I know this has been asked before, but I'm going to ask it again. When is it time to retire a car?
Situation...I've been driving the same car since high school (2001). Car is a 1996 Nissan Maxima. Has been about as good of a car as you can get. In 2005ish (when I was in college), had the transmission rebuilt. That was ~120k miles ago. It's going strong. About 7 years ago, had the rack and pinion replaced (about $1k). It's fine. Other than that, oil, battery, brakes. The normal stuff you do on every car.
Yesterday, driving home I overheated. Added some coolant, made it home, but was clearly leaking. Got a radiator pressure tester today to track down the leak. Not an easy spot like a hose. Had a friend who rebuilds cars come over and look. He says it's almost certainly either the water pump or the head gasket. He'd lean toward water pump, but isn't sure. Problem now is that although the water pump is a cheap part, in my car it's a pain int he ass to get to. Involves jacking the engine, unbolting it, etc, etc. For someone like me who is mildly compotent on a good day, it is going to be extremely difficult...maybe beyond my ability? If I get in there and it's the head gasket, I'd say I"m obviously done. If it's the water pump, it's really tough to replace. Don't think I could do it myself honestly.
Called a few places today. Only one open. They quoted $600 to replace the water pump (part plus labor).
The question basically is....at what point do you retire a car? What would you do in my shoes? We're talking about a car that is 21 years old, 211k miles. In good working order, worth maybe $1200-1500 (quick craigslist search for similar cars). Would you risk replacing the water pump? Or just ditch and get something else (I've already found a few great Honda Accords...things like a 1995 with 108k miles for $2k that looks like it's in legitimately good shape)? If I knew for sure the water pump would fix my leak, I'd be more tempted. My fear is I"d just be throwing $600 down the drain if I did that, though.
Thoughts?