off topic advice needed.car go boom, need new car

xraychick77
xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
in Chit-Chat
So, since this is the chit chat off topic forum..i'm asking because i need advice on this situation.

so...i have a broke down piece of you know what ford focus. it is paid for. no warranty. 2006 - 140,000 miles..i know its tons of miles, it gets driven 60+ miles a day commute. We got it for the good gas mileage at the time and because it was cheap and didnt care about running into the ground..like we just recently did. the transmission is shot. we changed the fluid and now the thing wont go.

here is the deal...we are hauling it to the dealer on monday to see how much to fix. we are thinking if it costs too much and we need a new transmission we are going to tell them forget it and buy a new car.

so..questions
1. do you think a 140 thousand mile car is worth saving? paying 2000-3000 on a new transmission when we could use that as a downpayment on a new vehicle.

2. do you think a dealer would take as trade in a car with a bad transmission? i know they'll probably give me nothing for it, but its better than nothing.

so advice? help!!? where's suze orman when you need her..haha

Replies

  • Walt75
    Walt75 Posts: 182 Member
    It's worth the scrap so they will at least trade something. I would put it out of it's misery.
  • kettlewitch
    kettlewitch Posts: 277 Member
    Go for a new one. Not sure how it works in the US, but some of the new cars come with very low tax rates and are more fuel efficient plus there's no MOT for the first 3 years. In my own experience, once cars start going wrong it's one problem after another. My husbands car had a bit of accident damage but the dealer only dropped the trade in by £250 because they can get it sorted in house. Big fans of hyundais in our house, we both have i10's which cost £7000 new.
  • shalynna89
    shalynna89 Posts: 324 Member
    I'd say go for a new one! I agree with Kettlewitch usually once one thing goes wrong everything else follows. It may have gotten good gas mileage but with the newer models they probably have even better now. Plus right now is the time to buy intrest rates are still low-I just bought a 2007 Dodge Caliber this past month and the interest rate was 2.99% from my bank, some cars if you buy brand new even offer 0% for the first few years. If the dealership isn't going to trade it in for scraps than I'd keep it and sell it for scrap you'll probably get at least a few hundred dollars for doing that. Good luck on whatever you decide!
  • RacketlonSA
    RacketlonSA Posts: 10
    Working in the trade myself. I as a dealer dont mind iether way, if you choose to fix the transmission/gearbox I make money, if you choose to sell it il give you next to nothing, fix it at cost and sell it on.

    For you its a sad situation and all depends on what you can get with the money offered etc. Also dont forget about the fact that they may not even be able to fix it, or not fix it properly depending on quality of the garage. I agree somewhat with Shalynna89 but what may happen is that not only the box needs fixing and they find other faults or they may actually charge you more than initially quoted due to unforseen work. Possibly advertis eit as a non runner on a local website and see what you can get too.

    ps: what was it doing?.
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
    it wasnt doing anything...my incredibly wonderful wife decided to let a friend change the transmission fluid without asking me, and bam..it wont go. it'll start, it'll go in reverse, but it wont go forward.

    i'm taking it to the ford dealer..i'm not concerned either way if they can fix it or not..its how much they can fix it or not for.

    this is stressful
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    It seems to me that the 'mechanic' should be paying this repair bill..
  • sweetheart03622
    sweetheart03622 Posts: 928 Member
    Same thing happened to my VW on Thanksgiving... unfortunately, when you do a transmission flush, there's always that risk, especially if it hasn't been done before. I decided to just trade mine in. Mine was a 2003 VW Jetta with only 63,000 miles on it (interior was kind of shot, thanks to my dogs) and I only got $1,000 on it. And my quote to fix it was $4,500. It's not worth putting the money in to it, especially on a Focus.
  • chiesiayowkaugae
    chiesiayowkaugae Posts: 19
    My VW Jetta with the Turbo Diesel (TDI) gets as much as 48 MPG and has 210,000 miles on it. If you drive a lot, I highly recommend checking them out. Those little motors can go a half-mil! Good luck, I hate car shopping.
  • Walt75
    Walt75 Posts: 182 Member
    My VW Jetta with the Turbo Diesel (TDI) gets as much as 48 MPG and has 210,000 miles on it. If you drive a lot, I highly recommend checking them out. Those little motors can go a half-mil! Good luck, I hate car shopping.
    True those Jettas' last a really long time. My mom had one for fifteen years till it finally threw a rod through the hood lol!! Shame I can't get my fat *kitten* in them buggers tho. Hmmmm NSV goal?? lol
  • Carl01
    Carl01 Posts: 9,307 Member
    Find a garage that will change the trans filter and give it a dose or too of this if still available through NAPA.

    8266a.jpg

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