Q: How long do I keep repairing a nineteen year old car?

asked by on July 29, 2016

We love our caddy. It has a wonderful ride and the body and interior is in good shape. It uses one qt of oil per 500 miles. We recently replaced the water pump and adjoining gears etc. Our mechanic says it needs fuel injectors (about $1200). Is it smart to have this work done and keep driving it, should we have the work done and sell it, or should we try to sell it as is? What other repairs will come along if we get this done? When is enough enough? We do very little heavy traffic driving - mostly open road and trips of 100 miles and over. Thank you for your insight. Don

My car has 175000 miles.

Fuel Injector Replacement $400.56 - $3968.30 Get a Quote

This is the most common question a mechanic will get. At 19 years and 175,000 miles, there is really no way to predict what may go wrong next. Burning one quart of oil every 500 miles is not uncommon for an engine of that age and mileage, it is a sign that the engine is "tired". It could run another 100,000 miles like that or it can require a rebuild/replacement in the next few days.

The advice I always give to this question is this: If you’re spending more on repairs in a 12 month period than 12 average new car payments would be, I would go with the new car for the peace of mind and warranty.

If you do decide to get your Cadillac repaired however, consider YourMechanic, as a certified technician can come to the vehicles location to replace the fuel injector at your own convenience. Good luck.

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