Chevy Malibu Repair or Junk?

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Slammed90Lude

Senior Member
So I'm asking here, because I don't really know where else I would ask. A friend of mine has a 1998 Chevy Malibu with 150k miles on it. This past week, the camshaft broke, literally in two pieces. Oh well, that's chevy quality for ya.

Anyway, he's wondering what the best COA would be. The car isn't worth much, probably about $4k in great, running condition. Replacing the engine would be costly and probably not worth it, but he isn't sure.

What is everyone's opinion on what he might do? I was wondering if the came snapped, but the pistons didn't sustain damage, popping a new head on the motor might be the solution, but I'm not sure of the extent of the damage.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions guys.

-Corie
 
Did he destroy any of the valves? Head? pistons? I mean, a broken cam is a broken cam - replace it and be done with it. If he fucked the pistons/head I say junk the car.
 
- call Wil, have him drive it, thus either burning it, flipping it, or getting it stolen for you, claim insurance.
- "forget" the parking brake, and have it roll into something like a brick wall. claim insurance
- cut it in pieces with a sawzall, throw it away in a dumpster. call cops, claim stolen, claim insurance.



















of course, i'm joking.
 
Is the body in good condition? I bet you could find a used engine on ebay or a junkyard for 500 bucks and do it yourself. Its not like those 3.8's or 3.5 (what ever is in there) is a highly prised engines.
 
Is the body in good condition? I bet you could find a used engine on ebay or a junkyard for 500 bucks and do it yourself. Its not like those 3.8's or 3.5 (what ever is in there) is a highly prised engines.
:werd:
can you do the work yourself?
scrap metal is up to about 200 a ton by me...
thats another option
 
This car is totally not worth it. It's not worth parts, it's not worth project status, it's not worth getting to run to beat on it.

Sorry, It's not our fault whoever bought a silly driving appliance.

Also, as far as snapping cams, I've snapped WAY more Honda cams than any other single make.
 
we had a dodge aries that overheated and warped the head while on vacation in SC
the shop replaced the head and cam shaft, then after we got back to NY the cam broke in half the long way
right down the middle
 
Wow. I've heard of that though. Case Hardened cams for cheaper costs at the factory. That's why all of the old american cars "died at 80k"
 
the dodge aries was a trooper
i think it had well over 200K on it when my old man finally sold it, close to 300
and my uncles had 350K ish when he let it go
the motor would have been fine if it didn't pop the gasket on the interstate resulting in overheating
 
Junk

Normally I would say fix it because I think scrapping cars is a horrible practice.

98_chevrolet_malibu.gif
:thumbsdown:
Then again ^this^ is the car we're talking about here. So....hmm, not my style I guess. I'd say dump it unless friend has some sick fetish (and some serious dough) for a twisted sleeper project.

Even pimped it looks horrible. :yuck:

Just my highly opinionated opinion, thouth.
 
I thought money clogged the toilet when you flushed that much of it down.
 
Donate it to a school or part it out? I think that you can deduct up to the blue book value if you donate it. Not totally sure about that.
 
Donate it to a school or part it out? I think that you can deduct up to the blue book value if you donate it. Not totally sure about that.
IRS has started cracking down on non cash donations
you can only claim the amount the vehicle gets when its resold or auctioned off
no more blue book, or contributors value donations
 
IRS has started cracking down on non cash donations
you can only claim the amount the vehicle gets when its resold or auctioned off
no more blue book, or contributors value donations


So If I donate a car I can only claim it after it has been resold or autioned off? What if that was not the intent of the donation? GM and Ford donate vehicles all the time and those cars can never be registered so how do they get a write off?
 
talk to the irs
they want documentation for the value of the "gift" now

i would imagine GM and Ford can take those donations as dollar for dollar write offs by classifying them as advertising, or promotion

this is from Pub 4303 from 2004


The maximum amount you can deduct on your income
tax return is the fair market value of your car. Fair market
value is the price a willing buyer would pay and a willing
seller would accept for the car, when neither party is
compelled to buy or sell, and both parties have reasonable
knowledge of the relevant facts.
Some fundraisers have mistakenly claimed that donors
can, in all cases, deduct the full value of their cars as
found in a used car guide (such as “blue book” value). A
used car guide may be a good starting point to value your
car, but you should exercise caution. The IRS will only
allow a deduction for the fair market value of the car,
which may be substantially less than the “blue book” value.

Example:
You donate your car to the local high school
for use by students studying car repair. Your credit union
representative told you that the “blue book” value of the car
is $1,600. However, your car needs extensive repairs, and
after some checking, you find that you could only sell your
car for $750. Your charitable contribution deduction may
not exceed $750, the fair market value of the car.

 
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for 2006 and 2007 you can claim the smaller of the proceeds from the sale of the vehicle or the fair market value

or if the vehicle is given or sold to a needy individual for well below FMV you can claim FMV as your contribution as long as the vehicle was not sold at auction
 
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