Well, I was gasing it over a bridge, to pass a truck and the motor died....94,000 miles...When I try to start it does a "fliiinnngg" sound.....thinking broken timing belt.....any easy way to make sure....Some people have told me to buy a new engine.... Got a quote for 4500 bucks.. yikes.....any suggestions?

 

When did you have timing belt replaced, and id have to suggest you look, it would be loose if not off.

 

I would personally just have it brought in to a shop and have it mechanically looked at. A good garage will be sufficient enough, and will also save money from going to the delearship. It's hard to tell what the problem is by a simple description.
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you can get 1.8t engines (assuming thats what engine you have) from european junk yards for like $1500.

 

I guess what I am asking is..are these cars worth putting a new motor in? or cut my losses and run...the body and interior are acually very nice..

 

do you owe on your car, can you afford to put a new engine in, can you afford to get a new car? these are all things we need to know so we can better help you.

 

Ok so I had this EXACT problem with my 2000. It is your timing belt, I was only driving about 20MPH when mine went. ( I had that exact whining when cranking the engine). The best way to double check is to unclip your TB cover and just pull it back a bit (its not easy to do, but you can try).

I decided to bite the bullet and repair the car. YOU DO NOT NEED A NEW ENGINE!
It would not hurt to buy one, but it is un neccessary.
When your timing belt breaks on an engine like this, the pistons hit the intake and exhaust valves and bend them, making them unusable.

You can get the cylinder head redone, complete with new valves.
I chose to just buy a refurbished Cylinder head and trade my old one in as a core.
I bought it from http://www.cylinder-heads.com/(Clearwater Cylinder Heads)

I believe that it was around $750.
I did the entire Job myself and it was time consuming, but MUCH Cheaper than taking it to a shop and around half the price of another used engine that may have other problems.

All in all check your options and realize that their are many out there.
Good Luck!

 

You cant be sure its your timing belt until you take the top timing belt cover off to verify. There are two clips holding it on, and you have to move the 2 hoses that run accross the front of the cover out of the way.I cant believe youd be getting quotes for engines before you checked first the belt first. It certainly doesnttake a certified mechanic to do that either.