Hi All!

This is a question I would have posted to general discussion in the old CT forum.  I had a number of non-firearms questions that the guys there were able to provide valuable insight to.

Here’s the sitrep:

I inherited a 2014 Nissan Versa Note from my Mom.  It is my daily driver, and I use it to commute about 50 miles a day.

At 70k, that POS CVT transmission started to act up.  Unfortunately, these are known to grenade at that mileage.

Quotes from 3 shops range from $5500 to $6800 to replace the transmission in a $7k car!!!!  Since this is a problem with all these transmissions, buying used is not an option, since I would be buying another time bomb.

I actually am going to need a new(er) vehicle, since my wife’s Durango has over 100k, and my 03 Ram has 150k, and is really starting to rust.  The Versa is the newest vehicle, with the least miles I own, and is in good shape besides the tranny.

A buddy suggests I don’t mention the tranny issue, and trade it in.  Besides the fact that a 10 minute test drive would disclose the issue, I have a problem doing that.  Car dealers are liars and thieves, I am not.

Oh, I am also thinking of retiring any day.  So a car for commuting is not necessarily the car I want in my “Golden Years”.  

My first inclination is to suck it up, and fix the transmission.  As crazy as it sounds, it solves my commuter car issue, and makes a pretty worthless car worth at least what I would spend.

What says the Council of Elders?

Thanks Guys!

Trade it in, that car will go to auction. Everyone in the business knows about those transmissions, and your trade offer will price that in.

Thanks for your input.  I have looked into it, and since the car is worth about $3700 if the tranny was good, I can probably get floor mats in the new car for it!!!

That would be my suggestion as well-

As someone who has bought used cars with 70k to 195k on them since the 80's, spending that much money on that car is risky. I don't care if it is worth $15k. It's 10 years old and to me that is not that old and with only 70k that's really low mileage but there are other things waiting to wear out or break. Just how much are you willing to spend just to get further down the road in 6 months or 2 years and have another big expense happen but you already spent $X so I might as well fix this? I went down that road on the car I owned 2 cars ago. It had 200k or more on a 20 year or older car and I spent $888 on brakes. A year later it was something else IIRC the exhaust system. In 2 years I spent $2800 in repairs (what I had paid for the car years ago) and still had an old car that was rusting underneath where it was not noticeable and was not fixable and hitting a good pot hole could have torn the left rear tire off. Due to it's age, parts were becoming difficult to find and could have caused the car to be a total due to a $5 or $10 part - a pipe that connected something (I forget the details now) was rusted and leaking and fortunately my mechanic was able to make the really oddly twisted part from tubing that was able to fit in the tight spot. This was a 1991 Honda Civic 5 speed and it was a very reliable and good car but the older it got the more things were costing. I had to drive it to the junkyard with the original clutch, an engine that used about a 1/2 of qt between oil changes every 3k miles and got 40+ mpg with 305k miles on it. Fixing something just allowed me to encounter another problem down the road. $7k is a lot to put into a car worth $4k. JMO.

Take it to CarMax. I've sold a few cars to them and they never test drove any of them.

I'd go this route or private sale to, well, whoever wants it.
These are cash-in-hand and most likely higher than a dealer offer.
Take that along with the ~$6k you'd spend on the tranny and you have a down payment.

I am in the car business and have been for 35+ years. Not in sales. I can tell you just trade it in. If they ask don't lie but it is up to them to properly evaluate the trade. Honestly a 2014 car with 70k on it is not worth much to a new car dealer. They would just wholesale or auction it. I would be surprised if they offered more than $2000 real money.

Putting $7000 into a car that on a good day is worth $7000 is just plain silly. Take the $7000 and whatever they offer you and buy something. No offense, but I seriously doubt you will find anyone to pay what "book" is. These online book values are a joke. The only time you get book is if you have something in high demand.

From what I can see your car is not worth $7000. The below is of the highest trim level from NADAs website. Keep in mind retail price is from a dealer, warranty, etc. Trade-in price is what it is worth. Nobody trades in a car that needs nothing.

yep