Replace Van?? or New Transmission?

[eyes4eeyore]

Had the 2006 Grand Caravan with 84,000 miles in for inspection and oil change today. The mechanic called and warned that we need a new transmission. So, we need to do something...and FAST! We go on vacation in less than 3 weeks..it's quite a drive (10 hours) and we NEED a reliable van.

Because I have 3 young children and a hubby who knows NADA about mechanical things I prefer to have a newer, well running van as our family vehicle. My first instinct is to to ditch our 2006 and get a new or newer one, but oh..the payments! We COULD do it but of course there are other things that will need to go...mostly home repairs and possibly the Disney Vacation for another year. Plus, for various reasons I LOVE our van, and it's paid for too! And, as hard as I try I just don't like any of the new or newer vans on the market right now. So, I keep coming back to the new transmission. Truthfully, I'm scared! Is having a new transmission put in as safe as the old one? Does it take time to get the kinks worked out or should we feel safe driving that far just days after having a new tranny put in? I just feel like no matter what we do we will be going on vacation with a vehicle that might let us sit and it's driving me crazy! Oh, the van just formed a a bit of mild rust in the wheel well too...should that make me lean more toward a newer one?

Any words of wisdom? Helllllllp please! I'm a mess

 

[*Seanaci*]

I bought an 88 Chevy Nova just before I got my license at 18 (about 13 years ago). Came from an amazing owner who took car of the car. Within about 3 months of owning it, the transmission went out. We ended up having it rebuilt (couldn't find a good replacement, and buying another car was out of the question). Ran perfectly for...the next 5+ years I owned it.

That being said...replace your transmission. It'll be cheaper for you in the long run. You won't have to put off vacations, or your home repairs. And it should be ok to drive for your trip. Just make sure you talk to the mechanic (also, if you have a friend or family member who knows cars or is a mechanic themself, get their opinion).

Good luck!! Car issues suck!

 

[Styx Fan]

For what it's worth, last year we had the top of the engine rebuilt on our 2001 Olds mini van with around 78,000 miles and never debated what to do. It has been a good veh and did not have any other real issues. It has some mild rust and some other molding type issues, but nothing of any importance. Mini-vans are expensive and we felt it was worth it to make the investment and not go for a car payment.

You really have to consider the overall condition of the vehicle and what your future plans are for it. It has always seemed to be vans and trucks go for more miles than an average sedan, so we are in for the long haul. We drove it from Michigan to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina last month with no issues.

 

[Beth921]

Get a second opinion. I've heard that most transmission issues on GC's can be fixed with a new solenoid, instead of an entire transmission. We got ours on a good deal because the previous owners had been told it needed a whole new tranny and the service shop just replaced the solenoid and it's been fine for over a year.
If it does need a new tranny, I'd do it. Your van is new enough to make the investment worth it. Mine is an 02, with 96k and I'd replace the tranny before I'd pay payments on a new one. That being said, I loath car payments.

 

[tar heel]

Older Caravans always had to have new transmissions, but Beth921 is correct -- the newer ones can often be fixed. We put a rebuilt one in our 1994 Grand Caravan and got another 75,000 miles out of it before that transmission went. When the 2000 I drive now started leaking, I assumed we needed a new transmission, but my mechanic fixed it for like $400. That was about 100,000 miles ago. It now has 216,000 miles and I drive it every day. No a/c unfortunately...

 

[Schotz]

Transmission's are common on those vehicles, most of them have problems, some are easily fixed cheap! Bring it to a transmission specialist. You may just need a torque converter or a solenoid replaced in the transmission. Get it fixed and then sell that minivan. It will break again most likely in a year or 2.

Usually, I replaced the filter, fluid and flush a transmission that is giving problems. Then baby it for about a year or 2 before it quits or gets worse.

Note: Newer vehicles have plastic and electronic parts inside the transmission. Not like the old cars, that can last a lifetime. The new transmissions are designed to be profitable, better on fuel and comfortable.

 

[herdtoDisney]

I agree with the other pp's, I think you should get a second opinion, and I also think it would be worth it to replace the transmission-if that is indeed what it needs. It sounds weird to me that the guy changing the oil decided you need a whole new transmission I'd defenitely take it somewhere else before doing that.

I put a transmission in my Astro van about 5 years ago-it is a '98 and I did that in 2007. It was paid for (bought used for cash) and the tranny was about $2400. I still have the van today (although it's getting worn) so I figure I have more than saved what I spent, if I had had to make car payments. Your van is new enough that I'd spend the $ to fix it rather than replace.

As for the rust in the wheel well-you do want to take care of that so it doesn't rot out. This is something your dh could do, even if he's not overly handy. It's just some sanding and Bondo, he could probably find directions online easily. But I would not replace a vehicle for this reason-rust is not unusual or overly worrisome.

 

[Swimalie]

I also think you should get a 2nd opinion. It seems early for a car to need a new transmission. I have a 2000 Honda and it still has the original transmission. Yours could be an easy fix or something that is not needed all together.

 

[ilovemk76]

Had the 2006 Grand Caravan with 84,000 miles in for inspection and oil change today. The mechanic called and warned that we need a new transmission. So, we need to do something...and FAST! We go on vacation in less than 3 weeks..it's quite a drive (10 hours) and we NEED a reliable van.

Because I have 3 young children and a hubby who knows NADA about mechanical things I prefer to have a newer, well running van as our family vehicle. My first instinct is to to ditch our 2006 and get a new or newer one, but oh..the payments! We COULD do it but of course there are other things that will need to go...mostly home repairs and possibly the Disney Vacation for another year. Plus, for various reasons I LOVE our van, and it's paid for too! And, as hard as I try I just don't like any of the new or newer vans on the market right now. So, I keep coming back to the new transmission. Truthfully, I'm scared! Is having a new transmission put in as safe as the old one? Does it take time to get the kinks worked out or should we feel safe driving that far just days after having a new tranny put in? I just feel like no matter what we do we will be going on vacation with a vehicle that might let us sit and it's driving me crazy! Oh, the van just formed a a bit of mild rust in the wheel well too...should that make me lean more toward a newer one?

Any words of wisdom? Helllllllp please! I'm a mess

I would put in a remanufactured transmission. Call around today and see when they can do it for you. The three weeks maybe a probloem. Worst case is you need to rent for the trip while they work on your vehicle.

 

[ilovemk76]

I also think you should get a 2nd opinion. It seems early for a car to need a new transmission. I have a 2000 Honda and it still has the original transmission. Yours could be an easy fix or something that is not needed all together.

The vehicle the OP has is know to have transmission problems at that mileage.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Our story, plus some advice.....................

We have a 2002 Mercury Sable station wagon with 185k on the odometer and 100k on the engine. The trans started going downhill so we had a Ford remanufactured unit installed for a little under $3000. It has a 3 year/100,000 mile warranty. Our turn around time was about 3 days.............one day to order it and for it to come in, one day to install it, and the next day it was ready and we picked it up. Our car was actually not at our house for about 48 hours.

If you choose to get another van, I hate to say, but don't get a Chrysler/Dodge minivan. They have not had good quality for years as confimed by even the latest issue of Consumer Reports. Yes, the one year old models start out ok, but as they age, lots of things go wrong. All the vans over about a year old have big black circles for the summary which means their reliability is much worse than average.

For us, the $3000 bill allows us to enjoy more years of low taxes and save up money for a replacement in the future. We are not prepared to take on a big payment right now.

One other thought....................if you guys did not routinely have the trans serviced as per the factory manual, please consider doing so in the future regardless of what you drive. It really can make a difference.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[shoney]

In 2007, my 2001 ford windstar broke down on the way home from Virgina. We were headed back to Long Island and we lost it completely in PA! Ugh! It had about 54k miles on it. It was towed to a ford dealer and 2500.00 later we had a new transmission. I still have the van and it runs well. I don't drive very much so I can't justify car payments at this time. We are taking it upstate this weekend so I hope I am not jinxing myself!!!

 

[luvmy3]

Transmissions can be pricey to fix or replace, so shop around. I would see exactly what is needed before deciding since it can be something simple and relatively inexpensive. Go to a couple different places, you can have ot rebuilt, or you can get one from a salvage yard, and be sure to ask about warranties if you decide to keep your van and fix your trans.
When we had to replace ours, the cost to get a new one was almost as much as the van was worth, but luckily we know people and were able to get a very nice deal. If we couldn't, we would have just gotten a new car at that time.

 

[Swimalie]

The vehicle the OP has is know to have transmission problems at that mileage.

Oh, okay. I didn't know that since I won't buy a Dodge after having 2 lemons from them.

 

[englishteacha]

Get a second opinion, first of all. I would repair or replace the transmission. We had a tough decision when my '97 Chevy Malibu needed more work than it was worth. We got a second opinion from a trusted mechanic, and when he said that it would be so expensive to fix, we decided to get a new-to-us car. However, my car was 14 years old with 123K miles. If it were a 2006 with less than 100K, we would have fixed it in a heartbeat! Fix it. You'll get many more miles and many more years out of it.

Oh, we just bought a 2006 Chrysler Town and Country van as our replacement for the Chevy...I hope we don't have any issues right off! We love it and it's perfect for all the traveling we do (and we don't have kids!). Our trusted mechanic found 2 small issues with it that the dealer fixed before we bought it, and otherwise said the only trouble with it was that he wasn't buying it. He said he'd have bought it in a heartbeat if he'd been in the market for a minivan. So if you love your van like I love mine (they must be similar!), fix it.

 

[eyes4eeyore]

OP here! Thanks SO much everyone for the great advice. I feel much better already. I've decided to have 2 transmission specialists look at it.

Just some FYI, It didn't want to go in reverse for my mechanic when he took it into the bay and then when he was working on it he noticed the fluids smelled burnt. Then he look it for a quick spin and it's not shifting correctly. I trust him and he doesn't even do transmissions so I trust what he says. It had been acting a bit strange. I'm hoping it's something less but after thinking about it all day and coming here and reading all of your reassuring advice I feel good that fixing it, no matter what it may be, it is the best solution. Thanks so much!

The thing I love most are the seats that fold into the floor. We use that feature weekly! I don't EVER want to give that up!