The Real Way To Figure Out Whether To Replace An Engine Or Buy A New Car

By Author: Peter Jones
Total Articles: 231
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If you ever had an engine blow up in your vehicle you know the sinking feeling that hits your stomach immediately after you realize what has happened. Your mind begins to race into one of the first questions that hits your mind is "how much is this going to cost?” That may be the wrong question to ask. We suggest asking question that is admittedly similar: "how much will replacing my engine save me"?

To determine this, the first thing we have to look at is a complete range of options. That's easy. If your engine fails you can replace it or junk the vehicle.

The first step in determining whether or not you should consider replacing your engine is to determine what a replacement vehicle will cost you. That's right, the first step isn't pricing used engines or looking up labor hours. You have to have a comparison point against which to gauge engine replacement costs.

The next thing you should do is get an accurate replacement cost. Now you can spend time pricing used engines, labor hours, fluids, filters, belts – everything associated with installing used ...
... engines.

The final piece of information gathering is doing a good overview of the rest of your vehicle. Every system on a vehicle needs maintenance and if your vehicle needs more work than just an engine, these things must be taken into consideration.

Now the have all the information you need, we will talk about to analyze it. The cost to replace your vehicle as determined in the first step is the standard we will use to make our decision. The information we gathered in steps two and three – the cost of used engines, installation, etc. as well as the repair of everything else wrong with the vehicle – should all be added up.

At this point you can see comparative costs. If you have been thorough determining other repair needs, you'll have two accurate costs and the numbers will speak for themselves.

It has been my experience that in non-wrecked vehicles less than five years of age installing used engines is almost always the way to go. These vehicles typically do not have peripheral repairs that need to be done, and the cost to replace the vehicle with a comparable vehicle is, as we say, "out of this world".

At 5 to 7 years of age, we see a slight change in the analysis. Well-maintained vehicles again typically are candidates for used engines but at this age poor maintenance will have had plenty of time to work its magic on the vehicle. Many minor in expensive repairs can easily add up at this stage of the game to create a nightmare repair bill. Replacing the vehicle is sometimes the best option although care must be taken when selecting the replacement vehicle to ensure that it does not need expensive repairs itself. Still, for most vehicle owners used engines offer the least expensive most cost effective out at this stage.

At 7 to 15 years of age I personally believe that things are a tossup. In my experience the type of driver with a nice 7 to 15 year-old car with a clean interior and a good body will often have the vehicle that has been well-maintained. A well-maintained 1998 Buick Park Avenue might require $2500 or $3000 for used engine replacement, but that is a lot cheaper than a 2008 Buick Lucerne! If they 2008 Buick concern sold for $20,000, that would mean a repair using one of many low mileage used engines available for the Park Avenue would save the owner $17,000!

About: - In closing, so if you find yourself weighing your options between used engines and replacement vehicles, consider saving money by fixing and enjoying what you have. You just might save $17,000.