My 1999 Voyager’s transmission gave out last week and I’m trying to decide whether to spend $1300 fixing it (it has 160,000 miles) or give up on it. If I do give up on it, another question is whether I just have to have it towed to the junk yard or can I get anything from it. It’s been a good vehicle for me and I have the possibility of buying another one (a Grand Voyager, year 2000, with 40,000 miles) for a very reasonable price. Any thoughts or advice?
The usual answer you will get here is that, if the rest of the car is in top condition, and it’s reliable, it is worth spending $1300 (IF it can be done properly for that amount) to fix the transmission.
If you buy a 2000 Grand Voyager, it may have been abused or neglected, and might also need a new transmission soon!
The mileage, 160,000 is not excessive for a well maintained car.
It’s almost always cheaper to keep her than it is to buy another, but it becomes a matter of convenience, or more aptly, inconvenience. If frequent repairs are something you can’t tolerate, then it may be worth the cost to buy new, or at least, newer.
A Gramd Voyager only driven 4,000 miles a year? So low mileage that it might be a sludge mobile.
Fix your known Voyager, $1,300 isn’t too bad a quote. The 2000 has problems, you won’t know what they are until after you own it.
I would say 160k is excellent mileage to get out of these trouble prone cars and $1300 would be a tough decision as it’s worth nothing w/o a fix. So if that’s you’re first major problem, the other mechanics are working OK and the body is in good shape, I’d say, fix it and give it one more shot as long as it last. After that, it owes you nothing. Like “Uncle”, I’d be worried about a seldom driven car like the other option.