Hi!
I am thinking about buying a used 97 Chevy Lumina LS...in fact I would have already, had the mechanic not told me that the car has a leaking intake manifold (a common problem with these engines as I have found out looking on the web). She said that this might eventually cause coolant leaking into the oil.
My question is: how safe is it to drive around with that without fixing it (it would cost $600, quite a lot compared to the $1.800 purchase price)? I only need the car for 4 months (I am an exchange student and going back to my country after that) and am probably going to drive some 10.000 miles. The mechanic told me that it is fine to drive around without fixing it, she could just check, every time she performs an oil change, if the coolant had already started mixing with the oil. However, she told me before going on a longer trip, I should definetely get it done, because it could leave me stranded on the road.
What would happen if the engine locked up? Would that ruin the engine for good, or could I still just get the manifold replaced?
I am reluctant to doing this repair, since the previous owner was/is driving around with the car without problems. Also the mechanic was a little contradictory in her arguments. On the one hand she said, I don't need to get it fixed, it's fine if she just checks the oil. On the other hand, I should do it before going on long trips. But what's the difference? If my engine is ruined I don't really care if it happens in my town or somewhere else.
Thanks for any help you can give me!
Martin