Engine seized on old Camry - options?
Hi RFD'ers! Got a question for you and I would really apprecite your advise, as always!
SITUATION:
Bought a 1997 Toyota Camry for my parents who were visiting from outside of BC. It was bought under my dad's name for a very good price and it had low km's on it for a car that old (< 195k). Since it was bough from a family we know, we knew it was well taken care of. It ran like a dream, came with an extra set of winter tires and a very new set of current tires on it and we were very happy with it. My parents left for an extended period of time and I drove the car sparingly since my dad is the principal driver on it.
Sadly, given how rarely I used it, I kept being lazy about taking it in for servincing / maintenance and did not even fill coolant or engine oil. Last week, the check engine light came on and the car died the next day! I got advice from friends who know more about cars and everyone's diagnostic testing (including the BCAA guy who came to tow it) lead to the same conclusion - the engine is dead. Specifically, with no coolant and engine oil left, the pistons likely welded theselves to the cylinders. Sad, for a car that was working so well and just needed minimal care, I let this happen. Lesson learned!
I posted here about cancelling insurance and got great advice. Insurance was renewed for about $2100 for the year, just this past June. ICBC will refund the remainder once we bring in the license plates and registration papers. Problem: I have no place to store the car once the license plates are removed + insurance works out to roughly $6 bucks a day, which I am losing as long as I chose to keep the car parked on the street.
My questions:
1. I researched extensively and called a few shops. Replacing the engine, along with labour will cost AT LEAST $3-4k. Not worth it for an old car. For some perspective, I found that similar cars ('97 Toyota Camry's, specifically) in running condition, but with maybe 100-150k more on them, are seling for $1-1.5k on craigslist. Are there any alternative ways to cheaply fix the car? If it helps, I do know everything else in the car is working well, including a fairly new battery, and overall, I like the car very much and trust it to work well given some basic care.
2. Someone suggested to sell the car for parts. Problem with that - I don't have a place, like a backyard, to store the car while people come and buy parts from it. Any suggestions?
3. I was told to definitely sell the 14' winter tires which are basically unused, make a few hundred bucks on those and then donate the car to a charity which will take it, and at least get a tax receipt out of it. Question: I would still have to have the original tires attached to the car for it to be towed and donated, right? I can't sell both the currently installed set AND the winter tires, right?
Any help or suggestions are welcome. Thank you for your time!
SITUATION:
Bought a 1997 Toyota Camry for my parents who were visiting from outside of BC. It was bought under my dad's name for a very good price and it had low km's on it for a car that old (< 195k). Since it was bough from a family we know, we knew it was well taken care of. It ran like a dream, came with an extra set of winter tires and a very new set of current tires on it and we were very happy with it. My parents left for an extended period of time and I drove the car sparingly since my dad is the principal driver on it.
Sadly, given how rarely I used it, I kept being lazy about taking it in for servincing / maintenance and did not even fill coolant or engine oil. Last week, the check engine light came on and the car died the next day! I got advice from friends who know more about cars and everyone's diagnostic testing (including the BCAA guy who came to tow it) lead to the same conclusion - the engine is dead. Specifically, with no coolant and engine oil left, the pistons likely welded theselves to the cylinders. Sad, for a car that was working so well and just needed minimal care, I let this happen. Lesson learned!
I posted here about cancelling insurance and got great advice. Insurance was renewed for about $2100 for the year, just this past June. ICBC will refund the remainder once we bring in the license plates and registration papers. Problem: I have no place to store the car once the license plates are removed + insurance works out to roughly $6 bucks a day, which I am losing as long as I chose to keep the car parked on the street.
My questions:
1. I researched extensively and called a few shops. Replacing the engine, along with labour will cost AT LEAST $3-4k. Not worth it for an old car. For some perspective, I found that similar cars ('97 Toyota Camry's, specifically) in running condition, but with maybe 100-150k more on them, are seling for $1-1.5k on craigslist. Are there any alternative ways to cheaply fix the car? If it helps, I do know everything else in the car is working well, including a fairly new battery, and overall, I like the car very much and trust it to work well given some basic care.
2. Someone suggested to sell the car for parts. Problem with that - I don't have a place, like a backyard, to store the car while people come and buy parts from it. Any suggestions?
3. I was told to definitely sell the 14' winter tires which are basically unused, make a few hundred bucks on those and then donate the car to a charity which will take it, and at least get a tax receipt out of it. Question: I would still have to have the original tires attached to the car for it to be towed and donated, right? I can't sell both the currently installed set AND the winter tires, right?
Any help or suggestions are welcome. Thank you for your time!
“Questions you cannot answer are usually far better for you than answers you cannot question.”
― Yuval Noah Harari,
― Yuval Noah Harari,
