Blown Transmission! How Much?

So me and the Mrs. were on our way to the big price club box store today and all of a sudden the old 2000 Chrysler's transmission decides to go.

Driving 35 mph and all of a sudden it's like I shifted into neutral. Coast into a coffee shop lot and then try and reverse. No reverse. Shift into drive and then back to reverse and catch reverse for just long enough to turn the car around. Shift into drive and BARELY get onto the road and to the next driveway (which is for a mechanic). He's closed. It's a long weekend. We're in the neighboring city. Call AAA and have the car towed to a transmission shop in my town.

I'm actually off for three consecutive days. What an AWESOME weekend. [/bluefont]

Anyone know what I should expect to pay, expecting the worst case scenario, of course.

Is it even worth it? The thing is eight years old, 131,000 miles on it.

This sucks.

 

I know. We're considering just scrapping this car and getting a used minivan.

 

Not worth the cost at 131,000 miles. Time for new wheels

 

Don't buy a new tranny for a 2000 car. It's not worth the investment.
Either have yours rebuilt or buy a rebuilt tranny. MOPAR tranny, rebuilt about $1,200-$1,500 out the door. Make sure the shop that rebuilds your tranny or puts in the rebuilt one gives you a 1 year, 12K warranty. It's not always a smooth transition dropping in a new transmission. Could skip. Could be a problem with differential. But, in 12K miles, those problems should be worked out.
New could cost you $1,000 more.

 

A new transmission can cost anywhere from $1,200 to $2,000 to get put in. Depending upon how large the city you live in is, you could probably get a used one at a large parts warehouse for about $500-700. But then you've still got to pay to get it put in.

I'd seriously consider getting a new car if that's an option financially.

 

I had to do it once, cost $2500, and six months later the rest of the engine blew up. Scrap it and get another car.

 

Yeah,I vote for moving on, if you can. At 131,000 miles, a 2000 Chrysler is not a great bet, in terms of being sure something else expensive isn't going to happen in the next year or two.
I haven't always practiced what I'm preaching in this regard ... it's really hard just to walk away from a car, with no value except for scrap. But I don't think you could get the money out of the repair if you fixed it and then tried to sell it.

 

I had a rebuilt one put in for a '97 Sable, 75,000 miles, cost roughly $1,800. Car lasted three more years and 35,000 miles, until I bought a new car last July. Trade-in value was about the same as the transmission work, but given my situation, I think I made the right choice.

This year's supposed to be horrendous for dealers, though, especially for new car sales. Take a look and see if you can bend one over.

 

It's gonna cost you at least two grand. I just had my done six months ago and I've got 122,000 miles on mine. It's like I've got a brand new vehicle. I'll have no problem getting another five years out of my '98 Acura if I want to. Runs like a gem.

 

New one I had put in last fall was $4,200. But it was an unusual transmission and because they'd been having lots of problems with that particular vehicle the dealership paid for it thank God.