Author Topic: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated  (Read 3495 times)

MsPeacock

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Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« on: May 04, 2018, 01:01:24 PM »
I have a used 2012 Ford Escape that I bought 2 or 3  years ago used. I paid cash. I don't owe anything on it. It has had transmission trouble and now needs a new transmission costing $3400. I hate the fact that the car needs such expensive work and has so few miles on it. (I had multiple mechanics look at it and I am confident of the diagnosis regarding the transmission, unfortunately). Transmission would be "re-manufactered" and come with a 100,000 mile/ 3(or5?) year warranty.

I generally just *hate* having to deal with car repairs in any form. I bought this car after off-loading a horrible clown car that was a terrible choice for me (monthly payments - new car - learned my lesson). I really hoped to drive this car until it fell apart at 200k miles or something. Unfortunately, it appears to be falling apart at 50k miles...

The car is drive-able - in the sense that I can get it from the shop to my house - but not reliable - I don't want to drive it any distance and I don't think it is safe at this point (It lost all forward power on Monday and took several tries, unfortunately while stuck in a parking garage on the ramp - to get it to do anything other than drive in reverse).

Should I suck it up and make these repairs? Try to sell it without the repairs? If so, how do I set a price for a car needing such an expensive repair? Take it to Carmax and see what they would give me for it? If I buy something else - how do I get something reliable (basically - I guess get a Toyota or a Honda...?).

Today I am picking it up from the transmission shop and parking it at home while I sort out what to do. I can get by for a while with my bike, but not for long. (Before anyone tells me to just bike it - I am a single parent with two children in the DC area. I bike commute as much as I can given my schedule and the weather - but I can't handle doctors appointments and kid's needs and grocery shopping, my work,  and various other activities w/o a car at this point in time.)

frugaliknowit

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #1 on: May 04, 2018, 01:26:56 PM »
Have you looked into a transmission from a wreck (installed by your or another mechanic)?

MsPeacock

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #2 on: May 04, 2018, 02:21:22 PM »
Have you looked into a transmission from a wreck (installed by your or another mechanic)?

Other mechanic isn’t a transmission specialist. He said he could replace it with a junket but would have to call around to find one and that “it would be a little cheaper.”  I hesitate over a salvage one since mine crapped out at 50k miles and I think the replacement would likely have more miles and no warrety. The other mechanic also isn’t a transmission specialist so I am concerned about having him do the work.

charis

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #3 on: May 04, 2018, 02:31:51 PM »
I paid the same for transmission rebuild last year on a 2009 car, 90K miles.  I was annoyed but reasonably secure in the knowledge that we would be driving the car for years after that.  Why do you think your car is falling apart, aside from needing a new transmission?  Sure, it stinks, but if the car will last for a long time hereafter, why not just pay the repair?

MsPeacock

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #4 on: May 04, 2018, 02:57:42 PM »
Good point. I guess I worry that having a significant problem at 50k miles is a bad prognostic indicator for the car overall. I don’t know if it is or isn’t.

RWD

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #5 on: May 04, 2018, 03:02:36 PM »
The Ford Escape is below average for reliability, though the 2012 model in particular looks to be a bit of a statistical anomaly and is a bit above average.
http://www.dashboard-light.com/vehicles/Ford_Escape.html

MsPeacock

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #6 on: May 04, 2018, 03:20:44 PM »
The Ford Escape is below average for reliability, though the 2012 model in particular looks to be a bit of a statistical anomaly and is a bit above average.
http://www.dashboard-light.com/vehicles/Ford_Escape.html

When I bought it the reliability ratings looked good. However they change over time. There is now some indication online of known/not unusual transmission problems.

How would that affect your decision making in this situation?

Oh - wanted to add that gets is a recall for something with the fuel pump but all the dealerships say they can’t get the part to make the repair.

TheWifeHalf

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #7 on: May 04, 2018, 04:42:31 PM »
Are there any 'money off' deals from Ford? That's an awfully short time for the transmission to go bad.

The reason I ask:
TheHusbandHalf went to get his spark plugs changed on his Lincoln pickup (he said Lincoln and Ford are related) and found out at the dealer that he got a discount on changing them.  Seems there was a class action suit because the metal used on the spark plugs reacted with the metal of where ever the spark plug goes and it was almost impossible to get them out. I'm not positive, but I think it was steel and aluminum. (sorry for the non auto language)

Years ago we had a Dodge Caravan, and complete strangers in parking lots would come up to me and ask, "How many transmission have you had?"
We ended up having to get a new transmission, free. All because of a class action suit. I think that transmission was free.

frugaliknowit

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #8 on: May 04, 2018, 04:54:10 PM »
How much can you get for it "as is" without fixing it?

A very long time ago I did a rebuild on a Taurus tranny.  The tranny "crapped out" as soon as the warranty did...I'm not saying that's the same as what would happen to you....

MsPeacock

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #9 on: May 04, 2018, 08:46:56 PM »
How much can you get for it "as is" without fixing it?

A very long time ago I did a rebuild on a Taurus tranny.  The tranny "crapped out" as soon as the warranty did...I'm not saying that's the same as what would happen to you....

 Not sure. I thought about taking it to a dealership or Carmax and seeing what they would give m. I honestly feel emotionally sick over the wh9le situation because I don’t like any of my options!

My fear is that it would need another catastrophic level repair again. The transmission would have a three year / 10000 mile warrrenty. I put maybe 8k miles max on my car per year -so three years.

all the reasonable used car opti9ns have so many miles on them! I thought I was doing good getting the car with low miles and that I’d be able to drive it for a really long time.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2018, 08:49:37 PM by MsPeacock »

Case

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #10 on: May 05, 2018, 08:02:44 PM »
I have a used 2012 Ford Escape that I bought 2 or 3  years ago used. I paid cash. I don't owe anything on it. It has had transmission trouble and now needs a new transmission costing $3400. I hate the fact that the car needs such expensive work and has so few miles on it. (I had multiple mechanics look at it and I am confident of the diagnosis regarding the transmission, unfortunately). Transmission would be "re-manufactered" and come with a 100,000 mile/ 3(or5?) year warranty.

I generally just *hate* having to deal with car repairs in any form. I bought this car after off-loading a horrible clown car that was a terrible choice for me (monthly payments - new car - learned my lesson). I really hoped to drive this car until it fell apart at 200k miles or something. Unfortunately, it appears to be falling apart at 50k miles...

The car is drive-able - in the sense that I can get it from the shop to my house - but not reliable - I don't want to drive it any distance and I don't think it is safe at this point (It lost all forward power on Monday and took several tries, unfortunately while stuck in a parking garage on the ramp - to get it to do anything other than drive in reverse).

Should I suck it up and make these repairs? Try to sell it without the repairs? If so, how do I set a price for a car needing such an expensive repair? Take it to Carmax and see what they would give me for it? If I buy something else - how do I get something reliable (basically - I guess get a Toyota or a Honda...?).

Today I am picking it up from the transmission shop and parking it at home while I sort out what to do. I can get by for a while with my bike, but not for long. (Before anyone tells me to just bike it - I am a single parent with two children in the DC area. I bike commute as much as I can given my schedule and the weather - but I can't handle doctors appointments and kid's needs and grocery shopping, my work,  and various other activities w/o a car at this point in time.)

Why on earth would you buy an SUV?  Unless you take advantage of its features on a regular basis, trade in this POS for a real not-clown car.  This forum is replete with recommendations for cars that will work for 2 kids in a suburban/urban area like the DMV.

Make the world safer and get rid of the SUV.

G-dog

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #11 on: May 05, 2018, 08:51:00 PM »
How much can you get for it "as is" without fixing it?

A very long time ago I did a rebuild on a Taurus tranny.  The tranny "crapped out" as soon as the warranty did...I'm not saying that's the same as what would happen to you....

 Not sure. I thought about taking it to a dealership or Carmax and seeing what they would give m. I honestly feel emotionally sick over the wh9le situation because I don’t like any of my options!

My fear is that it would need another catastrophic level repair again. The transmission would have a three year / 10000 mile warrrenty. I put maybe 8k miles max on my car per year -so three years.

all the reasonable used car opti9ns have so many miles on them! I thought I was doing good getting the car with low miles and that I’d be able to drive it for a really long time.

I just did a quick Kelly Blue Book estimate for 2012 Ford Escape, base (cheapest) package, 50K miles, standard equipment / options for zip code 20001, in “Good” condition:
Trade-in value = $6.3-7.5K
Private Sale = ~ $8-10K

I obviously made a lot of assumptions, but that’s a ballpark. You could go to Kelly Blue Book and put in more accurate data. You could also check Car Gurus as well. 

But, spending a third of the high end private sale value seems worth it.  You can also complain to Ford, and/or a government oversight group for the car industry (not sure offhand who this may be).

MsPeacock

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #12 on: May 06, 2018, 06:39:57 PM »
I have a used 2012 Ford Escape that I bought 2 or 3  years ago used. I paid cash. I don't owe anything on it. It has had transmission trouble and now needs a new transmission costing $3400. I hate the fact that the car needs such expensive work and has so few miles on it. (I had multiple mechanics look at it and I am confident of the diagnosis regarding the transmission, unfortunately). Transmission would be "re-manufactered" and come with a 100,000 mile/ 3(or5?) year warranty.

I generally just *hate* having to deal with car repairs in any form. I bought this car after off-loading a horrible clown car that was a terrible choice for me (monthly payments - new car - learned my lesson). I really hoped to drive this car until it fell apart at 200k miles or something. Unfortunately, it appears to be falling apart at 50k miles...

The car is drive-able - in the sense that I can get it from the shop to my house - but not reliable - I don't want to drive it any distance and I don't think it is safe at this point (It lost all forward power on Monday and took several tries, unfortunately while stuck in a parking garage on the ramp - to get it to do anything other than drive in reverse).

Should I suck it up and make these repairs? Try to sell it without the repairs? If so, how do I set a price for a car needing such an expensive repair? Take it to Carmax and see what they would give me for it? If I buy something else - how do I get something reliable (basically - I guess get a Toyota or a Honda...?).

Today I am picking it up from the transmission shop and parking it at home while I sort out what to do. I can get by for a while with my bike, but not for long. (Before anyone tells me to just bike it - I am a single parent with two children in the DC area. I bike commute as much as I can given my schedule and the weather - but I can't handle doctors appointments and kid's needs and grocery shopping, my work,  and various other activities w/o a car at this point in time.)

Why on earth would you buy an SUV?  Unless you take advantage of its features on a regular basis, trade in this POS for a real not-clown car.  This forum is replete with recommendations for cars that will work for 2 kids in a suburban/urban area like the DMV.

Make the world safer and get rid of the SUV.

I actually do take advantage of it’s features on a regular basis. Thanks, though.

MsPeacock

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #13 on: May 06, 2018, 06:42:28 PM »
How much can you get for it "as is" without fixing it?

A very long time ago I did a rebuild on a Taurus tranny.  The tranny "crapped out" as soon as the warranty did...I'm not saying that's the same as what would happen to you....

 Not sure. I thought about taking it to a dealership or Carmax and seeing what they would give m. I honestly feel emotionally sick over the wh9le situation because I don’t like any of my options!

My fear is that it would need another catastrophic level repair again. The transmission would have a three year / 10000 mile warrrenty. I put maybe 8k miles max on my car per year -so three years.

all the reasonable used car opti9ns have so many miles on them! I thought I was doing good getting the car with low miles and that I’d be able to drive it for a really long time.

I just did a quick Kelly Blue Book estimate for 2012 Ford Escape, base (cheapest) package, 50K miles, standard equipment / options for zip code 20001, in “Good” condition:
Trade-in value = $6.3-7.5K
Private Sale = ~ $8-10K

I obviously made a lot of assumptions, but that’s a ballpark. You could go to Kelly Blue Book and put in more accurate data. You could also check Car Gurus as well. 

But, spending a third of the high end private sale value seems worth it.  You can also complain to Ford, and/or a government oversight group for the car industry (not sure offhand who this may be).

That’s pretty much the conclusion I’ve  come to. So it is now back at the shop as of tonight for the repairs. I do plan to file a complaint, not that I think that will lead to anything.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #14 on: May 07, 2018, 06:51:46 AM »
That’s pretty much the conclusion I’ve  come to. So it is now back at the shop as of tonight for the repairs. I do plan to file a complaint, not that I think that will lead to anything.

You never know.  I had to replace both head gaskets on a Subaru - it turned out there was a hidden warranty in the US for that model year and head gaskets.  Subaru Canada said they did not have a hidden warranty but it reimbursed me for the head gasket replacement.  I had a meticulous service record, there was no way they could blame it on me, when it was a known problem.

Case

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #15 on: May 07, 2018, 06:11:50 PM »
I have a used 2012 Ford Escape that I bought 2 or 3  years ago used. I paid cash. I don't owe anything on it. It has had transmission trouble and now needs a new transmission costing $3400. I hate the fact that the car needs such expensive work and has so few miles on it. (I had multiple mechanics look at it and I am confident of the diagnosis regarding the transmission, unfortunately). Transmission would be "re-manufactered" and come with a 100,000 mile/ 3(or5?) year warranty.

I generally just *hate* having to deal with car repairs in any form. I bought this car after off-loading a horrible clown car that was a terrible choice for me (monthly payments - new car - learned my lesson). I really hoped to drive this car until it fell apart at 200k miles or something. Unfortunately, it appears to be falling apart at 50k miles...

The car is drive-able - in the sense that I can get it from the shop to my house - but not reliable - I don't want to drive it any distance and I don't think it is safe at this point (It lost all forward power on Monday and took several tries, unfortunately while stuck in a parking garage on the ramp - to get it to do anything other than drive in reverse).

Should I suck it up and make these repairs? Try to sell it without the repairs? If so, how do I set a price for a car needing such an expensive repair? Take it to Carmax and see what they would give me for it? If I buy something else - how do I get something reliable (basically - I guess get a Toyota or a Honda...?).

Today I am picking it up from the transmission shop and parking it at home while I sort out what to do. I can get by for a while with my bike, but not for long. (Before anyone tells me to just bike it - I am a single parent with two children in the DC area. I bike commute as much as I can given my schedule and the weather - but I can't handle doctors appointments and kid's needs and grocery shopping, my work,  and various other activities w/o a car at this point in time.)

Why on earth would you buy an SUV?  Unless you take advantage of its features on a regular basis, trade in this POS for a real not-clown car.  This forum is replete with recommendations for cars that will work for 2 kids in a suburban/urban area like the DMV.

Make the world safer and get rid of the SUV.

I actually do take advantage of it’s features on a regular basis. Thanks, though.

If it works for you, great.  Def a clown car though.  Though maybe not as clowny as bigger SUVs.
« Last Edit: May 07, 2018, 06:14:52 PM by Case »

MsPeacock

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Re: Car woes - thoughts and ideas appreciated
« Reply #16 on: May 08, 2018, 01:32:44 PM »
That’s pretty much the conclusion I’ve  come to. So it is now back at the shop as of tonight for the repairs. I do plan to file a complaint, not that I think that will lead to anything.

You never know.  I had to replace both head gaskets on a Subaru - it turned out there was a hidden warranty in the US for that model year and head gaskets.  Subaru Canada said they did not have a hidden warranty but it reimbursed me for the head gasket replacement.  I had a meticulous service record, there was no way they could blame it on me, when it was a known problem.

How did you find out about the hidden warranty? The dealership told me it wasn’t under warranty, but there general level of competence seemed very low. I did file a complaint on the NTSB website.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!