2000 Plymouth neon... tick tick BOOM!

[AZViking]

Got a call from my wife last night... she was on her way home when the transmission decided it was DONE. She managed to get the car into a well lit parking lot, thankfully. When I got there, I could already see the growing puddle of pink fluid inching out from under the car.My cubicle neighbors all recommended the same Transmission place near work. Now I just have to get it towed there. They won't be able to look at it until Thursday at the earliest. The car has 88,000+ miles on it. The repair will probably cost more than the car is worth. We were hoping to wait until the Vibe was paid off to replace the Neon, but we might just have to do some car shopping soon.I just found a 2008 Vibe base with 33,800 miles for 12,900 ) (tempting...)

[rebbierae]

You could buy mine and then I could get a '10 Ignition Orange Vibe!

[jake75]

A 2009 Vibe 1.8L AT AC Power Pkg msrp $19,480 has an invoice of approximately $18,660. I think most dealers are selling Vibes at invoice (or less) at present . Subtract $500 rebate and $2,000 GM Loyalty rebate and you are at $16,160. IMO miles are worth a minimum of 10 cents so that is about the difference between used 2008 with 33,8000 miles and new 2009. Plus you get a 3 year warranty with the 2009 and will not have to worry about replacing wear items such as brakes, tires etc. in the near future. Plus plus finance rates are lower on new than on used cars.

[jake75]

Used from a private party can be a good deal - e.g. if Rebbierae would sell you his for say 10% over what the dealer would give in trade. That is a win-win as they say.

[AZViking]

Quote, originally posted by rebbierae »You could buy mine and then I could get a '10 Ignition Orange Vibe!How many miles do you have on yours? What year is it? )They can't look at it until Thursday so we'll see. I need to see how much we owe on our 03. We really don't want to have two car payments at the same time.

[rebbierae]

It's an '04, with...maybe 46,000 miles on it? I can't remember for sure. I have 2 car payments left and it's paid off! I really don't want to start all over, but last time I went home to my hometown my Mom and I saw the /10 Ignition Orange one in the dealer's lot. So now I want it, but then again the idea of having NO car payments is awesome!

[Kamikaze]

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »if Rebbierae would sell you his for say 10% ....FYI Rebbierae is a She (Becky)

[rebbierae]

Wow, good memory Kamikaze! Thanks!

[jake75]

Quote, originally posted by Kamikaze »FYI Rebbierae is a She (Becky)"My bad" as they say. I should have looked.

[Kamikaze]

lol, just giving you the heads up.

[northvibe]

well the older 03/04 vibes with 50k+ miles should run under 10k...

[AZViking]

Update from the transmision guy. it sounds like there was a crack/failure at the fitting where a transmission line connects to the radiator? So, instead of a new transmission, he's going to find a new radiator and refil the trans (after dropping the pan to look for any debris). Is there really a trans fluid cooling line to the radiator on the Neon?!?

[ColonelPanic]

Probably. Most automatics do have a transmission cooler, usually built into the radiator. Probably not a very good one (hence the beefier aftermarket alternatives) but one nonetheless. Also might not be bad to check the coolant for traces of transmission fluid, I googled 'neon transmission cooler' and that was one problem someone had with a failed tranny cooler. But if you have to the radiator then you should be ok, just make sure they do a thorough flush just in case there was any cross contamination.Glad that's all it was and hopefully the transmission didn't overheat.

[jake75]

So does that mean you are not going to buy a new Vibe?

[AZViking]

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »So does that mean you are not going to buy a new Vibe? Not if the Neon is fixed. Although, I do plan on calling the bank and finding out what the pay-off amount is on our Vibe.

[ToolGuy]

Welcome to the Crysler transmissions suck club! I will never own a Chrysler product unless is does not have a Chrysler trans in it. They are junk, bettter now then years ago, but still junk. Give me a GM trans any day!

[jake75]

I suspect that the transmission failure rate for Chrysler may be higher than some other car companies but it is still probably rare. A friend of mine had a Corolla with a transmission failure at about 70,000 miles. My son is still driving a 1998 Chrysler Plymouth Voyager with 200,000 miles - no transmission problems. My other son bought a new Honda Odyssey - had transmission problems at 5,000 miles or so. They first tried to repair because Honda would not authorize a replacement until they tried a cheaper fix even though the dealer didn't think that would solve the problem, then had to replace. No loaner car offered for the total for the nearly two weeks it spent in the shop.

[AZViking]

Well, the Neon's up and running again. New radiator, transmission fluid, trans filter, coolant, and a can of transmission conditioner $491.00. They said they didn't notice anything bad when they dropped the transmission pan.Hey, it runs. That's all that matters to me right now. 88,600 miles

[ColonelPanic]

$491's a lot cheaper than the cost of a replacement car, good deal! You should be OK for a while.

[ToolGuy]

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »I suspect that the transmission failure rate for Chrysler may be higher than some other car companies but it is still probably rare. A friend of mine had a Corolla with a transmission failure at about 70,000 miles. My son is still driving a 1998 Chrysler Plymouth Voyager with 200,000 miles - no transmission problems. My other son bought a new Honda Odyssey - had transmission problems at 5,000 miles or so. They first tried to repair because Honda would not authorize a replacement until they tried a cheaper fix even though the dealer didn't think that would solve the problem, then had to replace. No loaner car offered for the total for the nearly two weeks it spent in the shop. The Chrysler trans failure is a know fact, searching on the internet will also give examples. Many last, many do not. Most of the people that I know that have owned a Chrysler have had a failure. Most recent was a guy at work. 2007 Dodge ram, never towed or plowed, a leased truck, blew its trans under warranty. I used to develop the special service tools for Chrysler, got to know the trans guys and transmission lab at Chrysler headquarters real well. My family has also had one Chrysler trans fail. Brother in law 1998 mini-van fail, had it fixed for $1800, been fine ever since, neighbor had a 2005 Chrysler trans failure, I could go on...Never a GM trans or engine though. Good friend of mine has had two blow up on him, his dad is a Chrysler retiree too, how is that for a kick in the pants! On the flip side, my sisters Subi Forester had a trans go, she traded the car in...Sadly it is true about Chrysler transmissions though.

[ToolGuy]

Quote, originally posted by AZViking »Well, the Neon's up and running again. New radiator, transmission fluid, trans filter, coolant, and a can of transmission conditioner $491.00. They said they didn't notice anything bad when they dropped the transmission pan.Hey, it runs. That's all that matters to me right now. 88,600 milesGlad it was not a complete trans failuer! And, glad it was inspected and the shop did not tell you, you needed a new one.

[jake75]

Quote, originally posted by ToolGuy »The Chrysler trans failure is a know fact, searching on the internet will also give examples. Many last, many do not. Most of the people that I know that have owned a Chrysler have had a failuer. Most recent was a guy at work. 2007 Dodge ram, never towed or plowed, a leased truck, blew its trans under warranty. I used to develop the special service tools for Chrysler, got to know the trans guys and transmission lab at Chrysler headquarters real well. My family has also had one Chrysler trans fail. Brother in law 1998 mini-van fail, had it fixed for $1800, been fine ever since, neighbor had a 2005 Chrysler trans failure, I could go on...Never a GM trans or engine though. Good friend of mine has had two blow up on him, his dad is a Chrysler retiree too, how is that for a kick in the pants! On the flip side, my saisters Subi Forester had a trans go, she traded the car in...Sadly it is true about Chrysler transmissions though. My 2007 Chrysler T&C has a lifetime powertrain warranty. But if they go belly up that and 99 cents will get me a cup of coffee at McD's. So I am rooting for Chrysler's recovery.

[ToolGuy]

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »My 2007 Chrysler T&C has a lifetime powertrain warranty. But if they go belly up that and 99 cents will get me a cup of coffee at McD's. So I am rooting for Chrysler's recovery.Well, I do not think they will go belly up! That happening to Chrysler or GM would devistate my state, and of course many suppliers too. Glad you have the lifetime PT warranty and hope you never need it. The T&C is a great van! That V6 is a really good engine too.

[jake75]

Quote, originally posted by ToolGuy »Well, I do not think they will go belly up! That happening to Chrysler or GM would devistate my state, and of course many suppliers too. Glad you have the lifetime PT warranty and hope you never need it. The T&C is a great van! That V6 is a really good engine too. I have the SWB with the 3.3L. Was on the dealer lot for 6 months so I got a good deal/stole it - about $15,500 after discount and rebates before tax. My 4th SWB Chrysler made van 1996, 1998, 2004, 2007. I upgraded when the deals were right. In 23 months only have 8,200 miles. Use it mostly for longer trips - get about 24 mpg on the road. Also nice to have a second car around so wife and I do not have to change any plans due to vehicle availability. On short trips like the 200 mile one to Lexington, KY last weekend we use the Vibe.