Should I sell my car?
 

Hi,

We have just been on the fence lately about whether or not we should sell our car. It is a 2004 Acura TL, has about 105000 kms on it and is honestly in great condition. The reason I have been looking into selling it is that I have recently been informed about the transmission failing at some point, which would cost ~$3k to replace. I have heard that even the new transmission fails after replacing it. So would it be a wise move to sell my car and maybe get an 07-08 TL (don't like the look of the new ones), since I will probably won't lose as much as I would if I decide to sell it later on? I don't want to hear my dad complaining about how I got him a "lemon" (even though it is a stellar car). But I also really do not want to sell it as I just plain love it, the 07-08 TL's just don't do it for me.... Are all the transmissions failure prone or just specific ones? Acura said they have been recalled and fixed? Do they still fail despite the recalls?

What would you guys do in this situation?

Thanks for any input!

Get rid of it, get an E36 BMW, swap in an LS1 + T56 or a 302 + T5


Sssssssssuper cheap maintenance and parts after that's done

From what I learned on these forums, all honda v6+auto are terrible and all fail.

You love the 3G but scared of the 5AT

Solution: buy the TypeS in 6MT and never worry about that shiz again!

http://imageshack.us/a/img838/6433/c437.jpg

^I was thinking that too, but neither my parents nor I can drive a manual

Fix it, you can learn in a day.

Yes I can learn, but my parents need the car regularly as well and they are seriously against a manual. My mom's not the best driver in the world either, so it wouldn't help her that the car is manual :/

buy a camry :fullofwin:

+1

Here's the thing. Would you be able to find a buyer for your vehicle, find the right vehicle to purchase, and complete the transaction within a day or two? (Does your family only have one car?) If no, it would be difficult to complete this entire transaction smoothly, since there are many variables (buyers/sellers backing out last minute, scheduling conflicts, what-if's).

Thanks everyone! Well I don't think it would usually be that smooth but we do have another car so it shouldn't make THAT much of a difference. Except maybe if we sell the car and cannot find another one in time my mom would need to get to work somehow... Camry's are nice I'll go look at some, but I love the look of Acuras they're just so stylish and comfortable. I was just wondering if it would be a good idea to sell my car now and get a newer (07-08) TL? Or should I ditch the honda V6's altogether

Cars eventually grow on people, some quicker than others. If you think the TL might get boring in a year or two, stick with the one you have. Buying and selling a vehicle isn't fun, especially if its the same make/model you're buying. You won't know the service history, how it was driven, etc (unless your TL has not been with you long).

The 07-08TL have a better transmission than the 04-06. That being said, still do consider what was said above.

Depends on your financial situation. Your 04 will sell for maybe 9-10k, the replacement 07-08 will be anywhere from 13-20k depending on kms/type s/rebuilt or not etc.. For a clean one expect at least 16-20k price tag.

Another issue is actually finding the replacement car, not too many on the market and at least 75% of those are rebuilt/200k kms+.

Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don't. How much money have you sunk into the current car? If you've done regular maintenance and can see your family driving the car for the next 5-8 years, just start saving for a possible transmission rebuild. If you buy another used car, there's no guarantee that you won't face a similar issue down the road and on top of that, you'll have to sink in money for regular maintenance. Buying a used car is a crapshoot at the best of times - it costs you time (the right car may take months or years to come on the market) and money (pre-purchase inspections, Carproof reports, and taxes at purchase).

Another preventative measure would be to change the transmission fluid. Would changing the transmission fluid help?

No, changing the fluids wont help in this case. Might prolong the inevitable slightly, but doubtful.

OP meet MG1.

MG meet rzrshrp.

Perhaps look into financing the current Accord 4cyl, it's pretty spacious, well equipped, and extremely comfortable.

@Gazorcoop: Will do! Thanks! And you're right, I don't see myself getting bored of this car yet

@LP700-4: Yeah I think we should be fine financially. There is always a loss to be had with investments like these. It's just that I don't know if there is a point in keeping the car, in case I rebuild the transmission and the new one craps out again as well.

@Tapioca: Wow, that is a great point you brought up. That's opening a whole new can of worms, who knows how the car was handled by the previous owner. It's a great car tbh, looks far ahead of its time. I can definitely see my family driving it for another 5 years, but probably not for that long in reality because with all the new models out it seems to be getting slightly dated. Yes! I have changed everything on time, all regular maintenance done. Thanks!

@swfk: Yes, looked into an accord but a six cylinder would be ideal

my friend had your dilemma, but with an 04 oddessey, which has the same trans problems your TL is known for. there has been a class action lawsuit over this trans and there is even a dedicated website for it:

Odyssey Transmission

his van was dealer serviced from day one. one day with 104k mi on the odo without warning the trans went boom and left him and his family stranded by the side of hwy waiting for a tow. the rebuilt one the dealer put in started going bad just as the warranty on it expired. the dealer gave him a rough time until they changed it again with a second rebuilt unit. the day he picked it up he told the service department what he thought them and then drove it to the toyota dealership across the street and traded it in for a sienna which has been bombproof to this day...

A 2004 TL with out a post-2005 transmission rebuild is NOT worth $10k, more like 4 to 5. No one with a brain will pay that for a car that guaranteed will need a new trans and can find that info by spending 30 seconds on google.

So you're saying most people out there will still pay 10k..

A quick search lead me to some info mentioning that regularly changing the fluid and the pressure switches will prevent/correct tranny issues, so that may be worth digging into. Like others have said, getting a different car is a whole new can of worms, even a brand new vehicle could have the same defects down the road.

People still buy 97-01 Prelude autos for the same price as manuals.

It's the third gear clutch that goes, which sends material all through the transmission. If it hasn't been replaced with the updated 2005 part it 100% will fail. To get it rebuilt is minimum $2500. Yes other cars may have issues, but this one will have issues, and a very expensive one at that. Any TL without it done knock $3k off whatever they're asking. I know as a relative bought one new.

Everyone knows that at the end of the day all options lead to e36

I dream of the day Vancouverites, sick of transit and the high cost of car maintenance, are all rumbling down Cambie street in a sea of European luxury cars powered by cheap American V8's