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From: Ken on 19 Apr 2010 13:30
On Mar 13, 11:41 am, Ken <kcarlso...(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
> I have a '97 Subaru Legacy wagon, and we are about to trade it in.
> Haven't yet decided on what the new car will be, but that decision
> will happen soon.  The problem is that it needs a whole new exhaust
> system.  The exhaust has already been patched (temporary repair, just
> trying to get by before trading in), and now has completely broken in
> another spot and will be dragging on the ground the next time I try to
> drive the car.  I'll either have to wire it up just to keep it from
> dragging, or else finishing removing it completely.
>
> We've been quoted $1500 to replace the entire thing (including the
> cat), and the problem is that the car in running condition is worth
> about $1500.  So if I spend the money to get a new exhaust system, I'm
> at net $0.  If I trade it in at a dealer, I should come out ahead by
> NOT fixing the exhaust, assuming they won't make me pay to leave it
> there.   ;-)
>
> In my younger days, I would have replaced the thing myself and saved
> the labor costs, but with kids, work, bad weather, etc. I am not
> inclined to do that anymore.  The car is otherwise in decent shape,
> definitiely not a candidate for the scrapyard.  Whoever would replace
> the exhaust would have a decent car that doesn't currently need any
> other repairs.
>
> So have I done my math right?  Should I just coat hanger the exhaust
> in place enough to get to the dealer for a trade-in and take whatever
> they give me, or does anyone have any other suggestions?
>
> Ken

Hey, OP here. For those who may be interested, I wanted to follow up
and tell what happened with my exhaust system.

I ended up going to a local repair shop, and they welded the broken
sections of the exhaust back together for $80. At best, a temporary
repair. There are still small leaks here and there, making the
exhaust loud, so its still obvious that there is some problem. (But
still WAY better than it was when it was completely detached.)

We settled on a new car to buy, and asked what we could get for a
trade-in on this car. Answer was $700. Book value of a car without
the need for any repairs was $1500, and replacement parts for the
exhaust are >$1000, so I figured I ended up doing the right thing,
economically speaking from my point of view.

P.S. The new car we are getting is a VW Golf TDI (TDI = Turbo diesel
injected). Picking it up this afternoon. First time I've ever owned
a diesel, we'll see how that goes!

Ken
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