G35x 150,00 miles,paid off, blew gasket, needs new engine, $5000.00- $6000.00 to replace. Inside is pretty good. scratch on finder, maybe needs new struts. Is it a good idea to get a new engine and see how long car holds out, or should I trade it in?My Mechanic said I'd be taking a chance of needing major repairs down the road and to trade it. Ugh!

 

5k for a engine swap? Seems a tad bit high.

 

Yeah that's REALLY expensive unless they were getting you a brand new motor. If it's a zero mile brand new motor I'd say it's a pretty good deal.

A used low mile engine will probably bring the whole cost down to around $2500.

Just out of curiosity what gasket did you blow, I'm assuming it was a head gasket. What EXACTLY are the details around how this happened? Did you overheat the engine?

 

The head gasket blew. It wouldn't be a new engine. That's with labor from what I understand.
I had the oil replaced around 7/15/2019
Around a month ago, My car was sluggish when starting for a couple of days. My husband decided to take it to Dobbs, a tire/service company here in St Louis, while I was at work. I don't care for Dobbs. I have taken it to the same company, Auto Evaluators, since I've had the car. I bought it from my brother in 2014 and it was in great shape.
Dobbs told him it needed a new starter and he had them fix it. The next week while I was driving it the car started lunging and almost died. I checked the gage and it was on High. I pulled the car over into a lot and stopped. About 400 feet.
After it cooled down my husband came, we put water in the radiator and he took it to Dobbs again. They said the water pump had a leak. I made my husband take it 1/4 mile to Auto Evaluators.
No water pump leak. Blown head gasket from overheating. Radiator has a leak.
I was told it's not worth fixing because of the milage on it. And putting a new used engine in it would be more than the car is worth, especially if more things start to go bad.

Sorry for the short story. That's what I do.

 

No problem with the short story it really does help trying to evaluate your situation. Here's what I see from my perspective.

-You don't work on your own cars, thus are paying labor for maintenance/repairs, usually at the cost of about $125/hr.

-You're asking for advice on the forums whether it will be WORTH IT from both the perspective of resale as well as potential future problems

-Money IS important, and $5k is a financial hardship that you are having trouble justifying

-You like the vehicle because it's a "luxury sport" and thus are torn about the decision

If I'm correct in all these assumptions then here is my advice, luxury sport vehicles are expensive to maintain but NOT normally to this degree. The motor overheated and blew which is uncommon but either way you are left with the decision to the tune of $5k. Since this appears to be a significant financial decision I recommend you SELL OR TRADE THE VEHICLE because there will be a LOT more maintenance items on a vehicle with 150k on the clock and you could easily spend that amount again over the next 5 years.

If you must have a sedan then I recommend going with a Honda Accord. It fits the same mid-sized segment but has a much better history of surviving maintenance neglect than a sports car like the G35. They are also plentiful and the price should be low enough that you can find a decent one in your price range.

If you don't necessarily need a sedan but want something with 4WD/AWD then take a serious look at the early 2000-2004 Toyota Tacoma double cab (4 door) 4WD pickups with the V6 engine, normally you find them with the TRD package. They're affordable, they have one of the best 4WD systems on the planet (even to this day...) they are absolutely bulletproof, they have excellent survivability against maintenance neglect, they still look good, and the mileage is comparable to the G35. I know St. Louis gets snow and this vehicle is a definite 365 daily driver that's still easy to navigate a parking lot, has great visibility, and has plenty of storage room in the double cab for things that need to be kept dry as well as the benefit of a 5' pickup truck bed.

If Nissan is more to your style then the 2004+ Frontier with the Pro-4X package is tied (imo) with the first generation Tacoma as the greatest mini-pickup of all time. Frontiers have more power but cost a little more due to being a slightly newer vehicle. I've owned 1 TRD Tacoma and 2 Frontier Pro-4X in my life and I'll probably buy another Frontier in the next few years. I have no regrets about owning any of them, it's a vehicle that can just be driven however you please, and skipping the maintenance doesn't lead to catastrophic failure, it's more of a "manageable decline", which is typically the same of all trucks.

 

It doesn't sound like you plan to keep the car forever. I would take the 5-6k and put it towards a newer car unless you can find a better deal on new engine.

 

Thank you all for your advice. I've been using your advice. I even just saw a Tacoma. I like the Subaru outback and forester. I'm also checking the Honda Accord. I drove a Nisson Rave that seems nice.
My question now is, any idea on what to get for my Infiniti. I was offered $800.00 by a mechanic that would fix it and sell it. Any thoughts?
Thank you,
Patty

 

Thank you . I thought It was high. I guess $3000 for the engine approx and then the rest in labor and any other problems would up the price.

 

Thank you for your advice. It sounds like the thing to do.