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Hello, I have a 2004 Honda Civic. Today I started to smoke and smell while driving. My "maintenance needed" light has been coming on for about a month whenever I start the car but then goes away when i start to drive. I figured it was because I need to get the oil/filter changed(not sure how long it has been since it has been done, way over-due I am sure). I have had the car myself for 16 months and haven't done it. I am new to driving and recently became single so am not sure of what all needs to be done when for everything still. Anyways, I was booked for that this Thursday as I had to wait for a pay day. I did check my oil level and it was a little over the 1st hole line which someone had told me was ok.(maybe not ideal but ok). I also need an alignment and the battery connectors are corroded so my car needs to be boosted every so often. I went and bought some coolant today when I started smoking because of someone's advice and he thought there might be a hole somewhere in the line and that was why I was dry and had none left. I had to get another boost, figuring my hazards had drained me, and I did get the car started and back on the road. But I got about 5 minutes or so down the road and started smoking again so I pulled over once more. This time someone else stopped and took a look. They said I had lost coolant again and when they took the lid off to add more coolant they said they saw the cap was broken and was partially in the reservoir. He said because the cap was broken it was not able to keep a seal and thus no pressure was enabled to keep the coolant in and it was spilling out everywhere as I drove. Someone else also said that since it was still smoking that it could possibly be the transmission or I have shot the engine.
The car has over 335kms on it as it is. I only bought it for $2k. I researched online and saw that a new engine could be like $5k with labor. So, I do not know what to do. I don't think it has that much life left and was never planning on putting thousands into it to keep it on the road considering the high mileage. Should I take it to a shop and have someone look it over or should I just junk it or sell as is for parts?
thank you for your help.

 
Rep Power: 244

Really depends on how much you like the car. It sounds like in your situation it would be better for you to buy a newer car even though it is more money. It is nice not having a car payment but for some people the peace of mind in having something reliable is worth it. That year Civic is known to have head gasket issues and they can get expensive to fix.

Yes a new radiator cap is the first thing to get and might be a good place to start and see if it continues loosing coolant or overheats.

A new Kia might be good for you!

 
Rep Power: 119

I look at this in a opposite manner, until your comfortable making sure routine maintenance is done on your car, do you really want to be responsible for a new car?

A new radiator cap, clean the battery terminals, and get a oil change at Walmart for $20 is where I would start.

You can do a whole lot of maintenance on a car for what a monthly note and equivalent insurance hike will cost.

 
Rep Power: 0

Thank you. I have been debating a newer car, yes. And I actually was pondering a KIA , so funny you would say that.

 
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you also have great points. I do kind of like my car but just don't want to put more money into something that only has like a year left to live. Although, I have heard that these Hondas can go as high as 500k kms. So, that could work out to another 3 years or more based off of my last years average clocked kms. And I did end up getting a friend's brother who knows about cars to check it out and it looks like I need a new rad hose. I did buy a new rad cap too and definitely need the oil change and have that scheduled for tomorrow actually.
thanks for your help.

 
Rep Power: 244

I say Kia/Hyundai because they have the best warranty and offer great bang for the buck. Toyota's never die but will cost you a little more. Honda is always a great choice too. Most new cars come with maintenance included which is why I suggested a new car. I would suggest a brand that offers you maintenance and with modern cars you should not have to worry about anything other then routine things for a while.

I payed $1500 to have my Civic fixed when the timing belt broke. The car was payed for so the cost of that $1500 spread over a year is way cheaper then a new car or even a new used car. Yes Honda's have no issue going 500kms so it's a good vehicle to get fixed and keep motoring for a while.