I have a 1997 Pontiac Sunfire with just over 85,000 miles on it.
I had the oil changed and the battery replaced today. They said that the drive belts are cracked, the emergency brake needs adjusting and it’s leaking oil. Also, the AC is broken. I think that translates to the drive belt needs to be replaced before it goes and tears the engine up, the rear brake drums need to be replaced, it has a random leak somewhere, and the AC needs to be serviced. Is that about right? Is it worth repairing?
If you got 12 years out of a J-body, you should consider that the car doesn’t owe you much at this point. They are pretty disposable cars. If you like it and it’s serving you well, the stuff you mentioned should be all together in the $300-$500 range, aside from the oil leak, since that’s a mystery.
If it has never been done, changing the coolant and replacing the transmission fluid and filter probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. Note that I mean replacing the fluid by draining from the transmission pan, NOT a power flush, those things are terrible. How much all that would cost depends on the labor rate, there’s really not a lot of parts involved in this.
This assumes you want to keep the car several more years. If not, it’s a great time to be shopping for a new car. You won’t get much for the trade in, so you might want to sell it private-party if it’s in good condition.
Yes, they are, especially the plastic bits in the interior. The coolant was replaced a few years ago, when I replaced the emissions system. Otherwise, it runs, which is all I need it to do. Stupid question: Does a manual transmission have transmission fluid?
I would say the belt(s) need to be replaced before there’s a belt breakage that leaves you stranded, and the parking brake needs to be adjusted (or possibly the brake shoes need to be replaced). As far as oil leakage, the questions are what is leaking (relates to repair cost and to affecting other parts) and how bad is it leaking (relates to affecting other parts, messing up parking spots, and chance of harming engine).
You can put $X into fixing this car, or sell this car for $Y and buy a replacement for $X+Y (plus, perhaps, other money you have saved). Which way leaves you with the better car for your money?
Yes, it has some type of oil in it. However, the fluid undergoes nowhere near the stress of that in an automatic tranny, and doesn’t break down like the fluid in an automatic.