Should I fix my transmission or buy a new car?

[Crazy4DisneyandTink]

I need to have the transmission rebuilt on my 2002 Chevy Trailblazer. The first place I took it to quoted me a price of $1675. I have a few other mechanics to call to see if I can get a cheaper price. My car has be incredibly reliable for 14 years, but I don't know if I should spend so much money on a car that is worth so little BUT I love not having a monthly car payment.

Other than the trans, the truck runs really well. I don't know what to do...

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

The transmission on DS's 1999 Honda Accord with 260,000 miles on it died. It was going to cost $3500 for a new transmission or $2500 for a not so old reconditioned transmission from Japan. We ended up selling the car to the garage and buying a 2006 Honda Accord with 100,000 miles on it. Cost about $10,000. We felt that a new used car was the better option for us.

 

[gracie1]

How many miles does it have? Many will disagree with me because of the age and worth of the car but if it were my car I would replace the transmission if there were no other problems and you haven't been sinking money into it. My car is a 2002 as well and has 156k miles and to be honest I would replace the transmission because I like my car and I don't want car payments either. Now if I was sinking a ton of money into the car then I would think of replacing it.

 

[Crazy4DisneyandTink]

How many miles does it have? Many will disagree with me because of the age and worth of the car but if it were my car I would replace the transmission if there were no other problems and you haven't been sinking money into it. My car is a 2002 as well and has 156k miles and to be honest I would replace the transmission because I like my car and I don't want car payments either. Now if I was sinking a ton of money into the car then I would think of replacing it.

There are 199k miles on it. I've been spending a bit of money lately because some of the original parts of the car needed to be replaced. And I really do like my car and really don't want to give her up.

 

[Anthony1971]

It is a gamble with any car... you could fix it and go another 50K with no issues or 500 miles and another major repair...
However being you have 199K the odds are not on your side that other things will go wrong. I personally think you have reached nearly the usefully life of the car without a lot of repairs... Truthfully I have seen Hondas with that kind of millage on the road and they were on their way out... not much else.. not saying bad things about American cars but 199k is not the norm for any car.... but could make a good grocery getter or station car but not main transportation.

 

[Crazy4DisneyandTink]

It is a gamble with any car... you could fix it and go another 50K with no issues or 500 miles and another major repair...
However being you have 199K the odds are not on your side that other things will go wrong. I personally think you have reached nearly the usefully life of the car without a lot of repairs... Truthfully I have seen Hondas with that kind of millage on the road and they were on their way out... not much else.. not saying bad things about American cars but 199k is not the norm for any car.... but could make a good grocery getter or station car but not main transportation.

I was thinking the same thing. It's really rare for an American car to last as long as mine has. I think you're right.

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

I was thinking the same thing. It's really rare for an American car to last as long as mine has. I think you're right.

I've got a 2000 Ford F-150 with 210k on it that has had a starter and an alternator...still running strong. But that pales in comparison to my Father in Law's Lexus ES300. He sold it two years ago with 294k on for $4000. My wife and I bought a used 4runner for her with 35k on it. We sold it to a friend of mine with 199k on it. His wife was in an accident (not her fault) and totaled it with 324k on it! Our family has had luck with cars. I think I'd pay to get it fixed even though it's easy to see how it's a gamble. With car prices now a days though you only have to get 5-6 months out of it to break even versus car payments.

 

[TheDisneyDoll]

Rebuilding the transmission is pretty labor intensive you could cut a lot of cost if you did it yourself. Have some friends over and put her up and pull her apart There are a lot of how to's on how to do it and it's pretty easy to learn.

 

[gracie1]

There are 199k miles on it. I've been spending a bit of money lately because some of the original parts of the car needed to be replaced. And I really do like my car and really don't want to give her up.

If you really want to keep your car then invest the money into it. like you already know - once a car gets older and have a lot of miles you have to put some money into them. But you could also buy another car that could be a lemon and cost you money in repairs plus have a payment. It's a toss up! Last year I didn't have to put any money into mine but the year before I did new tires, battery and alternator. And I also did new control arms and struts on the rear. but like I said I had no expenses at all last year. This year there's a few items that I need to do but will be under $1k - better than having a car payment to me!

 

[tvguy]

No question, replace the transmission.

Here are a couple tests:
1)How much would the sales tax alone be on a replacement car? Probably more than the cost of the transmission.....unless you are in a state with no sales tax.
2) How much would the depreciation be on a replacement car when you drive it off the lot? Probably more than the cost of the transmission.
3) How much would your insurance go with with a replacement car?
4) How much would your registration go up on the replacement car.........assuming you are in a state that does not have fixed registration costs?

 

[J.Casto79]

Replace the transmission.

If you were to buy a used car and pay $200 per month, then in 8 months you would have spent the same as the new tranny. Replacing the transmission, for every month past 8 months, you would be coming out ahead. You said that other than that every thing is good. You are also close to the expected engine life, but I think it is worth the odds.

 

[Livvie]

Our line is when repairing costs more than what the car is worth.

 

[aquabone1109]

replace the car. Not worth putting $1700 into a car that worth half plus something else could go wrong afterwards that could cost even more. I Had a Dodge ram in college which had about 175k miles on it when the transmission went. Decided against purchasing a new one so I had a shop install a rebuild transmission ($2k). One month later the truck started leaking oil from a critical area in the motor which meant I needed to rebuild the motor. Wish I spend that $2k on a newer car with no issues. Ended up selling to a scrapyard and getting a new car.

 

[aquabone1109]

No question, replace the transmission.

Here are a couple tests:
1)How much would the sales tax alone be on a replacement car? Probably more than the cost of the transmission.....unless you are in a state with no sales tax.
2) How much would the depreciation be on a replacement car when you drive it off the lot? Probably more than the cost of the transmission.
3) How much would your insurance go with with a replacement car?
4) How much would your registration go up on the replacement car.........assuming you are in a state that does not have fixed registration costs?

My insurance went down (safer car) and registration was $20 less when I purchased a new car. Who cares about depreciation when you drive the car over 100k miles.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Does the company offer any sort of warranty on the transmission? I know $1600 isn't pocket change, but that's actually not THAT bad on a transmission if you really don't want a car payment/can't afford a new car. I replaced the transmission in my last car and drove it for another 160k miles with no problems. It ended up having other issues, but never had another transmission issue.

 

[Gracie09]

Replace. My guess, based on your post that you have been replacing the worn out original parts, that you have spent more in fixing the old one over the past few months, than you would have on the payments of a new one. And it will just continue. I would get something new. You most likely will even get free maintenance for X number of years, your insurance will decrease and you could even get better gas mileage.

 

[Crazy4DisneyandTink]

Does the company offer any sort of warranty on the transmission? I know $1600 isn't pocket change, but that's actually not THAT bad on a transmission if you really don't want a car payment/can't afford a new car. I replaced the transmission in my last car and drove it for another 160k miles with no problems. It ended up having other issues, but never had another transmission issue.

The mechanic said there would be a year warranty on the transmission, so that's a plus. My main concern would be something going wrong with the engine or something else major breaks...

 

[BCV2003]

Tough call. I had an explorer that I loved and I also loved not having car payments so for me, I replaced the transmission and thought that even if I only got six more months out of the car that I would be happy and anything over that I would be coming out ahead. I think I kept that car for at least another year and then I sold it.

 

[Cadiewampus]

I would have the transmission rebuilt. I have a 2003 ford Explorer no payments . I had the transmission rebuilt at 185,000 miles and it now has 225,000 on it. No plans on getting rid of it

 

[tvguy]

My insurance went down (safer car) and registration was $20 less when I purchased a new car. Who cares about depreciation when you drive the car over 100k miles.

Interesting. I keep my cars so long the insurance and registration drop to the minimums.
EDIT: As I noted, my comment is based on my state where registration fees are a percentage of the cash value of the car.
Registration fees on a $10,000 car are going to be 10 time what they would be on a car with a $1,000 value......20 times on a $20,000 car over that $1,000 cash value vehicle.
And on insurance, dropping collision cuts the premiums too.