I wrote a question a little over a week ago concerning my 98 Honda Accord LX. She has 162,000 miles on her. I initially wrote about the transmission in my car going. Since then I have decided it was time to purchase a new (used) car. Sadly, I now have to decide what to do with the Accord. The mechanic at AMMCO offered me $200 for her. Is this really all I can expect to get? The engine is good and she is a Honda and could clearly be driven much farther with the transmission fixed. The car has some sun spots, a handle on one of the back doors is broken but can be fixed, and the car has been consistently cared for by the Honda dealership so it has only Honda parts.
I don’t want to give her up for scrap metal. This car has been through so much with me and I am already having a hard time letting her go. I cannot bear to think of her ripped apart.
So, how do I know what I should ask for this car? Is $200 a correct amount? If not, then what is the right amount???
Honestly…No its not worth 200. Its worth more simply as scrap metal… As scrap you should see a return of 350-425 with scrap steel prices in the $12-$14 per 100lbs range.
So NO shes not worth 200 its worth considerably more. If you are up for the work parting her out will yield even more of a return…but you need the time…the SPACE…and patience in order to do it this way…and an understanding wife/girlfriend…LOL.
AS IS…the car is not worth much because most buyers will beat you up on the price…they will say it is much more of a hassle rather than look at it like a rebuild able nice car… When you sell a car with a major known defect a strange thing occurs…people look at it like a serious inconvenience rather than an opportunity…saying its worth 200 is silly when we all know the engine is worth more in one shot. Then there is the interior…wheels tires…ALL worth 200 in their own right…but you are handing a broken vehicle to a person who is trying to talk you DOWN…and a car not running will be viewed as an inconvenience…rather that an opportunity…its SAD but its true…trust me… Ive bought and sold more vehicles than I can count…easily 100 vehicles in my time since I was 16…Im now 40…so…I’m well versed in the art of the bargain…Ive been on both sides of the argument as well…trying to get something for nothing…and trying to raise the price on normal vehicles… I NEVER SELL CARS broken…gives buyer too much leverage to tell you that its worthless…and they have a small point…but you get the idea I think.
If I were you I would simply but a good used transmission and throw it in on a weekend…should take you about 3-4 hrs WITHOUT A LIFT…Using simple hand tools its not a complex job to accomplish…then again I AM a mechanic, so I don’t consider many jobs difficult.
That being said…I digress…You CAN easily do the transmission swap yourself using simple tools…Hydraulic jack…Jack Stands…etc…its not that bad of a task to accomplish honestly
I would throw a used trans into the Honda… If you don’t want to do that…then take it to the scrap METAL place yourself…NOT A SALVAGE YARD…there is an ENORMOUS DIFFERENCE…trust me on this point. I have both facilities near my home and they are about a 1/4 mile from each other so I am a bit spoiled but learned the hard way…One day I said lets just take it to the salvage yard…and the money we got for the vehicle was ABYSMAL …NOT THE RIGHT MOVE FOR SURE. SO take her directly to the scrap metal facility…for the best money
But again…I say take a Sat Afternoon and do the tranny swap…you will be happy that you did…and just may learn something in the process.
While Honda BB is kind of correct, a transmission swap is a big deal. But finding an independent mechanic to do it with a used transmission (go to car-parts.com to find one) might make $$ sense. The problem is your car’s only worth (with a working transmission) about $1,000 (trade-in) to $1,500 (private sale) or so, there’s just not much room to come out ahead on this. Instead, I’d call around to Honda shops, see what they’d offer you for the car as-is, and find out what the junkyards will offer.
Half a dozen parts shops in my town. Pull parts, install used parts. Swapping a trans is not easy. If they will do 2k grand prix for 900 out the door than I am sure a Honda is similar prices.
There’s a guy in ND that advertizes he buys any car for $600. Check the local classifieds in your newspaper and on line to see if anyone does something similar. Craigslist might be a good start on line.
I’ll bet you can find a buyer for your Honda that will give you a reasonable price. My brother owns two apartment buildings in a university town. He had one student who couldn’t pay his rent, so he signed over the title to a VW Beetle that didn’t run very well and had a bashed in rear fender. My brother received a much higher price than he expected–there were cash buyers lined up to buy that VW. A couple years later, another renter signed over the title on a Toyota since the tenant couldn’t pay the back rent owed. My brother did get the Toyota started, but figured out that it had a broken piston ring. He advertised the car at about the price for the rent money he was owed and had buyers lined up with cash for the Toyota. This was at least 30 years ago, but given the popularity of the Honda, you should be able to sell it for around $500 to someone who wants to fix it up.
First off to all the posters encouraging the OP to a DIY transmission swap, her username is NicoleS. I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest this is a lady and unlikely to have the tools and/or know how to perform such a repair. I agree, if you can’t be bothered with strangers coming to haggle you down on an undriveable vehicle then by all means take it to a scrap metal facility and collect $400 or so. Do not take it to a salvage yard(junk yard) you’ll be lucky to get $200 there. I know around here many guys advertise they’ll pay you a good buck for vehicles like yours and tow it away for you too.
@Proacfan- I am a lady so I don’t have the tools or the knowledge?!?! Not cool. I feel like the fact that I am posting this question should be the indicator that I can’t do the swap myself, not the fact that I am a woman. But yes, I cannot do the swap myself though I wish I could. The mechanic at my honda dealership just posted a sign for me, advertising my car for sale. I am asking $1,000 initially with the idea that there will be some haggling. Where do these people advertise that they will buy and even tow away your car? I can’t find this anywhere and I am leery of posting it on Craigslist.
Thanks everyone for the advice! I greatly appreciate the time everyone took to respond and I also feel as though I have taken something from every message. Thank you!
@NicoleS–one of the most knowledgeable person at a dealership that I encountered was a very attractive young lady who was the service writer assigned to me when I owned a Chevrolet Uplander. She also was great at putting things in terms that a customer could understand. For example, after I purchased the Uplander, the steering had a bumpy feeling in it as I turned the wheel. She turned the steering wheel from left to right and knew exactly what the problem was–the intermediate steering shaft. She explained that it acted similar to a rotator cuff in a person. I told her that her explanation made sense. My wife had just had rotator cuff surgery and before the surgery had driven the Uplander. I reasoned that the Uplander had caught the disease from my wife.
I think you are going about disposing of your Honda in the right way.
Sorry you could not fix the car. I would start at $1500 see what you get, but not less than $1200. I have seen many cars like yours with blown engines selling for at least $1500. Don’t get burned by a low balling mechanic. If this car was a GM product with a bad transmission then I can see you selling it for $200.
@NicoleS. I wasn’t being a chauvinist. You’re upset because I was correct? Hell, 99% of the men I know don’t have the tools or the know how to replace a transmission. Some stereotypes just happen to be true.