My ‘reliable’ $1500 Honda died on I-80 in Wyoming at 3am

Was outside Rawlins hauling a load when my ’98 Civic started knocking like a jackhammer. Limped it to a rest stop and called a local mechanic who swapped in a junkyard motor for $900. Anyone else trust a roadside repair shop to save a beater that cheap?

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schmidt.willow3mo ago

Damn, that's rough. 3am on I-80 in Wyoming with a dying Honda sounds like a nightmare. Glad that mechanic pulled through for you.

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oscarmurphy3mo ago

Did that junkyard motor come with any kind of warranty, or was it basically a "you get what you get" situation? I'm always curious how those swap jobs hold up long term, especially when you're talking about a car that's already got two decades on it. I mean, $900 is cheap for a motor and labor, but it also makes me wonder what corners got cut to hit that price. Was the mechanic upfront about what you might be dealing with down the road, or did he just say "send it" and send you on your way? I'd be paranoid about another breakdown if I was hauling a load through Wyoming again.

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