soo, my check engine light on my car is on. wasnt on when i bought it a month ago, and i’ll admit i’m panicking, lol. I’m a high school student who works 30 hours a week and only makes about $800 a month. i ran a diagnostic on my car (i need a variable camshaft timing solenoid) but now im getting told a bunch of different things. possible timing chain issue, maybe a new rotor?, starter issue, oil? (as my car makes a grinding noise when it starts up, but it’s a perfectly drivable car). it’s a 2014 impala and i bought it for $6500. im getting it looked at by my uncle who is a mechanic for GM on sunday to see if it’s worth repairing. the car has 200k miles on the body and 99k miles on the engine. if i were to sell it, how much do you guys think id get out of it? i’m willing to make minor repairs, but not repairs that cost half of what i bought the car for. TIA !
edit: i’m trying not to lose hope since i’ve only had it for a month but if my uncle thinks it’s worth it and can make it last 5 more years until i can get something better, great! if not well then i’m not really sure😅
a few things could cause that grinding at startup, a failed vvt solenoid, dirty oil, not enough oil, or an issue within the vvt system. even the screen inside the solenoid can get clogged up and cause it to do that while waiting for oil pressure. i personally would be wary of fixing that car as they tend to to have more major issues as they go along. and considering the original transmission is still in the car, i’d be really gentle on it if you do decide to get it fixed. just don’t spend more money than the car is actually worth. but here’s a friendly tip for buying a new car if you end up doing that, take it to a mechanic for a prepurchase inspection. they can hook up tools of all sorts and really inspect the car to make sure it’s a good buy, that way you don’t have to have as much anxiety about wondering if you’re getting a good car
definitely. thats my only regret with this car is not getting inspected beforehand. it was a very rushed and last minute decision as i was having issues at home. if i decide to sell it, how much do you think i could get out of it?
depending on the amount it would take to fix and the condition of the exterior and interior probably somewhere around 1500 to 4k