1993 Nissan Maxima Transmission Rebuild?

Question

I have a 1993 Nissan Maxima with 107K miles. Its a good car, but it wont run due to a transmission problem.

AAMCO is quoting $2700 to rebuild the transmission with a 1 Year, 12K miles warranty.

Is it worth to go for the rebuild? Is AAMCO a ripoff?

I am concerned that AAMCO is not trying to charge $2700 for a $700 worth of work.

Please advice.

Answer 1

For a car that's 14 years old, I'd look for a trans. from a junkyard first. $2700 will be close to the value of the entire car.

Answer 2

I think that's a bit high. For that, you could buy a used transmission with a warranty. The problem is the warranty is probably going to be somewhat short and you don't really know what you're getting. First, do the math. Is your 1993 worth a $2,700 transmission? This may be more than the value of the entire car. Last April, I sold my 1993 Maxima SE needing a rebuild of the VTC modules and the replacement of the timing chain. Yes, my transmission could have used a rebuild as it would hold first gear for longer than it should. No including the transmission rebuild, the other repairs were about $4,000 repair. However, I had 400,000 miles on the car with no major problems up to that point (even had the original muffler and shocks/struts). I ended up selling the car for $500.

Answer 3

Personally, I would not use AAMCO. They are indeed a ripoff...

Try Japanese Engines and transmissions In Oakland, CA....they offer moderately used engines and transmissions for a fraction of the price you'd pay at AAMCO and the transmission is still good.

Theie engines and tranny come from Japan, where the engines are junked after 30-40k miles due to really tight smog regulations....