car choices help! ?

Keep and repair will be FAR cheaper. Unless there are other issues with it. Those things run for 200k miles easy. I have a Tundra with 185k on it, and it runs like a top. Of course, we do not salt the roads here and destroy cars like you do back east...

What he said

Try shopping around for a better price, FYI Rock auto(http://www.rockauto.com/) has a converter listed for about $330.
150K... just broken in.

Definitely repair... now if transmission or engine that may require further consideration.

What they said.

Now if you want a new car for other reasons, and those are the options I say an extra $2k for 4 years and 40000 miles newer is a no brainer. No idea if those prices are good however. Oh and expect that when trading or selling the old car buyers are going to try and talk you down a grand due to the shot cat

151K , it should be broken in about now. Seriously, replace the Cat or cut it out and run straight to the muffler, depending on local emissions requirements. If you want a new/different vehicle, go for it, but your current vehicle should last quite a few years more with normal service.
EDIT- Just so's you know, IF your catalytic converter becomes clogged for some reason, you could approach a muffler/ welding shop to "un-clog" it with a few common tools. Figure about 2 hours shop labor, no parts. Not saying I've ever done or condoned that , but......

Normally I would say I would do a repair . . . unless you really want a new vehicle for other reasons (i.e. more space, more towing, etc.)

That said, I might suggest having a trusted mechanic to get this up on a lift and take a look underneath for any corrosion issues with brake lines (relatively cheap fix), frame and other parts (with my 2000 4Runner I ended up having the salt rust through the rear differential housing which started to weep transmission fluid -- since this was a relatively expensive repair AND I wanted a more powerful, more useful vehicle for towing, hauling wood, etc. I ended up trading it in (and surprisingly got a good deal). I guess what I am saying is I would have someone else give things a look over underneath to see if there might be any other potential issues that could spring up in the future . . . due to the age of the vehicle and the issues of salt here.

Its usually cheaper to fix what you have and keep driving it, to a point. I think the Rav is a great vehicle, and as others have
pointed out, 150 kmi is just getting broken in. I have a friend with a '97 and 265 kmi (he bought it new) and its still going strong.

Get a quote from an independent shop you trust, or one recommended by friends. I don't know if you still go to the dealer, but
just as an FYI, once a vehicle is out of warranty, there is little reason to continue getting service done by a dealer, unless its to
fix issues under recall.

The price for the new catalyst sounds about right. Fortunately, its fairly easy to replace for someone with the right tools and a lift.
You might pay about 2 hours labor, but not much more.. maybe even less. There are aftermarket universal fitting catalysts
for much cheaper, but they tend to wear out quickly, and are not worth it on a vehicle that you can still get a lot of mileage out of (IMHO).
As for removing it or hollowing it out completely, not only is that illegal in many states (potentially across the US), but it will continue
to trigger the dreaded check engine light with no hope of ever turning it off.

Good luck.

If that RAV has no given you any trouble, fix the beast.
I had a Chrysler PT that I liked, but after about 2 years, it started breaking down on me on average of every six months. And I mean break down as in STOP while driving on the highway!! I won't even enumerate all the things that went wrong with it, but after having it towed to a shop while on my way to work one day, I paid the $300 repair bill (relatively small compared to the others), and drove it straight to CarMax and traded it in for a 2009 Pontiac Vibe (Toyota Matrix twin). I've had this car 3 years and the only thing that wen't wrong was I got a flat.

Melissa220 said:

I currently have a 2001 Toyota RAV 4 with 150,800 miles on it. it will likely need a catalytic converter soon with a before labor price of $600. after doing research I have these two vehicles that interest me. The first is a 2006 Toyota 4Runner with @ 76,000 miles on it. Test drive and runs great. Loved it. Cost $18,000 before all taxes blah blah. The second is a 2010 Toyota RAV 4 sport edition with about 34,000 miles. Cost $20,000 before taxes etc. any thoughts? Or should I just keep what I have and repair?

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Repair if your mechanic thinks the rest of the engine, transmission and exhaust system are going to last much longer. You can buy a BRAND NEW Jeep wrangler hard top, for $22k so if you are looking for a 4WD vehicle, look into that before spending a few thousand less for a used one. We were just in this dilemma last year, the used Escape we were looking at was $20k with 35k miles on it. Just so happened we had a sales rep that told us to go look at the new Jeeps at their sister lot and let us know we could get a new car for a little more. We came home with one And they have changed a lot over the past few years. They changed the suspension so it isn't as bumpy of a ride and we AVERAGE 20 MPG when my dad's use to get about 12!

Hearth Mistress said:

We came home with one And they have changed a lot over the past few years. They changed the suspension so it isn't as bumpy of a ride and we AVERAGE 20 MPG when my dad's use to get about 12!

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But if it doesnt bump your brains out and suck gas it isnt a real jeep Sorry couldnt help it Im not a fan of the JKs Tj guy myself.
and to get things back on track definitely fix it

Just a thought... drywall itself will add at most a measly R 0.5. If the walls are under-insulated and budget allows, consider pulling that paneling down and insulating for real before drywalling, rather than just slapping sheetrock over whats already there. Sure it will cost a bit more, but still less than doing it twice if you end up wanting to insulate later.

I drive my vehicles until they cost too much to pass inspection, no car payment = more money in the bank. so far I'v averaged 250,000 miles doing that, then paid cash for the replacement, which have been low mileage, less than one year old, used.

My 2003 honda van has 200k miles and the cat is fine. Bought that van brand new best investment I ever made. It still rides and drives like new.

Make sure your using a good fuel system cleaner from time to time.

I use full synthetic mobile one oil for high mileage engines and I use the extended change oil filters the bosch holds more dirt one.

I change my oil every 10,000 miles.

I use this fuel system cleaner. Alot of people swear by this cleaner. They buy two bottles , put one bottle in 1/4 tank of gas run it down to about empty then add the second bottle and fill the tank back up.

We dont have inspections.

Huntindog1 said:

We dont have inspections.
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I would still have my truck if that was true here...
I run Amsoil in all my engines, one year or 25,000 mile oil change is worth it.