Do i need a new starter?

Take a voltage meter and test your battery. It should be between 12.4 to 12.6 volts. Any higher, then the battery is defective and you need to remove it ASAP. If it's lower, than it's not being recharged correctly. However, don't be quick to condemn the alternator. There are plenty of other issues that can cause this. Carefully check through the wiring between the battery and the alternator. Considering the age of the vehicle, there could be corroded or broken wiring. Just splice in new correct gauge wires if that is the case. If all else fails, you may want to take it to a shop and have them test the alternator. Obviously you'll want to take what they say with a grain of salt. If you come accross as knowlegable they'll probably be less likely to try to take advantage of you.

Consider the noise the car makes when you start. I recently had a starter fail on me, and at first it struggled to start the engine. Eventually after enough tries, it wouldn't make any noise. All I heard was an electronic beep that emanates from the SECU when the car is being started.

It takes approximately 9.5 volts to start a car. If you hear a clicking sound, your battery is not putting out enough voltage. The clicking sound you are hearing is the starter solenoid in your starter. It is not receiving sufficient power from your battery to engage your flywheel to start your car. Your radio, headlights, etc., will all work, so you will think that your problem is your starter. NOT SO. Either you have a weak battery which need charging, or the most likely culprit are your battery cables. Most people will look at their cables and if they LOOK clean, and don't see any white corrosion build up on the terminals, they believe the battery terminals are making a good contact. Once again - NOT SO. Those terminals and cables are lead. Lead is a shiny metal. Scrap the top of a battery terminal and it will shine. That darkness on the terminal you scraped off is also present between you battery terminal and cable, and will prevent a good contact. All it needs is to cause a drop in voltage to your starter and you will hear a clicking sound from the starter. The clicking noise is the solenoid in your starter, so most people believe you need a new starter. In my 55 years of working on cars, about 80% of the time the problem is your battery cables. They may look clean, but it doesn't take much to drop the voltage going to your starter, which will also cause the clicking noise. So before you run out and purchase a starter, clean those terminals.

Get a good battery terminal and cable cleaner at your auto parts store. The type with the wires inside that will really make those terminals and cables shine. Once you have cleaned them, your battery will put out max voltage. If you still hear the clicking sound, take your battery to an auto parts store and they will check it. It may not be holding a charge or you may have a dead cell. However, DO NOT try and clean your battery terminals with Baking Soda or Coca Cola. I've worked on cars for over 55 years and all that does is clean the OUTSIDE of the terminals - NOT the connection between the cable and terminal.

So many people run out and buy a new starter or battery when it is really the connection itself.

if your new battery wasn't being charged by your alternator, then eventually after a number of starts it will run dead, as it apparently did. check your fuses are ok and check you battery connections for cleanliness and tightness.

try jumping your dead car battery again. if it runs, turn on the lights and radio. if they work whilst the engines running then your alternator is ok and it's the connection between your battery and alternator that needs checking.