My 4Runner is just shy of 200K miles on it.

It's due (actually 20K miles overdue) for a timing belt change, a $900 job. I took it in for servicing, and they reminded me of it. That, plus I was having them check a noise I'm hearing, which happens to be in the area of the timing belt/pulleys/etc.

Do I invest $900 in my 4Runner, with its spotty history?

Note: Total repair cost on it in the past 12 months = $85.

Prior 12 months = $435.

I put 9-10K miles on it a year.

 

$900 is less than the registration and taxes you would pay on something newer. I would fix it.

 

$520 in two years doesn't sound too bad (it sounds like you're paying someone to do it for you). As snobdds says, $900 will be saving money, if that's most of what you need to spend.

Do you like your truck? Or do you dread getting into it, because you're just not sure it will make it to your destination? If you like it, keep it, $900 will be well spent.

 

Fix it or pay your total cost last year in a monthly car payment.
No brainer.

:wabbit2:

 

You could also read some of the threads on here about how to change a timing belt. If you did it yourself that would cut your cost several hundred dollars.

 

I would fix it for sure.. I dread making my monthly car payment it sux!!!

 

Having it fixed . . . for all the above reasons.

 

I wish the places around my neck of the woods only charged $900 to do the job.

The cheapest place I found was $1,300 for labor excluding machine work on the head.

Since I only drive less than 4,000 miles a year and my truck is more a toy than a daily driver, I'm going to let the chain go and then replace it with a new Taco. Everything on my truck is original, so I can see it getting pricey real fast to keep it going. I'm just hoping it lasts me the winter.