Fix it? or Ditch it? - Transmission advice needed

[The Chandos]

My wife and I seem to disagree. Our 2002 Honda Odyssey with 195,000 miles needs a transmission overhaul. Merry Christmas to us, I guess - I'd rather have a lump of coal. I was thinking we'd be better off looking for a new car but she thinks fixing the tranny is more economical. We can't really afford either at the moment but would be in a good position to perhaps replace it with a decent used something in June. A part of me agrees that for a couple of grand we would probably get our money's worth by overhauling the transmission but a voice in my head says don't do it, just get a younger, more reliable car. The good news is that if we did get the overhaul, she's on break with the kids until the New Years so it would be ready by the time school is back in session. Do any of you have any opinions? Am I being impetuous and opportunistic? Is an overhauled transmission worth the money spent?

Fix it?
or ditch it?

 

[Mike H]

Selling the car "as is" will certainly lower the value more than the repair, besides a new transmission is cheaper than a newer car.

 

[Mick]

It all depends on your financial position. A repair (even a major one) is going to be less than replacing a vehicle.

At 195k miles your car is past its sell by date and a replacement trans would be little more than a band-aid to give you another year or so with it

You can get a trans from a salvage yard but it is going to be the install cost that will kill you.

If you do not want to get a new car (or used one) then fix yours. If you don't want to spend a large chunk of $$$ on a car that is entering the last round up then move on to something else.

It's always a hard call but unless the car is something "special" and not just "the car" I would move on to something with fewer miles on the clock

 

[_JP_]

Ten years old, high mileage. How much longer do you plan to keep the car? Consider that the price of repair could easily make several car payments.

 

[DonN]

our son has 3 kids & drove an Audi S4 , his toy, while his wife drove a Honda Pilot - similarly he had transmission problems & the dealership told him $2500 to pull it out - if they found the problem it was $2500+ , if not still $2500 - he sold the S4 & used the money to pay some other bills and bought a Honda Pilot , doesn't regret it - but he drove the Audi hard in the Nevada desert & the repair bills were adding up - he's 37 and starting to make those practical "middle age" decisions

 

[COHunter]

I just found myself in the exact same position with my F250. I ditched it and don't regret it for a second. Yes it's overall more expensive to pay for a new(er) vehicle but sometimes it's easier to come up with a few hundred dollars per month than 2500 all at once, and I'm of the opinion that once a vehicle starts to let you down it will continue to. I hate turning the key and wondering if I'm going to make it to my destination or not. Now I have a warranty and no worry when I start it up. If it breaks down (unlikely in a brand new vehicle) I have roadside assist and they can fix it.

 

[bhorsoft]

What is the NADA or Kelley Blue Book value of the Honda? My guess is it isn't worth much more than the cost of the transmission replacement. If that's the case, ditch the Honda and get something else.

My instinct also tells me that with that many miles on it, the tranny could only be the first of other things to go. Fix the tranny this month, new timing belt next month, valve job the month after and on and on.

 

[NeverOne99]

Go here and see how much a tranny would be:

http://www.junkyarddog.com

You can just replace the whole transmission with a used one instead of trusting some goobers to overhaul your transmission. Replacing a transmission is a time consuming job however it is not difficult. You could do it yourself.

 

[Lamb Root]

I know nothing about the transmission but I know this; Listen to your wife, be sorry about it later.

 

[ej4]

Do you want to save money or do you want a new vehicle?
Do you worry about your wife driving an older vehicle and getting stuck somewhere if it breaks down?
What's the condition of the rest of the car?

I'm no expert, but unless the rest of the car is falling apart, the numbers will probably say it's cheaper to pay for the fix and drive another 6 months ( a new odysey will set you back 400-500/mo, right?). The emotional aspect might demand a different answer.

I have a feeling I'm going to be in this same position soon with my truck. Having just finished paying off my wife's vehicle, I'm really liking not having 500/mo payments, and thank my old truck every time I get in it that it gets me where I need to go. As long as my paycheck can support it, I'd prefer my wife be in a reliable vehicle though.

Listen to Ivan - do what she thinks is right. In the end, it will be right, even if it was wrong.

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

Even though it's a Honda, the miles are still very high. You'd have a hard time selling such a car, especially since it has a new transmission. Ironically, a new and/or rebuilt transmission or engine are redflags for many used car buyers. To them, that means a lot of other things are going to start screwing up right behind it.

I'm in the same situation with my Cherokee and, for the first time in my life, I'm seriously considering either leasing or buying new. I hate the feeling of hopping in my car, turning the ignition and thinking, "Well...what happens now"?

In my opinion, buy certified pre-owned or atleast buy used from a dealer known for their reputation. Ditch the minivan when you can, but be reminded that it might take a while. Not everyone in the world is looking forward to buying a minivan with 200,000 miles. That's just being realistic, rebuilt tranny or not.

 

[The Chandos]

I know nothing about the transmission but I know this; Listen to your wife, be sorry about it later.

Probably the most valuable advice on here, actually. Last night's conversation with the Missus was pretty much along these lines. We can get $400 for the van as it is and we'll need to start shopping for a car. However, since she works for the schools, she it out until January, during which time we can have the van fixed. We'll be in a better financial situation to get another car next summer so over the spring we'll be able to ascertain whether the car will hang in there or not. Bluebook on the van is about $4000 (with good transmission) so we might not be able to sell it for much with a rebuilt tranny but might could get a thousand or two in a trade in. These are our thoughts now and I think despinte the overwhelming advice to sell it - which was my preferred decision - we will rebuild and hope it works out.

Thanks all for the advice, it will at least back up my "sorry about it later (aka I told you so)" stance.

 

[Rockminer]

Good decision. The price of the repair, on the van, is far less than the cost of payments on a newer car until summer. You will also be able to get more money for the van when it comes time to sell or trade it in.( which will offset some of the cost on the repair ) It's a win, win.

 

[cxg231]

I would recommend fixing it. Chances are the van will be good for another 50k+ miles. Drawing on the experience of my many honda-owning car enthusiast friends, pretty much any well maintained honda should be able to go 250k+ miles, unless it rusts out first.

Another 50k+ miles would be about another 2.5 years at your current clip. And assuming it won't need any other major repairs, fixing it will be cheaper than 2.5 years of new car payments.

On a side note, if you can find a junkyard Acura TL (V6) with a manual transmission, that would pretty much bolt right up to the odyssey and you can have the most bitchin' mini-van in the county!

 

[shavious]

I was in a similar situation about two months ago. I was driving a 99 GMC Yukon with 189k on it. Over the last few years, its had somewhere between 3-5 repairs, with at least 2 of them being over $500. Recently, it had developed a couple of fairly worrisome leaks [transmission fluid + power steering fluid]. The value of the car was fairly low anyway, so my wife and I decided to cut our losses and go ahead and trade it in as-is. Ended up with a '10 VW GTI and we haven't looked back since

All of that to say that if the value of the vehicle is relatively low compared to the cost of the repairs, it may be time to trade it in if you're financially able. If the vehicle has some decent value that would justify the repair [i.e.: if you put $1000 into it, you'd be able to sell the car for at least $1000 more], then it kind of just makes sense that you'd want to have it repaired before the trade-in to avoid losing money. If this is the case and you'd be better equipped to handle the new[er] car purchase in June, get it fixed now and trade it in when you're ready.

 

[tsv]

My 2002 Honda Accord trans mission went bad last year around this time last year. The Odyssey has the same transmission. It cost me $1500 to have it rebuilt. Call around for a quote. If your near Indianapolis, I can PM you the company that rebuilt mine. I was very pleased with them.

I was able to get a couple of extra months out of mine by change the fluid and cleaning a couple of solenoids on the front of the transmission. You must use Honda's transmission fluid.

 

[njpaddy]

I just don't understand women's love affair with minivans. My wife and I would be having the same argument if it was her '05 Odyssey. My daughter got rid of her Toyota Sienna a few months back when the trans went. She had already "borrowed" $2000 from my wife and I to fix other problems with it this year and the trans was the last straw. Besides the trans it also needed some other major repair. She really didn't want monthly payments for a new car (Hyundai Tuscon), but at least she can budget for those. It also hasn't stopped her from complaining about missing her minivan.

 

[Dusty1]

Ahh, lots of good advice, not sure mine is needed but I will give my 2 cents. I would either fix it with a junkyard tranny and then sell it, or part it out on craigslist or ebay.
If you go the first route you will have somthing to drive while looking for a new car. If you go the second route you can always take it to the junk yard at any time to get rid of it. Heck, the rims and tires alone (with decent rubber) should go for what you would get for the whole vehicle now. Good luck with your decision.