Auto technologies certainly make cars more luxurious and convenient to drive. Those same technologies, however, are subject to performance loss or catastrophic failure over time. Nowhere does that become obvious as when we buy a used car. The pain of buying a used car and then having to locate and have a used transmission installed because the owner had it “doctored up” to sell it, will last longer than simply replacing your transmission.
Used vehicles are in high demand today for obvious reasons; it’s the economy. People simply cannot afford new cars, no matter how great the deals may appear. Still, buyer beware applies. In other words, buyers beware of the financial dangers they might incur after the purchase. Don’t you wonder why an apparently good looking and excellent running car three to five years old is really being sold?
Now consider the cost of replacing the transmission or any one of the engine, transmission or body control modules, or any one of the many other control modules your vehicle may have. If you on a strict budget in the first place, any repair bill is a catastrophe.
Whether you’re considering a foreign or domestic car, count the cost of repairing any of the electrical system’s units. That’s usually the source of the high tech problems. The Point is that body dings are easy to see and fix, but transmission problems, electrical systems rand engine problems can’t be seen by looking at the outside of it, requiring technical testing and expensive diagnostic equipment just to find out what may be wrong. Before buying a used car, pay a professional to fully examine and diagnose every system of the car in advance.
A great idea and important step to getting a good used-car is to run a vehicle history report on any used car you are considering buying. Several companies sell these reports, Carfax.com seems to be the most comprehensive. There you will find out the vital information about the used car including whether or not it has been declared a total loss by an insurance company.
The Bottom line: Be wary of relatively new cars that may have have expensive consequences; and, sooner or later, the day will comes when auto-repair bills must be paid. For myself, replacing the transmission in my older car with a good used transmission beats out buying a used car with some possible built in problems waiting to happen.
Familiarity with your current car is very powerful. At least you have a viable history with the car and are less prone to surprises by replacing a broken transmission.
My final point is to talk with an expert in transmission replacement before you make any major car buying decisions. The immediate thrill of a newer car may be luring, but the feeling of successfully and reliably getting your old car back on the road is very gratifying when you end up saving a bunch of money. Lots of my old customers would return specifically to thank us for our advise and installing a used transmission and saving them a bunch of money in the long run.
Take a tour of our blog, perhaps you will find more article to help make a good solid decision instead of a knee-jerk reaction, which in most cases is not in your best interest and wastes money in the long run. Good luck.
