I'm looking for an older, inexpensive station wagon (Corolla or Camry, if I can find one). A lot of the cars I'm seeing have rebuilt engines, even when they're not that old ( a friend is selling a 1997 Escort with
97,000 miles and a rebuilt engine and transmission).
Is a rebuilt engine a plus or minus? Does it mean the car had problems or saw a lot of use, and needed a new engine? Or does it mean I'm getting a new engine with plenty of life? My father always told me not to get used cars with rebuilt engines, but some of the cars talk about rebuilds as if they're good things.
A properly rebuilt engine would be a plus in an older vehicle. Keep in mind that the term rebuilt means different things to different people all the way fro a fresh tuneup and oil change to every part having been replaced or reconditioned to as-new condition.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was to replace the words "rebuilt" or "restored" with f^&*'ed up and reread the ad. So you have a '97 Escort with 97k miles and a f^&*'ed up engine and a f^&*'ed up transmission.
Now this isn't always true. There are transmission rebuilders out there that can take your transmission, rebuild it and give you back a better unit than the car had when it rolled off the factory floor. And there are engine builders who are meticulous and make sure everything is as perfect as they can get it. On the other hand there are plenty of places out there turning out crap rebuilds that you will be dang lucky to get 20k miles out of.
Another thing to consider is that even the cheapest car out there today should be good for 150 to 200k without needing a rebuilt engine. What in the heck did these people do to these poor cars to cause them to need rebuilt engines and transmissions at this young age?
One more point and I will shut up.... Rebuilt means different things to different people. To me rebuilt means you have completely returned the entire unit to factory or better specs. To others a single new bearing and two cans of black spray paint = rebuilt.
If it was my money I would keep looking to find a nice lower mileage that hasn't needed all this rebuiling...
MANY cars are good for it, IF one takes care of them. There are owners/drivers who remind me of that old joke about people who, if left in the desert all night with nothing but an anvil, will have broken the anvil by dawn.
There are also some tinnily built cars, and some that are mostly nice but have a make/model/year/option-specific Achilles heel.
That having been said, the original poster is looking at a Corolla or Camry. Well, plus or minus a span of years in the early 90s that some say had "sludging" problems in certain engines if you aren't scrupulous about oil changes -- that, and you do have to replace the timing belt at a certain long interval -- Toyotas are legendary for going the distance. My sister had a 1988 V6/automatic Camry wagon that they traded at 180,000 miles (someone somewhere may still be using it as a fishin' car, but after 17 Rust Belt winters, they didn't want to commute on the expressway in it anymore). My '89 four-banger/five-on-the-floor Camry is still a daily driver with two and a quarter on the clock; it has always enjoyed fresh oil and never tasted road salt but otherwise has been used in the most knockabout fashion. Mom's '90 Corolla doesn't count because at her
3000-mile-a-year pace she won't turn over the odometer until cars are replaced by Scotty's transporter beam, but it has certainly displayed reliability and low maintenance.
A final thought for any used car purchase: Before signing or paying anything, take it to a trustworthy mechanic or at least a car-savvy friend who has no vested interest in the deal. You're paying for objectivity as well as expertise -- by this point, more or less by definition you want the car. I have learned the importance of such counsel in both the easy and the hard ways (and have provided it on occasion). At the very least, you'll get a roadmap of future repairs and preventive maintenance; at most, you'll spend forty or fifty bucks to avoid a mistake that could cost thousands, regarding either Something Mechanics Know about the model, or abuse, neglect, or sheer age of the particular car.
"z" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@k21g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
It's nice to know there are good rebuilding places out there, but the $64,000 question is...how do you know who they are????? How can you tell the butchers from the best?
My car is getting up there in mileage, and I'm going to need a rebuild or replacement in the next couple of years, so this is an important subject to me. The car is a '91 Integra that I've owned since new.
If anybody knows of a quality rebuilder in Southern Ontario (Canada), I'd be glad to hear about it. Price is not the issue here, quality is.
You see this a lot in Asian cars because most Asian engines use interference designs, which means the valves occupy the same space as the piston head during the cycle. As long as the timing belt does not break or slip, the engine works fine but if the owner does not regularly replace the timing belt (and quite a lot of them don't) and the belt wears out and breaks, the engine is destroyed. (at least, the heads are)
I got a rebuilt engine from these guys for my 1984 Celebrity wagon:
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It carried a 50,000 mile/ 5 year warranty. The engine is still running,
60,000 miles later.
"z" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@6g2000cwy.googlegroups.com:
You can get that? My local Acura dealer's parts man has worked there since
1986 and never mentioned factory rebuilds when I got prices from him.
The whole thing is a bit intimidating from my perspective.
Buy a used motor and risk buying somebody's neglect. Get it rebuilt and you risk having a bad job done.
There is a shop that's been recommended to me by a very reputable garage. This rebuilder's been around for many years, but works mostly on North American engines. I called them and spoke to the owner, who invited me to take a tour. He'd show me exactly what they do and how they do it. Quoted $2,800Cdn for a complete bare-block rebuild. Sounds promising...
"z" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@q40g2000cwq.googlegroups.com:
The rings are worn.
Everything else seems to be fine. Car has 280,000 miles on it and spends much of its time around 4,000 RPM in 5th gear. Personally, I think 5th is geared too low in this model.
I'm OK for probably a couple more years (maybe more?), but at some point the oil consumption will cause me to fail smog, so I'm just starting my planning early.
I'm currently getting between 1,300 and 1,600 miles per quart of oil, depending on season.
"z" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@11g2000cwr.googlegroups.com:
I'm not too keen on rebuilds right now on account of the horror stories and warnings I've been receiving.
Another possibility: A brand-new short block from Honda is about $2,700Cdn, which includes the oil pump and oil pan. Then I'd need to get the head rebuilt plus buy a bunch of other new parts. Expensive, but probably the very best option from a durability angle.
"z" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@77g2000hsv.googlegroups.com:
Yes it is.
Yes. Have to yank the whole thing.
I've been reading up on rebuilding engines. The more I read, the more scared I am of buying a poor job. There are a bewildering number of very specific procedures, clearances and techniques that need to be followed precisely, or you'll end up with a short-lived engine. Not encouraging.
I'm going to check with my parts guy tomorrow for factory rebuilt B18A1s to see if they're available. If not, I'd better start saving my pennies and dimes for a brand-new OEM short block and just get the head rebuilt.
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