I just purchased the above-mentioned car. It is in near-mint condition and drives smoothly with no concerning noise. It does however, have 150k miles.
Should I be concerned? If I keep up the car, can I get this baby to 200k?
Thanks!
Here’s what other owners have experienced:
So, the transmission could fail tomorrow, or you could get 200k+ miles out of it.
Aside from rust or accident damage you can get any car to 200K. The only question is how far you’re willing to go to keep it on the road. If you mean with the current engine and transmission, the engine will likely make it. If the transmission is original it probably won’t.
If you had asked before you bought it “should I buy this car?” I would have said absolutely not.
Why do you say that about the transmission?
If the car is solid there should not be a problem hitting that mileage and maybe more.
Since this is a done deal your first step should be catching up the basic maintenance.
This means new spark plugs, fuel filter, air filter if needed, engine oil change if needed, and a transmission fluid/filter change along with checking the tire pressure. The latter gets overlooked a lot.
Okay. I was advised to have all the fluids checked. I bought it from a trustworthy friend who owns a used car lot, and he said the car was “100%”, so I took him on his word. Like I said, the car sounds great. I’ll have the fluids taken care of, though.
First, 200K is pushing it for any automatic transmission. That goes even for those that are meticulously maintained. Meticulously maintained would mean a pan drop/filter change and refill every 30K. Unfortunately the transmission that has been treated this way is rare, largely because manufacturers put completely stupid things about their transmissions in the service recommendations.
So, do you actually know anything about the transmissions history? Was it ever serviced? Was the filter ever changed?
Second, GM has made an awful lot of transmissions that are on the less than reliable side. The 4t65e’s - and I believe this car has one - are particularly trouble prone. And when they have problems no one seems to know what to do except shrug and tell you to get a new one. This includes GM dealers. So put that with #1 and I’d be really surprised if the transmission lasts.
But who knows - you could get lucky. Some transmissions just go and go.
I don’t know anything about the transmission’s history. I threw 200k out there arbitrarily. I’d be happy getting 25,000 miles out of it. I was really in a fix for a car and on a budget, so this seemed to fit the bill.
If you’re lucky some prior owner already had the transmission replaced.
How much does that usually cost?
Probably $2000-$5000 depending on what is done and by whom. I have a 2000 Olds Silhouette van. It has an equivalent drive train and the same basic transmission. The original owner had to have the transmission replaced at 55K under warranty by GM. I bought it at 104K - so with about 50K on the second transmission. This second transmission started having issues at about the 60K mark (on the transmission). At a local, independent transmission shop I was recently quoted $2500 for a rebuilt unit with a 3yr/100K warranty on it. That’s actually a very good price.
I see, thank you for the response. I paid $2600 for the car itself. This thing better last.
My '00 Olds has been nothing but trouble even though it was maintained according to manufacturer schedules. (I have the receipts). It is, without question, the worst vehicle I have ever owned - and I’ve owned many of the major brands and most with very high miles, so I do have a base for comparison.
However, there are many people with similar vehicles who have been thrilled with them and have experienced few, if any, serious problems. So if I were you I would just make sure to take care of the basic maintenance as required (find an owner’s manual online or something if you don’t have one), smile and drive on. Assume that you’ve landed one of the ones off the trouble-free line.
Ahh, I’m sorry to hear about your troubles. I actually bought a 2000 Ford Taurus on Christmas Eve and someone totaled it that night. So, I’ve been looking to jump into something quickly since. Thank you, for the encouragement. I’m sure it will be fine!
The car was 100% what? 100% car? I hope he doesn’t lose a friend over the car.
In all sincerity, you can make it to 200K if you’re not afraid to get all the maintenance up to date, and keep it that way. As for the trannys giving a lot of trouble, compared to those found in some Chryco and Ford cars, GM’s transmissions usually last longer. That 3.8L series II engine is one of the best GM has ever built. I’ve seen tons of them with over 200K.
I had a friend with a Buick LeSabre with the same engine and transmission and he made it to 240,000 miles when the engine failed ( oil pump failed at 75 mph ) with the original transmission.
“100%” is apparently used car dealer speak for mechanically sound and reliable.
That’s great news! Like I said to another commenter, I’m going to have it inspected, the fluids taken care of, etc. I’m really just hoping to get at least a couple years out of it, not necessarily drive it to 200k.
Thanks.
LIke any car, it depends.
It depends on the maintenance it has received (You will never really know)
It depends on how it was driven. (You will never really know)
It depends on how YOU maintain it and how YOU drive it.
It depends on LUCK.
Good Luck