Dear Tom and Ray:

I am a senior citizen who remembers the days when cars were distinctive. We currently own a 1984 Nissan Maxima with 105,000 miles. This car has distinctive styling -- not the jelly-bean look -- and runs great. I have maintained it well, and it is clean and tight. However, I am becoming paranoid that something could be ready to go. It is worth no more than $3,000, but with cars today going for around $20,000, I am toying with the idea of fixing it up and keeping it. Am I bonkers if I have it inspected and spend $1,500 or so to put it in first-class condition? -- Clay

Tom: Not at all, Clay. You may be bonkers to think that an '84 Maxima is distinctive, but if that's your opinion, your plan for the car makes perfect sense.

Ray: You may be surprised, however, to find that it often costs more than $1,500 to get an old car back into first-class condition.

Tom: The first step, as you say, is having it thoroughly inspected. There's a helpful checklist in the back of our "How to Buy A Great Used Car" pamphlet you can use as a guide to have the car checked out from stem to stern. Once you know everything that's wrong with it, you can add up the cost of the repairs and make a decision. For a copy of the pamphlet, send $3 and a self-addressed, stamped (55 cents) No. 10 envelope to Used Car, P.O. Box 6429, Riverton, NJ 08077-6420.

Ray: But let's take the worst-case scenario. Let's say it costs $5,000 because you need a new engine, new transmission, brakes, ball joints and a bunch of other stuff. That's still a heck of a lot less than the $20,000 you'd spend on a new car, Clay. And if you're perfectly happy with this car, that's definitely the way to go.

Tom: And, if you ever get tired of the shape of the car, you can always change that too. My brother used to have one of those jelly-bean-shaped cars, but he has driven it into so many things that now it's got a nice, distinctive, squared-off shape, too.

It's NEVER cheaper in the long run to buy a new car. Want proof? Order Tom and Ray's pamphlet How to Buy a Used Car: Things That Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want You to Know. To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1997 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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