July 27, 2007
Q. Our family has a 1995 Nissan Pathfinder with a very serious rust problem. The mechanic told us rust has eaten through the frame on the vehicle and it could be a costly repair. I'm wondering if there a formula on how much we should allocate to repair the vehicle before it just doesn’t make any sense. Would that number be 20 percent, 50 percent or more?
A. It is always cheaper to fix an old car than buy a new one, but sometimes it just doesn’t make sense. One of those cases can be when dealing with structural rust issues. Unless the frame is repaired properly, the vehicle’s safety could be severely compromised in a crash. Before any extensive rust repairs are performed, have a thorough inspection performed on the vehicle to determine its overall condition. If the overall condition is good, then it may make sense to have the frame repaired.
Q. I'm looking to buy a new car, and I've narrowed myself down to these choices: 2006 Cobalt, 2006 Impala and 2006 Malibu. I'm mainly looking for high city gas mileage; I know the Cobalt will be the best. However, I'd like a bigger car. The dealer made it sound like the Impala had the best gas mileage, but everything I've found online says otherwise. Is this accurate, or is the dealer confused?
A. The Chevrolet Impala gets very good gas mileage on the highway (27-29 mpg) but the city mileage may be a bit of a disappointment with about 16 miles per gallon around town. The Malibu and Cobalt are similar in size, with the Malibu being about three inches longer. The Cobalt has a slight edge in mileage over the Malibu, getting about one mile per gallon better mileage overall. The bottom line is you need to find the car that fits your needs, budget and personality.
Q. My 2001 Saab 93 has a 2.0-liter turbo. It won't idle well; once I run the engine over 1,000 it runs fine. I've checked for vacuum leaks and found none; I changed the plugs with no improvement. A friend checked it and diagnosed a "random misfire." Any ideas?
A. One possible area to look at is a worn throttle body. Unfortunately, the only repair is to replace the throttle body at a cost of nearly $500.
Q. My son is 18 and will be going to college three hours away, driving home occasionally. The highway is congested and dangerous. He drives a 2000 Suburban 2500. I am thinking about getting him something like a Honda Pilot, but I don't know if the side airbags and new safety features outweigh the advantage of a heavier but older car. I don't care about gas mileage at this time in his life; I just want to get him safely through the teen years.
A. In my opinion the Honda Pilot would be a much better choice over the Suburban. In addition to having the safety features, the Pilot handles better, stops quicker and has a much more advanced all-wheel-drive system.
Q. Oil is leaking from the engine of my 2000 Oldsmobile Alero. The car only has 29,000 miles on it. I was told the intake manifold gasket needs to be replaced. Is this plausible with a car with such low mileage?
A. Intake manifold gasket leaks are very common of General Motors V-6 engines. In most cases, though, it is coolant that is leaking and not oil. Although your car has only 29,000 miles on it, it is seven years old and gaskets will fail with time as well as mileage.
Q. I have a 1995 Ford Crown Victoria with the police package. In the last couple of days the oil pressure gauge has been fluctuating. Do you know what could be causing this?
A. Start with checking the oil pressure using a mechanical “test” gauge. Remove the oil pressure sender and install the mechanical gauge. If the oil pressure is above 25 pounds, replace the oil sender. Also be aware that some Crown Victoria models with the police package had defective oil coolers. The leaking oil cooler system over time could lead to engine failure.
