What to do with a dead car

Okay so some of you may have read my previous posts about my well pump and how I dodged a bullet there. Now I've got a cracked block on my MKZ (two months after paying it off of course). So I'm having it towed to my house as I've been told it's not worth it to replace the engine. Question is now what do I do with it? It's a nice looking car and has an after market remote start that was put in less than a year ago. I do some scrapping but not sure I could lug an engine out. Ugh, why is it always when your just about to catch up on bills that this happens?


Put it on craigslist with pictures. You would likely get more for it if someone buys it for parts. Scrap value of cars is low now but any local salvage yard will pick it up and give you about $250.

Tommyboy Tommyboy
Oct '15

port murray auto salvage takes them

Skippy Skippy
Oct '15

Donate. Chances are the tax benefit is worth more. Any number of organizations will have a tow truck come and get it.


RAS

I would hold onto it for a bit and do some research. As long as you have records showing that you did the proper maintenance on it, etc. there may be a "hidden warranty" on it depending on mileage, etc. They make take care of it for you if you're the first owner and bought it new, or maybe even if not, but it's certainly worth looking into!

Phil D. Phil D.
Oct '15

Buy some ceramic block sealer i had a truck with a hole in the block I could stick a penny in put that crap in and ran it for another year rt performance has it


Donate to Tri-County fire dept on Rt 57. They need cars.

botheredbyuu2 botheredbyuu2
Oct '15

What year is it?

What is the estimated value of the condition it is in? How much would an engine replacement be (both for new and used options)?

D-ManPV D-ManPV
Oct '15

Donate to Pet Adoption League - details on their website at www.palpets.org.

Nature Lover Nature Lover
Oct '15

Use it for target practice. LOL

Metsman Metsman
Oct '15

Call around to salvage yards, I just had to take my car to one. Most won't take it because the price of scrap metal is low. But if it's in good condition they might take it. Just call places and ask!

Lostit
Oct '15

Tip: Do not buy a Ford!!!

I am not sure what year it is but being they made these cars from 2006-now it may be worth more then just scrap at a junk yard. Junk yards usually pay more for new cars.

Plain Scrap for that car would be around $250

How many miles, year, etc?

Darrin Darrin
Oct '15

I'm with nature lover, donate for a tax deduction to pet adoption league! :)

Molly
Oct '15

Donate to a local squad/fire company. They are always looking for cars to practice using the Jaws of Life.

Htown Resident Htown Resident
Oct '15

It's a 2008, black AWD. Heated seats, no damage, just a nice car that I love. Didn't realize there was an issue with the temperature and probably wrecked it from driving it while it was red lining


Who told you it was not worth to replace the engine? How many miles are on the engine now? How much were you quoted to get a new/used engine in?

D-ManPV D-ManPV
Oct '15

Dpman no quotes just two different places that said it wasn't worth it. I think it has about 125,000 miles on it


I highly doubt it is not worth replacing the motor kbb says in fair condition it is worth $6,600

http://www.kbb.com/lincoln/mkz/2008-lincoln-mkz/sedan-4d/?condition=fair&vehicleid=348832&intent=trade-in-sell&mileage=125000&options=4126543%7ctrue%7c6353426%7ctrue&pricetype=private-party#survey

Maybe additional damage was done that also caused electronics to be ruined?

I will look up a price for a used motor and report back

Darrin Darrin
Oct '15

$500-$1000 for a used engine

http://www.car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?userSearch=int&userPID=1000&userLocation=New+Jersey&userIMS=&userInterchange=F%3EECP&userSide=&userDate=2008&userDate2=2008&dbModel=44.11.1.1&userModel=Lincoln%20MKZ&dbPart=300.1&userPart=Engine&sessionID=600000000000000000327696469&userPreference=zip&userZip=07840&userLat=40.8661&userLong=-74.8361&userIntSelect=1184149&userUID=0&userBroker=&userPage=1&iKey=

Fyi, it seems it uses the same motor as the ford taurus

Darrin Darrin
Oct '15

This is why I love HL'ers, thanks Darrin! I will look into it more thoroughly. I've never had an engine replaced before so am not familiar. If anyone else can chime in if they have information / opinion ;) please do so!


It all comes down to how much the car is worth to you to fix? You may be facing in upwards of 1-2 thousand in labor (depending on the place) So if a $3000 repair bill does not scare you off, it is worth fixing (given no other electronics were damaged)

I have done a few motor swaps and it usually takes me and my dad a day. But without being fully familiar with the car, I cannot give a honest estimate on the time to swap, although there is a book somewhere that gives you these baselines, and is usually what repair shops use when giving quotes.

But do keep in mind, you may be able to sell that car for more then a junk yard would ever give you as it sits on craigslist if you list it as needing a motor. Probably anywhere from 3-5 thousand I would think

Darrin Darrin
Oct '15

So it's worth $6,600...

You put in $3K for a motor... Even if you then sell it for $6,600 (but probably worth less than that because of the rebuild) you walk away with $3,600.

If you can sell it for anything over $3,600 as it sits, you're money (and time/aggravation) ahead.

Mark Mc. Mark Mc.
Oct '15

1-8-7-7-Kars 4 Kids

http://www.kars4kids.org/


Thanks everyone ! I've got a lot to think on about this. I've had several private messages from interested parties. I thought I would just get rid of the car but now I'm not so sure. I don't want to hold anyone up if other opportunities come up. I will let the forum know when I've figured out what to do.


RAS, the interest in the car should tell you something. At the very least make some inquiries at different shops. Also, there are a few replacement engine suppliers out there you can contact for information and who likely partner with local mechanic shops. I've never used them, but I know they're around. One is Jasper Engines, another is Powertrain Products. I'm not endorsing either, but you can Google them to learn a bit about your options. Basically you want to get what's called a long block - all the major mechanical stuff. The rest is transferred from your old engine to the new.

Like was said earlier, it's going to cost you either way so if you like the car, and if there aren't too many other issues with it, you may want to invest in the new engine. Good luck!

justintime justintime
Oct '15

Great answer justintime. My husband recommends Jasper over Powertrain. He works at a local repair shop and has done motor swaps PM me if you want his contact info.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Calico696 Calico696
Oct '15

You can't buy a new car for 3000 so if you like the car keep it


you can rent the tools needed put a used motor in it and stop the cycle of its a throw away world

Caged Animal Caged Animal
Oct '15

Kars for Kids is a scam... if anyone is looking to donate a car, I would recommend a different organization.

ianimal ianimal
Oct '15

I love that many people are inquiring about buying the car, but none are offering helpful ideas how to fix it.

Secondly, unless you know what you are doing (and if you did you would have to tools) renting the tools and attempting to do a motor swap yourself is a horrible idea.

I have never bought from jasper, but have not heard good things. I usually use used or rebuild myself.

Darrin Darrin
Oct '15

ianimal - I would be interested in what info you have on Kars for Kids. Thanks.

Calico696 Calico696
Oct '15

Wow, while I'm a huge advocate for DIY I would not consider putting in a replacement engine. I don't know if other things got broken- there were fluids pouring out the bottom of the car and the one shop told me they checked the oil and there was antifreeze in it. Prior to the day it completely went kaput I discovered water under the floor mats. I was away at the time and just assumed someone using the car left the sunroof open when it rained. Maybe that was the water pump?


Calico - I've donated to a diabetes organization but not Kars4Kids. I didn't really investigate it thoroughly but had heard they weren't exactly what it sounded like. If you do some searches you can find more about where the $ really go, how much (almost half goes for the ads), and some of their administrative problems:


http://www.nbcnewyork.com/investigations/Kars-for-Kids-Cars-4-Kids-Real-Estate-Investments-Investigation-140955003.html


RAS, if you do get the replacement engine make sure you tell them about the leak inside the car. That's most likely the original problem that caused the overheating which led to the cracked engine block. Leaks inside the car are probably a busted heater core or hose and not a water pump.

justintime justintime
Oct '15

Thanks GC and ianimal for the PM you sent.

Calico696 Calico696
Oct '15

so darrrrrrrrrrin what kind of car should we all buy,pray tell.

noreaster noreaster
Oct '15

Thanks JIT. I will mention it. I forgot all about the water because it happened last month and it never happened again after it was cleaned up. I really want to get it fixed but have a lot going on right now. That being said I will have to take care of this very soon as we need the second vehicle.


The bad thing is that a leaky heater core will also likely set you back hundreds of dollars since the whole dash needs to come out in many cases to replace what is usually only a $50-80 item..

Phil D. Phil D.
Oct '15

Was it antifreeze inside or was it water? If it was a heater core or anything like that you would have a very strong antifreeze smell inside the vehicle.

Darrin Darrin
Oct '15

Well, the dead car has been brought back to life! I'm so so happy I've got "the bat mobile " back


Hey RAS - Donate it to WNTI.org - internet radio from Centenary College. You'll get a tax write off too.

Go to their website for all the info. I did this years ago - worked out great!


RAS

Glad it's working again! It's always good when you can have your baby revived without having to give her last rites!

Phil D. Phil D.
Dec '15

Thanks Phil, I just can't get the smile off my face. The Toyota Crayola just wasn't the same feel if you know what I mean;)

MAN, not donating my baby yet, I just got her back.


What did it take to get it running again?


I had a new engine put in. The engine has about 50k miles on it and is super clean. Luckily the heater core didn't need replacing but leaves me scratching my head as to what made the old engine blow in the first place. I'll keep my eye on the temperature gauge for sure. I never thought the car would be fixed but everything fell into place. Reminds me how fortunate I am and am so grateful for the good things and good people in my life!


RAS -
wondering where you went for the work on your car..... if you want to share.
I recently had work done on my car and was not pleased with the place.

happiest girl
Dec '15

Good for you. There is no need for cars to become disposable items. My VW is 25, in my care for 18 years. I've swapped engines and performed just about everything else you can think of. Beats a car payment.

eperot eperot
Dec '15

Happiest it was On the move auto. It's behind Valley Auto on main. Not advertised much. Went above and beyond for me. 908-850-8006, Mike is the owner.


Now you have a middle aged car with a teenage heart!

Glad to hear you got it fixed!

Darrin Darrin
Dec '15

Very happy to hear RAS. Nice present to yourself for the holidays. It's a really nice ride, glad you decided to fix her!

justintime justintime
Dec '15

Great job, RAS. More importantly, thanks for the update. Always curious how these things turn out.

TheSkunk
Dec '15

Thanks for the nice sentiments everyone! It's such a great ride and feels so good to have it back. The remarkable thing is that I bought the car I was using in the interim from the guy that ultimately fixed the broken one. Then after the car was fixed, he sold the other one for me the next day! So I got what I paid for it which more than offset the new engine. How lucky is that? Basically rented a car for a couple months for the price of transferring the plates twice. Total of nine dollars. Like I said before I am so fortunate!


Back to the Top | View all Forum Topics
This topic has not been commented on in 3 years.
Commenting is no longer available.