New transmission or new car?

I have to be at least satisfied with my car. If I hate it it’s going to make every commute hell.
Edit: Could you find another Escape for less money and trade the Neon?

A friend of mine just bought a Nissan Xterra. A 4-wheel drive like your Escape and you have to figure the transmission overhaul will cost about ⅓ more for Japanese cars than American made cars. Trans OH for the Nissan runs about $3800, or so he was told. Talk to a reputable transmission repair shop and get a price on the OH. But be prepared! The cost might be more than the Escape is worth. Call several places for their opinions.

The way my father would break it down is like this: Take the cost of a new transmission and divide it by… say 400 (or whatever you want your car payment to be) If the repair will keep the car on the road longer than it takes to pay off the repairs at that amount, then you are ahead having the repairs done. If however, there are other problems that may cause it to cost more to keep it on the road than a car payment for a given amount of time, then it’s time for a new car.

I think you answered your own question by saying, “I love this Escape. I am not a car person but I love it.”

You’re already grieving for the loss of this car. You have very strong feelings about wanting to keep it.

Both your head and your heart are sending you clear messages. Head – if you sell the Neon, you can afford a new transmission for the Ford. You’ve already thought this through, and you have a viable plan. You make sense and, no, your idea isn’t stupid at all. Heart – you start crying when you even think about letting go of the Escape. That’s powerful.

First off, it would not matter if the vehicle was $500 dollars, if you hate it; the value of savings will wear thin quite quickly. Having a car you are confident in, enjoy to drive and more off, fun to drive, beat any discount on savings. You can get a more accurate value by using kbb.com, they ask for lots of specific information. Using Kelly Blue Book with the city of Denver Colorado, (I don’t know where you are), as the location you are at can affect the value, I entered the model, year, and value along with the bells and whistles, such as leather, single player CD, MPs jack, power front seats, sun roof, privacy glass, roof rack, etc. I thought you might have, (or worst case scenario), and the value came in at $9,140 dollars. If it were my, I would sell the Neon and have the tranny rebuilt; but then again, I can put the tranny in myself, saving labor cost. For you, I say if you can get the tranny rebuilt, and have it installed (labor), for $3,100 dollars or less, I would keep the Escape. Sure, there is never a guarantee other problems won’t pop up, but you are in the same position with the Neon; the owner of the Neon could have dogged it while the owner of the Escape could have taken great care of it, so the difference in age would be nothing. Don’t settle, fight for the ride you love. There have been many times in the past I let really good vehicles I liked go because I thought it better to get some other vehicle, that was not as great or as fun to drive.

Get the new tranny, Neon’s suck. Even rebuilds have a warranty. Investing in a car you love is worth it.

I believe the Escape uses the same CD4E transmission as the Probe and Mazda 626. Expect frequent replacement unless you also get a transmission cooler like is used for vehicles that tow trailers.

@jerv How frequent? Several years? Every 10 years? The Escape already has 120K miles on its odometer, so @browneyes can’t keep and drive it forever. He/she just isn’t ready to let go of it now. If a new transmission would last for more than a few years, it might outlive the rest of the vehicle.

The 626 tended to blow them at 80k, then every 40k after that… unless they got a “tow package” transmission cooler. From experience with vehicles from all of the Big Three (or those imports that used US drivetrains), that was pretty common in the 90s and early-2000s.

The CD4E was originally designed for the Focus; a small, light Compact. While they eventually replaced the plastic parts with metal, the design is still… questionable.

“I hate being so low to the ground.”

(Sigh)

There is no single thing you can adjust on a car that provides such a host of advantages than lowering it’s center of mass and reducing ground clearance.

I Loove my Miata. it’s pretty low.

@SecondHandStoke Ride height is a plus to most American drivers though; sometimes even a selling point. It’s better to need a stepladder to enter your vehicle than to suffer the social stigma of driving a car that can handle. To many, high clearance and soft suspension are what makes a car an actual car as opposed to just some rinky-dink toy. Besides, those benefits from lowering the COG only really matter to those that like to drive as opposed to just plop their ass in a box and be transported. You and I are rather un-American in that we actually like to feel what the car is doing, and are not mortally offended at the thought of having a vehicle that’s more than just a living-room-on-wheels.

@majorrich Not a fan. I don’t know about the more recent ones, but I know the early Miatas couldn’t even fit someone my height. Knees touching the dash, head on the ceiling… and I’m only 6’0”!

@jerv “Besides, those benefits from lowering the COG only really matter to those that like to drive as opposed to just plop their ass in a box and be transported.”

Well, that’s not entirely fair. Clearance does matter, unless you’re driving exclusively in a city or on a racetrack.

Or the highway or twisting two lane blacktop.

Reduced or negative coefficient of lift = FUN.

@SecondHandStoke I don’t know – I’ve encountered a few situations where I wouldn’t want to have no-clearance on a highway. They’re not always in perfect condition or clear of debris.

I didn’t say no clearance.

Negative lift characteristics increase exponentially right up to the point there is NO clearance.

At that point downforce is completely lost, with lightning quick negative results.

@jerv I am built like an Asian. So I have short legs and arms and 5’8” I put the car on like a sock, but it fits like a glove. lol! It’s a ‘93 and not super fast, but corners like an old TR-7 or Beamer.

@dappled_leaves The standard ride height of most regular cars was enough for the muddy roads of NH, so why do many “need” the clearance of an SUV? They don’t, but it’s an easy way to get the driver’s seat another 4–8” off the ground. Are you a rock-crawler? You go 4-wheeling? I’m not, and I don’t, so I don’t need as much clearance.

But yes, it’s possible to lower too much. I laugh at those with less than 3”.