<prompt> Human: Hello. Ive been pretty ignorant to PF and then about three months ago I started working on using mint and budgeting to pay my almost 50k in student loan debts and actually making a budget to work on. Previously I was only paying 17 a month through IBR so some interest accrued on the previously 47k debt. Unfortunately I paid almost 4,000 to knock out one of my loans to make it easier on the payments and make sure I am starting to principal on one of my loans and not only interest each month. This left me with 1,400 in cash in my checking, 2000 in my checking after I paid all my bills for this month. I also have 13k in an old 401k from a previous employer. As I was driving to Lakeland to see my folks my car broke down and the engine is supposedly trashed when I took it into Pep Boys. It is a 2000 Toyota Corolla with 141k miles on it. Pep Boys told me it would be 4700 to get a used engine with 67k miles on it put in, but it def sounds like they are overpriced. I am getting a second look on it on Monday but I fully expect it may be up to 4000 to fix it if I choose to go that route. Im not really sure if its even worth fixing this, but I dont know much if I can get a better car for that amount. I currently can walk to work so it isnt a pressing issue right now.My question is how am I going to finance this at all even if I get another car? I was thinking of taking a 401k loan at 5.25 at the most, or opening up a chase freedom and putting as much possible on that for now and pay it off a 0 as much as possible for 15 months. Then I could get either the 401k loan or personal loan and pay off the credit card from there. I currently have an amazon visa card from chase that has no balance and a 3k limit.Right now my monthly budget looks like this:Take home pay 2,468 Hopefully getting 137 to 283 raise on Apr1Rent 1,045 Crazy high downtown orlando, looking for roommates in Sept when lease ends.Water 45Electric 50-75 a monthInternet 45Renters ins 13ResturantsFast Food 288 Will be cutting this backGroceries 240Car Ins 80Gas 70 Usually its under 40 though, only one tankMobile Phone 48Montly Budgeted Student Loan Payment 288Misc Fun - 231Debt: 47k in School Loans 6.55Current CC : Amazon Visa w 3000 Limit and no balanceIs there any way I can get a sanity check on what Im thinking here as for my plan of action? I really think this is the last time I will have to resort to this, I am fully intended on paying off debts and stocking up a solid emergency fund from now on.Assistant: You should be able to get it done for less than what PoopBoys quoted you. That engine from a junkyard is around 1000 here in Texas. Labor shouldnt exceed 1.5-2k at the worst.What Id like to know is why did your current engine die? Did it overheat? Run low on oil? Human: Pepboys guy said that it was a catastrophic failure and that it looked like it was a bent fuel rod that caused it. I know little about engines but my dad seems to have a pretty good understanding of what was going on. I never saw an check engine light go off on the engine, but I did see some smoke come out of the front of the car after I pulled over due to it not accelerating anymore. When my dad spoke to the guy at Pepboys he said he was able to talk him down to 4000 for the replacement, so hopefully that means another car place can do it for 3k ish like you guys have said for a re certified motor.Im pretty good on keeping on track of the oil so that wasnt it.  <response>: bent fuel rodNo wonder the engine replacement is so expensive! You have the nuclear powered version. LOL Cars dont have fuel rods. 