I have a 2 month old car with a bad trans and out of waranty. 2002 Cavalier z24, do I fix or sell?

Question

The Car has 86,000 miles. Dealer says I'm past waranty (1000mi) and need a trans. My second car payment is due today and I have not driven the car in a Month. Love the car but, I have bills & job troubles. What to do????

Answer 1

the book on the car is really cheap for that year. selling it without a running tanny will lose you about a grand in price if the person is not a mechanic in any way. having one re-built can run from 1200 to 1800.00 depending on who does it. if you have a trusted mechanic friend, you get pick up a tranny from salvage yards for about 60.00 as you pull it. it it doesn't need anything, taking it out and putting in another can cost total 500.00 or less. most are re-built and depending on whats wrong with it can be cheap at 100.00 or less and if its hard parts, you have to get another tranny. i replaced mine and it cost 1500.00 in my van. re-built and i called around and most re-builts run about 650.00 and then you have the labor of pulling it and putting it in. if you have equity in the car then sell it. if your on second payment, you paid way more than its actual value and will never get a price to even break even. if you fix it and its done right, it will last along time. but if your short on the selling to pay-off price, you must pay the differance or it goes on your credit as a repo. compare the cost of at least three for the tranny replacement. then what you would only get from the sale of the car. whichever is the cheapest way, go with it. best of luck.

Answer 2

The lemon law only applies to NEW cars, not used cars. It's to account for things that might have gone wrong during the manufacturing process.

You probably had symptoms of transmission problems during the first month, but wasn't aware of what was going on.

Your options at this point:
1) Don't make the payment, have the car repossessed, get sued, and have to finish paying for the car without having the car.
2) Pay for the car and don't get it fixed. Then you'd need to find a different mode of transportation.
3) Pay for the car, and pay for a new or rebuilt transmission.

I'd pick option 3 if it were me, and I'd try to get the transmission rebuilt instead of buying new. You'll get a warranty on the transmission if you have it done in a shop, and you'll be good for several more years (for the transmission at least).

I'd think a rebuilt will run you about $1500. Could you borrow from someone, like your parents? (Make sure you pay them back.)

Good luck.

Answer 3

You may be getting ripped off. Contact Better Business Bureau and the local TV news if the dealer won't work with you to get you back on the road fast. For a Z24 you probably paid far more than Blue Book, especially with that mileage. Get the car's accident history; a front or side collision could have easily damaged a tranny, and dealers are infamous for plugging -and covering up evidence of- leaks and cracks.

Answer 4

Take the car to a reputable shop and get a second opinion. Never trust a dealer and never trust a transmission shop. Your problem could be anything from a shift solenoid to just needing an adjustment, or something not even related to a transmission. Today's vehicles are designed to go 300,000 miles relatively trouble free if you just follow the maintenance schedule. Of course, you don't know what kind of abuse the vehicle has had from it's former owner/owners

Answer 5

It is cheaper to repair your transmission than to buy another car. You also don't get the full value of the vehicle with a damaged transmission. A lot of transmission repair facilities have financing available so that you can pay as you go. Make sure you find a reputable repair shop with a good warranty (12 months/ 12,000 miles is the standard). Don't go with a used transmission because you don't know what it went through before you bought it!! Try AAMCO.com for a location, coupons, and a quote.

Answer 6

You can try the lemon law. Look into this, it may help or not. But you can always visit a lawyer for legal rights. The1st consultations are free. The dealer may offer to take it back or pay for at least 1/2 the repairs. Anything would help. Seek the lawyer and you may scare the dealer into fixing the car for you.
Good Luck

Answer 7

sell it. trannys can go for $1,500 and up, unless you know someone who has one for cheap. you could look in a free local paper where people sell stuff. here it's called the thrifty nickle. if you car is front wheel drive, then get rid of it because the labor AND the tranny may be too much for you to consider right now. also, close to 100k miles is about time of death for most vehicles. sorry. :(

but why does the money-grubbing dealer say you need a new tranny? what problems are you having? that's more important before you sell or get work done on it. :)

Answer 8

What you do is get a price for the repair. Then you ask yourself "For that amount of cash, plus this car (as is) a trade in, could I get another car that I like better than I'm going to like this car, once it's repaired?"

I once put $1000 into fixing the air conditioning (I live in Florida) of a car that was only worth $1000. I knew that I couldn't get a car that I liked as well for $2000, so the fix was the better deal.

Answer 9

If on the Bill of Sale it states "as is" you have just been screwed. You can try the "Lemon Law" but if the seller was sneaky enough to sell "as is" with no warranty you probably are out of luck, If you can sell it pass that lemon on to some other poor un-suspecting sucker and be sure to write "AS IS" when you sell it so it won't come back and "bite" you. Nye

Answer 10

You just bought this car? Look into your state's Lemon Law! I think if there's a problem within 90 days from date of purchase, the dealer's gotta take the car back or repair it. (I could be wrong about the amount of time.)