Thinking of a new trans, called some ppl (Long)

[turtlevette]

You guys are buzz kill. He's looking for an excuse to get a new car. I wouldn't pay $3000 for a rebuilt transmission in my beloved corvette which I will keep forever, much less in a 13 year old rust bucket. I think he's on the right track decision wise.

No rush. Look around and find a good deal. That Buick will keep running for a while even if you do nothing, and the Lucas will extend that.

 

[901Memphis]

If I do buy a newer vehicle I don't want to have to put any extra money into it which is why I was looking at the newer Impalas with the 6T70 transmission as they seem to be pretty reliable. Plus the 3.6L DOHC engine seems pretty sweet.

What do you know about the newer 4T65e? If I get into a 2006-2011 with a 4T65e will they have any issues these orders ones like mine have?

What do you know about the 3.5 and 3.9 engines found in the impalas? Those seem to be much more common in the price range I'm looking at.

If I can get $1500-2000 value for my trade in plus $3000 cash I will be looking in the $9000-$12000 price range to keep payments at my comfort zone.

It looks like the last model year Impala to use the 3.8 was 2005, and I want to get something newer than that, since I want it to last and rust might be a concern on the older model years.

 

[OVERKILL]

Is fuel economy a big issue? You could always get a Charger, LOL

At least you'd have a bullet-proof transmission.

 

[901Memphis]

The reason I jumped from cobalt to impala was mostly price. I didn't realize that a newer Impala had a similar value to the cobalt. Once I noticed they aren't that far apart I started looking closer.

Also given that the LTZ doesn't command a huge premium over the LS/LT I would prefer to find one of those LTZ because they just look a little nicer to me. The LS screams rental car but the LTZ looks kinda sharp in my opinion. I really like the alloy wheels they have.

The need for something the size of the impala is important, I am a large guy and I have driven a cobalt and it's not roomy enough to my likings, plus I need room for two car seats in the back. My sister in law has a 4 door cobalt and it seems like a tight fight for everything. I could make it work but given the choice I'd like the extra space.

I may be getting my hopes up for nothing though as my odds of getting a car loan are pretty low with my credit score and such.

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Is fuel economy a big issue? You could always get a Charger, LOL

At least you'd have a bullet-proof transmission.



Fuel mileage is a partial concern, the 3.6L Impala seems to average about 25 mpg in mixed driving which I am okay with. My Century averages 15-17 mpg in the city since it has a P0420 code probably an o2 sensor needs replaced, so 25 would be a good improvement, or even 20.

The issue with the charger is I don't want AWD/RWD since the wife will be driving the car a lot too and we get a fair bit of snow around here. The AWD models I saw are okay, but I don't like the added complexity of the system.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
You guys are buzz kill. He's looking for an excuse to get a new car. I wouldn't pay $3000 for a rebuilt transmission in my beloved corvette which I will keep forever, much less in a 13 year old rust bucket. I think he's on the right track decision wise.

No rush. Look around and find a good deal. That Buick will keep running for a while even if you do nothing, and the Lucas will extend that.





Yeah, but not a good one.

I suppose if you have enough money, you can spend it however you like. O/P is having a bit of a time coming up with
Let me pose it to you (and the O/P) this way... Unless you're Amish, or a bike riding Hipster in the middle of an urban area, you're going to have to drive somewhere- and it's going to cost you to do so for every mile you drive. Would't it make sense when money is tight, to spend as little as possible to drive each mile?

Cost per mile driven is king. Buick is paid off (assuming), so plunking some money into it will still be cheaper than spending 2-3 times that much, unless he plans on driving 2-3 times the miles for it to average out. An example: I bought a '98 Chevy Malibu for $250.00 with a blown engine. I rebuilt the engine and fixed up the brakes, put tires and struts on it. Sure I put more in it than it's worth. But the perceived value of a car means little to me. The "value" is not having a car payment, having a reliable car and driving cheaply. The money that I didn't spend on a 10-15K car is spent on paying off various other debts. If you put pencil to paper, the Malibu is cheaper per mile to drive over a shorter mileage than a more expensive car on a longer mileage plan. Say 50k miles for the Malibu to 100k miles on the 10-15k car. That means I can drive cheaply and upgrade sooner if I see fit. Heck, just with the things that we've trimmed from our budget/paid off, we could "afford" a car like what O/P is looking at. Sure I'd love for my wife to have something nicer, but we made the decision to live cheaply until we get on sound financial footing- and that means cheap cars.

Lastly, you shouldn't insult someone's car just because you don't like the idea of repairing it. Besides, did you see the picture he posted? Hardly looks like a rust bucket.

 

[901Memphis]

I'm not opposed to getting the Buick repaired but it's having some bad uoas too with high lead/iron which is my biggest concern

Link for reference to 2 UOAS.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3530699/02_Buick_Century,__Pennzoil_Ul

and here's the big list....

needs control arms on both sides, has a phantom intake leak letting dirt into the engine that i can't find, has a phantom brake leak (sometimes it doesn't leak at all, sometimes it leaks really slow), a/c charge leaks from Schrader valve or elsewhere, needs wheel bearings, has rusty rocker panels, clear coat gone on front bumper and starting to go on rear bumper, also has some electrical gremlins with voltage dips and flickering lights sometimes randomly possibly just a bad re manufactured alternator that's been on for a fewer months.

Also has the P0420 code possibly bad oxygen sensor, or this cheap catalytic convertor already went South, also the low washer fluid sensor stopped working! Lol I guess that's everything.

Maybe now you can see why I want to get out from under it or is that list not that bad?

As far as my finances go, I am the only one working right now, I make decent money I'd say, (depending on who you are) my wife is looking at getting a job very soon, she has a bachelor's degree in accounting so hopefully she can land a good job, the only debt we have is her student loans but I have a very low credit score from a recent chapter 7.

She will need the good car for possible long commutes and I am going to get the Taurus fixed to drive to work which is less than 4 miles.

I should make enough money for a car payment, I just don't currently have a savings, which is why I'm using the tax return to do something.

As far as the Buick transmission goes, I'm starting to have trouble finding the right mechanic and getting more worried about doing the triple edge unit since the cost is going to be $3,000 if I use the mechanic while wants to charge me $900, I am leaning towards the pro transmission rebuild for $2300 again, since he's got a 3yr/36k warranty, I am going to bring him a list of what triple edge puts in their rebuilds and gauge his reaction to if he can match it and go from there.

 

[bullwinkle]

Sorry-hadn't seen your reply-Michael Crone Transmission is at 6504 Glenway Ave. in Cincinnati (Western Hills area), and I actually called them & they said $1800-$2200 for your 4T65E with a 1 year, 12,000 mile warranty. They rebuilt 2 of our company E4OD Ford transmissions, including all the updates, & they did my old A904 LeBaron transmission as a carry-in job-guy does a good job, & is reasonable, been around a long time. Has a good rep on the westside, not really busy now, but SLAMMED in summer time. (513)574-1600.

 

[eagle23]

Re credit score, with good cash down payment and your trade, you should be able to get financing. I had a similar situation some years back but put $2500 down on a $12k used car and got financing through Toyota.

The key is having enough of your own cash...skin in the game...that the lender is reasonably assured you won't default. Car loans are one of the ways people rebuild their credit.

The interest rate may not be the 2% stuff, but dealers have a LOT of financial resources, far beyond your local bank. I know some folks say never trust "stealerships" but they can be good for financial resources for less-than-perfect situations.

Also, visit the dealer near the end of the month. Financial institutions have their monthly loan goals too. When things are slow, they get aggressive in making loans. When there was the huge blizzard/icing etc. last year, the lenders were doing loans at great rates they otherwise would not have. No one was coming in to buy cars in a large area of the country due to the weather, so other borrowers did well.

Hope this helps. Keep us posted!

 

[901Memphis]

There's the pictures of all the rust, I must say I've never had a car that rusted just on the rocker panels, the rest of the body is in much better shape. Too bad they didn't put the plastic trim pieces down over the rockers like on the Regal, then you wouldn't even see it.

 

[bullwinkle]

Resembles my MIL's (departed/donated) '90 LeSabre-if the suspension mounts, etc. are still good it's worth fixing-if not it's shredder time. The 3800 will usually outlive the body, unless the LIM dies from Dexcool & isn't caught in time.

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Resembles my MIL's (departed/donated) '90 LeSabre-if the suspension mounts, etc. are still good it's worth fixing-if not it's shredder time. The 3800 will usually outlive the body, unless the LIM dies from Dexcool & isn't caught in time.


It's the 3.1 in this car, not the 3.8, and it's already had the LIM gaskets replaced but now I'm having issues with silicon and lead in the UOA and I don't see anything that would cause it.

 

[901Memphis]

Also I think I just had a genius idea. Maybe I'll keep the buick and junk the Taurus. I need two cars and the Taurus is junky.

The online estimators for trade in value have me worried I won't get much for the buick possibly as low as $1000...

 

[901Memphis]

Okay I put the Lucas in there about 3/4 of the bottle, the stuff smells like Maxlife and is very molasses like with the viscosity. It is so thick that if you squeeze the bottle too fast it will overflow faster than the fill tube can take it! I have no impressions yet as I haven't drove it yet, but I added it while the engine was hot and drove about 1/2 mile slowly down the parking lot and back to make sure it's mixed well.

I am back and forth again with my decision, the wife is very close to landing a job in Ohio so she's going to need a working car to commute and I will need a car to so I am re considering getting the buick transmission and holding off on a new car until the wife starts getting some income. If she gets this job she'll be making more than me starting out and it we won't have any trouble with any car payment maybe even be considering a brand new car or lightly used.

I will be basing my next move off of what happens with her situation. Sorry if I'm posting too many details I'm sure no one cares lol.

 

[The_Eric]

While some may not, many do- that's why there's some many replies.

 

[901Memphis]

I have some first impressions after adding the Lucas to the transmission. It seems that the hard shifts do not occur within 8 miles of driving like they used to what I am noticing now without the hard shifts is the transmission slipping more often. It drives pretty good if you do normal stuff but if you get rolling and punch it at about 3000 rpm then you can detect the slip quite apparently. It also seems to slip around 6000 rpm near the shift point.

interestingly enough if you punch it from a standstill it doesn't slip much at all but if you get rolling gently and then punch it like I said earlier the slip is readily apparent. I will report back when I have more information.

 

[turtlevette]

Better or worse? Slipping is not good, so I assume you mean worse.

If the goal is to get as many miles as possible out of the Buick I would think you need to baby it for a while.

If it drives pretty good when you do normal stuff.....I suggest you do normal stuff.

Give it some more time to work. It probably needs to go through some heat cycles. Are you driving it long enough to get it up to operating temp?

 

[901Memphis]

It seemed better earlier, but i guess it wasn't hot enough, now its exactly the same as before.

Yeah i drove it for like 20 miles earlier, it gets pretty hot, the transmission cooler lines go through the radiator and the coolant is always around 200F.

Anyways, the hard shifts came back. Whenever the hard shifts trigger it doesn't slip, so it's either slip or bang.

 

[doitmyself]

The return of symptoms at normal/high operating temps. suggests that it might be viscosity related parts failure. Tranny experts, what does this suggest?

We know the tranny is probably grenading and mechanic in a bottle is a last ditch effort to prolong the inevitable. Would adding another bottle of Lucas be worth a shot and get him down the road a bit longer?

Good luck 901Memphis. Putting that kind of money into a car of that condition really does involve assessment of risk/value vs. investing in another car. I hope your wife gets that job. My only "snarky" comment (apologies)is concentrate on getting/having a value conscious, reliable car vs. one with nice wheels, etc.. That will come when you get everything sorted out.

Take care.

 

[901Memphis]

It also bangs when cold, just seems to reset the code sometime when it sits so it won't always bang right away after a cold start. Today i got in the car on my way to work the car had been sitting for 5 hours aroudn freezing and it banged as soon as i drove away, transmission was not hot at all. Water temp barely 100F when it started.

It's not so much grending as its wearing the clutches more and more until it's going to slip worse and worse.