Fix car before trade in?

[Aerides]

Trade as is, don't put in a penny. If it drives, take it to carmax for a quote. I would bet you 10% of the difference, that repaired or not will not change the quote more than $500.

 

[kcowan]

The dealer sells the car to an auction house. They auction it off for double, then the auction buyer hopes to pick it up for 20 to 30% off. So think $10k then $7k then $3500. And condition is not a factor.

 

[Red Badger]

Seems like engines are good for 250K if maintained, but transmissions can be a weak link.

Particularly mid-2000 Frontier trannies. Had one.

But yeah, OP's is going to auction. Don't spend a dime.

 

[cooch96]

Only fix a car for trade in if car repair is an enjoyable hobby. You won’t be able to repair it as cheaply as the dealership, so you are not going to get your money back.

 

[Yarnstormer]

UPDATE - I rolled the dice and had the cheapest of the repairs done this morning and it worked. Airbags are functioning, light is not blinking and bonus - the tire pressure indicator I have been ignoring for years is off too.
I’m sure the tire thing will come back on but I don’t see the need for it.

 

[Sunset]

UPDATE - I rolled the dice and had the cheapest of the repairs done this morning and it worked. Airbags are functioning, light is not blinking and bonus - the tire pressure indicator I have been ignoring for years is off too.
I’m sure the tire thing will come back on but I don’t see the need for it.

Nice of you to update us all, completes the story.


Of course, you totally ignored a bunch of nearly anonymous strangers advice on the internet to your benefit

 

[Yarnstormer]

Nice of you to update us all, completes the story.


Of course, you totally ignored a bunch of nearly anonymous strangers advice on the internet to your benefit

Ah well haha good point. I didn’t have a lot of time to react as I have a trip planned and figured what the hell I’ll give it a shot.
I would not have thrown another $1100 at it tho. This gives me some breathing room tho and boy did I gather a lot of info in my one evening of panicked cat shopping!

No 1: wow cars are expensive !

No 2: Did you know that the Volvo S60 sedan can tow 3300 lbs?!? I had no idea. I tow a small camper so tow rating is a concern.

My new plan is to start keeping my eyes open for another car and consider passing the truck down to my soon to be driving 16 yr old. She will hate it heh heh

 

[Yarnstormer]

Update 2! Airbag light fix lasted a couple of months then it started again. Nissan redid spiral cable replacement under repair warranty. Then it started again. So, I’m truck shopping and for the first time considering new. 2018 models are discounted quite a bit. I found the one I want, local dealer gave me a crazy price and I had to talk them down to that. I’m going to drive about 2 hours to another dealer that has better prices this week for the same exact truck! It’s a crazy system. I’d love input on whether I should even bother to put cash down. Interest rate is 3.58 or possibly 3.08 if I can get the usaa referral thing to work.

 

[CaptTom]

...Do what thousands of others have done - place a small piece of black electrical tape directly over the offending light.

I once brought in a car because the "check engine" light was on. The mechanic put it on the computer and identified a rather generic problem which he either couldn't, or didn't want to, fix. He said it was no big deal and recommended putting a piece of electrical tape over the light.

When I brought it back for inspection, he wouldn't put a sticker on it because of the tape. I pointed out that, had he not told me to put it there, he'd never have noticed it. But he said since he knew it was there, he couldn't pass me!

And yes, I did find another mechanic.

And then there was the time I brought a trade-in to the dealer. They gave me a price on the trade-in and we signed the papers. Later, when I came to pick up the new car, the engine failed just outside their lot. Luckily, it was downhill to the showroom. I coasted right up to building, got out, picked up my new keys, and left. I didn't really feel too guilty; they knew it was a junker when they offered me the inflated trade-in value, just to seal the deal.

 

[mountainsoft]

Well, one thing you could consider would be to ignore the light and always wear a seat belt. Driver & passenger front air bags are completely unnecessary if the individual is properly belted. And how many times in your life have you been in a crash where air bags provided some safety value?

My wife had a 1997 Jetta with an air bag light that was on. I replaced just about every part in the air bag system (used parts from other cars) and never could get that air bag light to go off. We took it to a shop and they said it wasn't cost effective to fix considering the age of the car. So, my wife drove it for several years with the light on.

This October 25th a lady pulled out in front of my wife and her car was totaled. The passenger air bag went off, the driver side did not. We always wear our seat belts so she did not have any major injuries. Most of her soreness is in her leg and hips from stomping on the brakes hoping to stop in time.

I had never owned a car with an airbag until I bought my 2000 Jetta early last year. So I don't consider them a requirement.