So my car needs a new engine again. The first time the engine went out at 50,000 miles and I made the dealership replace it since it was 6 months after I bought it. I definitely paid too much for it and I still owe $3,300 (young and dumb moment when I bought it). Paying off our cars is our top priority for paying off debts but we're both unemployed right now (spouse and I worked for the same company and lost our jobs, another bad choice, I know).
I have a friend who will put in a new engine for $1,500 (parts and labor) and I know that's a good deal for it. I'm wondering if it's worth it though? At this rate I'm replacing the engine every 50,000-60,000 miles with proper maintenance. There's no way I can sell it for my loan amount with a busted engine. I'm not in a rush to fix it because public transportation and biking are working fine for me right now. I still need a car for harsh Minnesota winters so I'm not sure I'm ready to give it up. If I do get it fixed, maybe it can just be my winter car so it will last much longer?
The idea of dumping $1500 into a car that I'm still making payments on is killing me. Selling it for a few hundred dollars for parts leaves me with debt and no car. Besides giving up the car, what is the most mustachian thing to do?