you take to a shop, you will pay handsomely for this to get taken care of. Same goes for typical causes of oil leaks.

If you do the work on the heater core and oil leak yourself, you are looking at around $2000 in parts and labor for tires, windshield and rear end work and then $200 in parts and fluids for the heater core and most common causes of oil leaks that folks will deal with. You need to make the call on fixing your current vehicle or spending much more that $3000 on a different vehicle that will come with its own set of issues that will cost money to fix.

Sorry if I sound a little stern, but when people ask whether they should fix their vehicle or buy a different one and appear to not have taken the initiative to maintain the one they currently have or plan accordingly for known wear items like tires, I will never suggest getting a different one because the same thing will happen. Things will get ignored, problems will get kicked down the road and then eventually they are right back at the same place saying their vehicle is a money pit and I need to get another one.

That’s a paddlin’
 

afpj

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2009
Posts
801
Reaction score
353
Are you the original owner? To me that would have a lot of influence to the decision-making process. I am the original owner to our 2002 Yukon. I know it's history completely. Spent about 7 grand over the past 3 years reparing things like transmission with upgrades, front differential , oil pan etc. Don't know enough about drivetrain to repair anything that requires preload etc. I can do basic maintenance but the oil pan is a PITA on a 4x4... Yes overall I spent more than the car is worth In the past 3 years, but I know it's history. If I dumped it to buy another used one I could be in for more repairs not knowing its history. Any comparable rig is going to have well over 100,000 mi on it. A new one will cost $50-60,000 so to me, it was worth it. YMMV
 

Rocket Man

Mark
Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2014
Posts
26,004
Reaction score
50,862
Location
Oregon
The rear differential can be had at a wrecking yard for around $200 and is easy to replace. It takes basic tools. I just had a windshield replaced for $250 in my driveway. Tires are regular maintenance items that any vehicle you drive will need. I got a quote on recovering my headliner for $200 if I removed it, and again it takes basic tools. That leaves the heater core which is a difficult item- it takes a good day or two to replace and isn’t all that easy, so you should maybe get a quote on that. The oil leak could be anything as simple as a valve cover gasket which takes an hour at most and $20 or a rear main seal which doesn’t cost much in parts but requires the transmission to be pulled and isn’t for the inexperienced. If I was you, I would find out the source of the oil leak first and go from there, because that would be the deciding factor for me.
 

Woodblocker55

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2019
Posts
667
Reaction score
419
I get a kick out of this thinking . First add part list .. ok now example $2000 ok what can you buy for $2000 . It's no brainier.. who put 200,000 miles on it ? 30 cents a mile ya rig paided for itself . New rigs have 84 months financing. Might be 0% but interest is really on sticker already gm little secret... Don't forget insurance and higher tabs . I'm saying you can buy alot of parts .[emoji108][emoji106][emoji41]

Tires,brakes,oil,filters,battery don't count you will need that any rig you buy .[emoji106]

Find the right junk yard for parts..



Sent from my LGL722DL using Tapatalk
 

swathdiver

Full Access Member
Joined
May 18, 2017
Posts
19,618
Reaction score
26,339
Location
Treasure Coast, Florida
I have a 2005 Tahoe LT w/200K miles, with issues:
  1. The rear end needs replacing
  2. Heater core needs replacing
  3. Head liner needs replacing
  4. Tires need replacing
  5. Windshield needs replacing
  6. And a small oil leak
I haven't explored the oil leak yet, with my luck it's going to be more extensive then it appears.
It all hit at the same time how much is too much, is it worth putting that much time effort and money into it?
FK

Lots of videos on youtube for the heater core, the easy way and the hard way and alternative ways!

If you like it, keep it.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
132,376
Posts
1,866,980
Members
97,008
Latest member
CHEVYZ711987
Top