Need Some Advice

[NJ Pinelands]

Is there such a thing as a short term lease on used cars—like two or three months?

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[bwf4]

Just let it leak and top it off every once in awhile.

I'm already looking at buying coolant in bulk.

 

[theway-yay-ting]

Unfortunately Ford can't even reliably send out emails. If they did offer a custom decal none of us would get it until 2025 due to constraints, dealer allocations, and the increased cost of glue. About 1/3rd of us would get an email explaining the delays in shipping our decals, everyone else would just be in the dark.

Some people would hear from their dealer that all decals for hybrids had been cancelled.

 

[Rockingchair]

What scares me about fixing the Sonic is that the parts list includes parts used to "patch" an engine showing beginning signs of a failing head gasket. If that is the case on this car then you truly throwing away $$$.

 

[14mustangNJ]

What scares me about fixing the Sonic is that the parts list includes parts used to "patch" an engine showing beginning signs of a failing head gasket. If that is the case on this car then you truly throwing away $$$.

Second this, “valve leak”, “coolant leaks”, needing an entire cooling system replaced....sounds like it’s been overheated and that cylinder head is warped and/or the head gasket is toast. Could be a cracked head too, that’ll cause misfiring if it’s bad enough to simulate a valve leak on a cylinder.

I would dump that car and buy something else if it was me. I bet if a proper cooling system check was done, like the exhaust leak down test, it’s probably show some of the issues above potentially.

Keeping coolant in it will obviously help but be aware, if it’s overheating now, it won’t take much to kill it being stuck in traffic. You may be able to pull the thermostat yourself with some basic tools that could help keep the temps down but expect it to also run rich and get bad gas mileage. Head gasket in a can fixes sometimes work but I would say that’s a last resort.

 

[dalola]

Is there such a thing as a short term lease on used cars—like two or three months?

lol....I'm sure Enterprise would love to talk to you....

 

[TacoHolder]

Please take the following with a grain of salt. These are just my opinions on the situation without knowing anything else about your life.

Do not put another dollar into the Sonic. Find a Toyota dealer that will sell you a brand new Tacoma* at MSRP. Finance it with a small/no down payment or pay cash if you ball out like that. Trade it in for the Maverick within a year or two.
*this could work with any vehicle that has strong residuals. Results may vary depending on actual vehicle values, interest rates, taxes, and dealer fees/markups.

There's a very good chance that this will end up costing less than what it costs to fix the Sonic and keep it running. I did this to get my non-Maverick last month. It ultimately cost me around $200 net to drive around in a brand new truck for 10 months. The dealer fee for the Tacoma was pretty steep at $1K. Otherwise I could have actually made some money.

Yes this is risky, but the hardest part will be finding the temporary vehicle for a good price. The rest of it should work itself out unless the used car market completely tanks. You will also need strong credit to get an interest rate under 3% or $35K in cash.

 

[999]

H2O in the summertime.

I'm already looking at buying coolant in bulk.

 

[tngreg]

My October 22 order of an XLT, Lux still hasn't been scheduled. My current vehicle, a 2012 Chevy Sonic, is in the shop with a coolant leak. The repair estimate was $2000 for parts alone, well exceeding the worth of the vehicle. I'm guessing I am at least 6 months out from receiving my Maverick. What would you do in the meantime? Used car prices are crazy!

I would say 4mths or less.
See about buying parts yourself and save that $...
SOnic should bring decent trade in value with gas going up up up...

 

[bwf4]

I would say 4mths or less.
See about buying parts yourself and save that $...
SOnic should bring decent trade in value with gas going up up up...

Make me an offer

 

[Comet]

Depending on where the leaf is, you could try putting in radiator sealant or head gasket sealant. Had a head gasket go on an old Chevy truck - put in BarsLeak head gasket sealant and ran it for another three years without problem.

 

[NJBob]

Put some stop leak on it run it till it dies. Does sound like alot for what they are doing. 125K that would be low mileage on a Honday

 

[Exiwolf]

My October 22 order of an XLT, Lux still hasn't been scheduled. My current vehicle, a 2012 Chevy Sonic, is in the shop with a coolant leak. The repair estimate was $2000 for parts alone, well exceeding the worth of the vehicle. I'm guessing I am at least 6 months out from receiving my Maverick. What would you do in the meantime? Used car prices are crazy!

2K for coolant leak on a sonic seams bit much ,get a second opinion .
Do the minimum amount of work to get by the 6 months.

 

[NOLAguy]

I also ordered in October, according to ford you should have your order by August, I realize what I just said may sound ridiculous - call me optimistic.

 

[TheSEARCH]

Try the coolant stop leak junk. I would not normally say try it as it can clog the heater core BUT who cares as its summer. Don't use coolant just ad water. Carry several gallons of water and keep it full. DON'T over heat it. Limp along till Mav comes it. Good luck.

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