OK, that's an interesting I could have done without

[sraun]

iraunink just called. The car started making a noise that concerned her when she was off to the youngest grand-daughter's birthday party on Saturday. She took it in for the mechanic to look at it this morning.

The engine is dead.

A new car was not in the budget for at least a couple of years. IIRC, this one isn't actually paid off until December 2011.

I have no idea how we're going to deal with this.

Comments

[galacticvoyeur.livejournal.com]

If the car is still slightly drivable I'd get a second opinion before abandoning it.

I've had engines replaced twice, in 2 different vehicles. The first one worked out very well, the second one blew the head gasket after 2 years. Still, if done by a reliable mechanic, an engine replacement can be much more cost-effective than buying a whole other car, if the car in question still has good tires, brakes, etc.

Good luck!