It's finally time to push my car off a cliff... - NF

[gone_fishin]

...figuratively of course i've got a '95 Nissan Altima, with 235,000kms. i bought it 2.5 years ago and i've put almost 50,000kms on it myself. so i've had pretty good use out of it. Although i have put a lot of money into it, especially in the last year. i've replaced the entire exhaust from front to back including the catalytic converter and muffler, front and back brakes, among a couple other things... also, this past boxing day i get into my car and the battery light is on... needs a new alternator! so me being a broke college student, and it being just after christmas, i finally had some money in my pocket... NOPE !!!

 

so anyways, this morning i was on my way to school, i had a test in my first class so i left home early so that i would get there in plenty of time. i almost made it to the Whitby/Oshawa border when i smelled anti-freeze, i thought to myself, this can't be good ... then the smoke started pouring in through the vents and into the interior of the car, then out the hood of the car... GREAT!!! the only good news is that it wasn't the engine overheating...

 

long story short, the tow truck shows up after an hour of waiting. we get the car to my mechanic and i go home and wait for his call...

 

the radiator is cracked, and can't be fixed of course . it's gonna cost me over $400 for parts and labour etc... etc...

 

i'm really getting sick of putting money into this car because it probably wont make it to next winter anyways. besides, the next thing that could go, could be the engine... i haven't had any problems with that yet so obviously that would be the next to go right?

 

so this is my last year of college, and i'm thinking of using the last of my student loan and getting a new vehicle (used obviously). since there is no possible way of me paying off my loan right after graduating anyway, i might as well use the money now... i'll be paying interest on the full amount either way!

 

so, anyone know of any cheapish vehicles around the Durham Region? i would love to get a truck, something bigger than what i've got now... i've got a lot of fishing gear