All Fixed, hoping to recoup expenses

[nycnftm]

Just blew a ton of money getting my Expy fixed. All previous owner neglected maintenance. Now I think I should bail out and try to recoup what I recently spent in repairs and but a newer one. Do you guys think anyone will buy it?

August 2018 approximately $2000 in repairs
* Battery
* 8 new spark plugs
* Alternator
* Front passenger side 02 sensor
* rewired vacuum hoses

May 2018 $500 at the dealer.

* new brake line (failed and I crashed)
* Front pads
* Flush fluid

162,000 miles A/C works. Eddie Bauer, leather, bottom of driver's seat torn all other leather fine.

Was hoping to get $2000. Was offered $1000 by the mechanic who charged me $1000 for part of the August work.

 

[Adieu]

That $2k in repairs looks more like $250-300 parts... and a mechanic with exorbitant labor rates, which he applies to long lunches and siestas with multiple mistresses as well

I see $250 parts and 4 hours of labor

 

[hammerg26]

Year?
Does it run now?
State of other parts (trans, etc.)?
How much do you drive daily?

Many of these run 250k plus.
And you have already spent the money to get it fixed.

Hammer


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[1955moose]

I'd keep it for awhile, might as well drive it. $2000.00 it must be rough other wise. What year/engine is it?

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

 

[stamp11127]

List it on the Atlanta Craigslist for $2500 and see if you get any bites.

 

[Trainmaster]

You don't mention the year. Here in New York, I spent a year trying to get $1000 for a very clean, well kept 2000 Expedition with LOTS of new parts and 235,000 miles. No body was interested.

I junked it for $450.

And it had new tires, new converters, plugs, manifolds, steering box and tranny lines. -- Lots of fun work.

The jerks here in NY with $1000 either go deep in debt or lease new Hondas for $5500 per year. Then they cry that they have no money.

Cars aren't good investments. That's why I do the work myself, keep them in good shape and run them until they just aren't reliable anymore, as I would with any good tool.

 

[Flexpedition]

All previous owner neglected maintenance.

* Battery
* 8 new spark plugs
* Alternator
* Front passenger side 02 sensor
* rewired vacuum hoses
* new brake line (failed and I crashed)
* Front pads
* Flush fluid

Neglected maintenance? A couple maybe, but most of that stuff falls under the fix-it-when-it-breaks category.

 

[and0r]

That $2k in repairs looks more like $250-300 parts... and a mechanic with exorbitant labor rates, which he applies to long lunches and siestas with multiple mistresses as well

I see $250 parts and 4 hours of labor

I see about $150 in parts, mate

 

[ExplorerTom]

I'm guessing most of that $2000 was spent on labor redoing the vacuum lines. This is something I figure will have to be done eventually on mine, but I'll do it myself.

List it for sale and see if you get any takers. If not, drive it for awhile. You're pretty much at the bottom of the depreciation curve. Sell it now for $2000 or drive it for a year and sell it for $2000.

 

[Joseph Tator]

You will never recoup your funds. Stick with your 1st gen at least you now know what’s been done to it and your not going to buy someone else’s headache again

 

[rjdelp7]

I put around $6,000 in mine over the course of 10 years. New Expeditions start at $50K. I like the truck and love not having a car payment. Any used vehicle will need repairs sooner or later. Why do you think people get rid of them? You did the repairs, now drive it a while. Why let a buyer benefit, from your work. Find a friendly, fair mechanic(they are hard to find) and learn how to DIY repairs. The 1st Gen Expeditions only weakness is rust. Other than that, they are long lasting, high mileage vehicles.

 

[nycnftm]

After pricing new cars or even a 10 year old expedition I see that this is much cheaper.

but....

Tow truck again. Check engine code P0141. Crazy noise from the front while driving. Thought I had a blow out, pulled over had it towed home. Will try to contact mechanic who replaced the O2 sensor and see if this code is related to that.

https://flic.kr/p/29Jktzr

 

[CertusExpo]

Dude!!

YouTube and learn your way under the hood!

I could've done these repairs for around $400 in parts, maybe. AND you're going to the dealer?!? No wonder you're hemorrhaging funds.

 

[Trainmaster]

This debate has gone on since automobiles were invented. If you can't do your own repairs, car ownership is very expensive. Where I live, nobody touches tools. People are afraid, ignorant, live in apartments, feel it's beneath them, or are busy working 80/hours a week to pay taxes or watching TV. So everyone leases new cars, and the headache's gone. There are few mechanics and those who are here are largely illegal immigrant hacks.

I've saved fortunes doing all my own work. I've owned cars long after most people get rid of them, raised five kids on a modest income, lived large and retired early and independent. Knowing how to do things and being willing to get dirty pays huge dividends.

 

[hammerg26]

Everyone - take it easy on the OP. He simply asked for guidance. I know i have learned a lot on here and met some great people. Let’s give him the same experience.

Hammer


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[CertusExpo]

Everyone - take it easy on the OP. He simply asked for guidance. I know i have learned a lot on here and met some great people. Let’s give him the same experience.

Hammer


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Definitely not hammering on the OP. He's stressed and wondering if he should dump the Expo. Take the Expo out of the equation and make it any maintenance required device/object and the answer is the same. Dealer work is expensive and beyond that, they gouge for the most basic of work.

Then, looking at the list of items repaired/replaced... The alternator for example. That one is the simplest of jobs that for a novice with YouTube could be two-hours with a very liberal time-frame. Then, with the labor money saved, could've upgraded to a high-output and still come out ahead.

Myself, I feel bad for OP. If I was close I'm proximity I would gladly assist.

 

[CertusExpo]

OP, from your username, are you in NY somewhere?

 

[nycnftm]

1997 5.4 Eddie Bauer 160,000

First mechanic.

I buy 8 plus and 8 coils from AutoZone for $250
$350 labor
Then the guy charges and extra $200 to drill out and re-thread one of the plugs in the rear.
New battery under walmart warranty. He couldn't get it started and asked me to go to autozone and buy this that and the other. I pretty much said I gave you $500, you figure it out

About $800 to him and it didn't run right, got stuck and said forget this guy.

Next mechanic AAA recommended location. I had one leftover vacuum
hose and black tape covering a hole where another hose should go.

The next guy said there is no way you could short out an alternator but somehow I ended up with an new one

$329.49 Alternator install $112.50
$32.31 for the master fuse
$168.00 put vacuum hoses back together $165.75

$625.14 total

25 miles later, check engine code or o2 sensor

total cost 322.63

less than 100 miles later code P0141 loud noise and another tow truck.

I am here for help, telling me I am not smart enough to go under the hood and do the work myself is not helpful. I would like to have a running SUV and minimal repairs.

8 plugs and coils at the dealership would have cost more than I spent so far anyway.

 

[CertusExpo]

One thing I did was at my local auto parts store, I asked them if they knew of a good mechanic (client) that works out of his home on the side.

That got me a mechanic that was also an instructor at Lincoln Tech for mechanics.

The shops need too charge more due to overhead but his mechanics don't out of their homes after hours and on weekends.

 

[nycnftm]

Was diagnosed as spark plug fly out. Was offered $1000 cash.

Let's go back to the beginning. What happens when someone takes their Expedition/F150 to a shop to get their sparks plugs replaced. Reading up, it looks like this happens to almost everyone. Say John Smith takes his 1997 Expedition to Jimbo's Auto repair to get the plugs replaced. He spends about $1000 to for the job and the next week one blows out. Whose fault is it? Do you blame the mechanic for failure or it is the customer's problem. If mechanics know the engine is prone to this why even do the repair. The customer will be mad and blame the mechanic.