Questions and Answers

To Fix Or Not To Fix

Q. Hi Vincent- My husband says it would probably cost about $3000 to fix our 1968 Ford pickup. It has only spent the last 5-6 years dealing with the salted roads of Minneapolis. Before that it lived in South Dakota. It has under 100,000 miles on it, but is having problems with the brakes, and my husband fears the doors may stop working. It has performed very well for us on the whole and has had all the little things that break down repaired already.We have never driven it very much. Mostly just on weekends. For long trips we've always rented. Obviously it's a gas hog. Unfortunately, the place my husband works will be moving off a bus route in all likelihood in 7 months. He will need a reliable vehicle. Our truck always starts in the winter. It is a little less happy in the summer, but regular tuneups might help with that. The maximum number of years we'd want it to take him to work is 6 since that would see my son through college at which time my husband would retire, but he'd prefer to retire in less than 4 years.

Do you think it would be worth it to get it fixed or do you think we'll probably have to buy another vehicle.

Thanks for any advice,
Nemy

A. Living just south of you in Rochester I know exactly what kind of road conditions you're talking about.

I would hesitate to recommend putting that much money into a 22 year old truck. For $3000.00 you can get a good used car that would be much better on gas.

Before you decide, you can take it to a mechanic and have the trucks condition assessed. He can check the engine, transmission and frame for damage and see what kind of shape it's in.

You need to know:
A. If the engine is sound with good compression and no signs of undue wear.
B. That the transmission shifts good without bangs and clunks and the fluid is not burnt. Dropping the transmission pan should show only normal "dust" and no large chunks of metal.
C. If the frame is solid without any signs of rot or structural weakness.

If these items are in good shape and show no signs of problems, then you can feel fairly confident that the truck is in good enough shape to invest some money into. If any one of these show problems, then it would be a better idea to look for another vehicle. A vehicle inspection like this may cost $50.00 or $60.00, but you will be in a better position to make an informed decision.

Understand also that older vehicles can develop problems with little or no warning.