Advise wanted

[maddawg]

I have a 2001 4.4 Sport Package in very good physical condition. I am often complemented on how good it looks, and people are amazed when I tell them it is a 2001.

It has 109k miles. I am the second owner and owned it since July 2002. My wife and I bought it when my older son was 2 and we had our second on the way. It's been a great car over the years, but over the past few years has required more and more expensive service and has had to be towed for service 4 of those times in the last 5+ years. I have a good independent mechanic who is fair but not cheap.

I just bought a new SUV because I simply lost confidence in its reliability and getting stuck by the side of the road. My 2 year olds is now 15 and about to get his learners permit, and I would love for him to have the option to take it to college in a couple years. The car is worth $3-5k by blue book standards, but I know it has been well cared for through the years.

So the dilemma is do I just trade it/consign it for sale with the guy who helped me get my car or do I try to find an independent guy somewhere in the north east who would take on the "overhaul" to make sure it is poised to live for another 5-10 years without being a money pit.

I had the major seal/gasket rebuild a year ago. It's had the radiator, few axles, passenger side window regulators, 2 GPS units, and recently the camshaft sensors, fuel gauge, fuel pump, fuel filter and MAF sensor replaced

In short, can anyone offer some perspective on what to do? Specifically, what major items would you do to ensure it can run well for another 50k, and is it worth it?