94 Camaro
I picked up this Camaro a couple of weeks ago after deciding I had what it takes to fix broken cars. I finally just grew tired of having a dependency on auto mechanics and started fixing miscellaneous broken things on my truck. Soon, that turned into an engine repair project on a BMW. Ultimately, it led to an addiction and I picked up this disabled car to fix and turn back into a workable car.
It’s pretty amazing what people will let a car go for when they think it’s broken beyond reasonable repair costs. For the most part, they are right. It costs a bundle to fix cars depending on the problem and if the repair cost exceeds the blue book value of the car, why bother? But if you know how to do these things, you can really score some good deals!
The Camaro has a blown head gasket for sure and possibly a warped cylinder head. This is evident when you open the hood and look at the little puffs of steam coming out of the seal. The ignition switch is also shorted out in the steering column. A new ignition switch is about $12 and I’ve ordered a new gasket set and replacement cylinder heads for a grand total of about $250. The car itself, due to the level of engine damage, was only $1400.
The BMW was an even better deal! An over heating problem was quoted to the previous owner as a defective radiator, with an $800 quoted repair cost. I flushed the radiator, cleaned it, filled it with coolant and replaced the coolant level sensor to find that it was in perfect working order! I took the engine apart and found a crack on the cylinder head. The car cost $400 and the new cylinder head and gasket set cost me about $300. I’ve also spent about $500 on various new parts and auto paint. For a reasonable amount of money, it’ll be a perfectly working, nice looking car that burns a lot less gas than my truck.
