<prompt> Human: So I was driving on my way to work a couple of days ago when my check oil light came on, with a message saying there was low oil pressure and to stop the car immediately. Since I was more than halfway to work and there is a shop next door I dropped the car 2005 Volvo S60 off there.I get a call the next day from the shop saying a cam seal broke, and that only a Volvo dealer can do the repairs since special tools are required. AAA towed it to a nearby dealer, and they in turn told me that EVERY seal broke and that there is oil in the timing belt. They gave me an estimate of 3200 to fix everything.Assuming they are telling me the truth and Im not sure they are I know that is not worth it given the age of the car. So how can I get the most money out of it? Should I junk it? Part it out? Trade it in? It still drives for now The car is in otherwise excellent shape with 118,000 miles on it.Furthermore, whats a good replacement car? I want something Japanese - this car was a money pit. Im thinking something along the lines of a Fit, Accord or a Camry - maybe a Subaru, but Im told they arent quite as reliable. Should I go get a new or a newer used car? I just want something practical that wont give me trouble.EDIT: Wow! Thanks for all the advice, guys. A few extra points:- I contacted an independent Volvo shop and they gave me a ballpark of 1500-1800. Its a much better offer, but Im still on the fence because...- This car has been a money pit. I paid 3600 for it when I bought it plus 400 for a timing belt that I knew needed to be done. Then 350 for an airflow sensor. Then 600 for motor mounts and brakes. 120 to fix an electrical problem that caused the radio and passenger power a seat to not work. Then 120 for new glass on the driver side mirror after someone hit it while I was parked. Ive barely had this car for a year and a half...- Before this all happened, I was beginning to think the transmission was failing. It shifts kinda hard sometimes while Im on the road. And after some commutes home, it jerks hard when I shift to and from reverse. So I imagine I may have to contend with that in the future.EDIT 2: Two more things:- I didnt stop immediately because the light was only flashing intermittently and the message alternated between stop immediately and seek service. I was also only a couple miles out from the shop next to my work, so I made a judgement call.- I know the mirror is hardly the cars fault. My point is that Volvo parts are very expensive.  <response>: Furthermore, whats a good replacement car? I want something Japanese - this car was a money pit. Im thinking something along the lines of a Fit, Accord or a Camry - maybe a Subaru, but Im told they arent quite as reliable. Should I go get a new or a newer used car? I just want something practical that wont give me trouble.Its been over 2 years since I last researched buying a car, so this could be outdated but probably not:Honda and Toyota are tied for 1st place when it comes to reliability. But there are other manufacturers who I had read to be solid makes, and Nissan, Subaru, Hyundai and Mazda come to mind.Remember that any car is going to require the hassle of maintenance work probably annually or biannually, or else it turns into bigger trouble. You can find any cars owner manual and see what the optimal maintenance schedule looks like. Similarly, when you see a car advertised at 90,000 miles you can consider that oh, it probably needs the timing belt changed soon unless timing chain, the seller probably didnt want to or didnt bother to.I dunno how much money you make or what your expenses are, so its up to you on how much you want to spend. But you said you want practical, and personally I dont think a fresh-out-the-factory car is practical because it significantly depreciates in value and since its new, its less likely that issues with the car are known if it does have any. Car value generally cuts in half every 5 years. And remember, mileage is not everything -- a 5 year-old-car with 150,000 miles means 30k a year, which is more-or-less only feasible with a lot of freeway driving -- and freeway miles are, generally, very gentle on a car compared to city street miles. When youre buying, I think its worth checking Its exactly as it sounds, where users give input on the problems that have occurred with their vehicles. Youll see that sometimes, just 1 year is the difference between a solid model and a weaker one. Keep in mind that this is a very small sample size and not 100 indicative of what a vehicle is like, BUT a small sample size is better than no sample size there are about 5000 reviews in total for Civics, when there have been millions of Civics sold in North America. And, people are more likely to complain when theyre unsatisfied obviously.You can go to to see data on how many cars were sold in a year, which gives perspective to the carcomplaints.com -- for example, 1000 complaints on a car that only sold 100,000 that specific year means a complaint ratio of 1100, which is really high for a website that no-one has heard of.To get a good idea of market value of cars, I recommend using Kelly Blue Book, Edmunds.com, and NADAguides.com. Find your numbers, add all 3 together and divide by 3. I cant recommend any 1 car to you because thats very much based on your budget, your needs, your preferences, etc. You can find good articles out there about why type of car should I buy.As for selling your own car, selling it privately is usually the way to get the most money out of it, but its not necessarily the easiest way Ive never sold a car, no other advice there sorry m8.Good luck, shop smart! 