Selling my Daytona??

17 years ago

My son is trying to decide if he should sell his 91 Dodge Daytona ES or keep it and do an engine swap. He brought it in the other day and the mechanic said fixing the oil leak would require separating the trans from the engine - about $500.00. He suggested just replacing the engine for about the same cost. KBB says its only worth $1500, but he wants at least 3 grand for it, considring the amount of aftermarket parts he put into it. So should he keep of sell?

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Comments (4)

steve_o
17 years ago
How's the rest of the vehicle? In good shape or two tires on banana peels? How is son's ability to buy something else? Would whatever he buys for that money be any better off mechanically? Even if son thinks the car is worth three grand, it's all a matter of what the car is worth to someone else. If they don't want the doodads or whatever, he's out of luck no matter how much money he spent.

I'm going to guess that a $500 engine is off the junkya -- er, auto recycler's lot, with no idea of its history or condition. Seems risky to me.

If the rest of the vehicle (including the engine) is in good shape and son already has spent the money customizing it the way he wants it, then $500 to fix the leak is worth spending. Replacing that vehicle either will be a huge risk or much more expensive.
earthworm
17 years ago
$500 is not too bad for this job; for a Saab or a VW it could be $900..
But, are we dealing with a leak or just seepage of oil ??
Is this a standard shift or an automatic ??
The aftermarket parts do not increase the cars value, but can decrease its value...
Maybe he should keep it and live with a little consumption..
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as your luck would have it i manage a semi & truck fleet for a huge landscape plant grower that ships from VA to TX and it's my job to know most major streets in every medium & large city from south VA to the MS/TX border LOL. i live in seminole co, near winter springs by the 417 :-) so i know almost all the streets here. i know your route sooo well i can even tell you what lane you need to be in, in and around the airport lol. love to get to meet you but i am still in the thick of our busy spring and am gone 17hrs a day :-( everybody always comes thru orlando during the only time of the yr i can't meet up LOL! your quickest route will be 528 East (get in the very far Right lane at the exit of OIA) to 417 North (these are toll roads you will need several $$ ea way) follow that all the way to the end which dumps you on I-4 East (really northbound) towards Daytona. follow that till it ends at I-95 and stay to the Left. if you want to email (ehld@cfl.rr.com) where you are staying i can tell you directions around daytona if you need them or send you my cell# in case you get lost. the days and times you are coming in will not have much rush traffic and honestly i LOVE 417/528 because there are not alot of people willing to pay (some tolls $1.75) for them so there is far less traffic than you would expect, except between 4-6pm mon-fri but it never sits like it does on I-4 around orlando (not where you are going to be on I-4 thou). it's been kinda warm, low 90's our summer is here so dress to be cool. spend the day at the pool or beach it's great beach weather right now! enjoy! ~ liz
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joe_mn
17 years ago
so the mechanic will take out the engine and replace a 3 dollar rear seal and charge 500 or replace the engine with a used one for the same money? so he is charging 497 for labor. does that mean the used engine he will put in is worth $0 since his labor costs $500? tell me which junkyard he gets free parts from. i want to get my parts there too. i am being somewhat sarcastic here but the math does not add up.
jemdandy
17 years ago
Replacing the rear seal is probably more labor than swapping the engine. To get to the seal, the transaxle/torque convertor has to separated from the engine, and maybe the engine pulled out. Then the oil pan is removed, and new seal installed. The rear crank bearing should be measured for out-of-roundness, because if it is out of round, the new seal won't hold long. Crank 'wobble' will open it up. Maybe a new crank bearing has to be installed to complete the repair. A new pan gasket will be needed. Then, the engine has to be put back. That's a lot more labor than swapping an engine.

Let's hear it from a real mechanic out these who has replaced one of these seals. How much labor is involved?

Selling my Daytona??

Comments (4)

steve_o

earthworm

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jemdandy

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