I’m a nub with cars.
my POS Dodge Neon 2002 needs a new transmission. The place I brought it to can get a used on for $1266 ish. give or take a couple hundred for labor.
BUT I also brought the car in for an inspection and the check engine light was on, and I brought it to Midas. They don’t specialize in transmissions.
Is that a good deal for used transmissions? Should I just drive it to a transmission place and see if they can fix the transmission rather than replace it?
ugh, I’m poor and have $5000 left on the loan. another option is to buy another car or lease and just put the $5000 on the new car loan and have HUGE payments.
unless someone wants a black 2002 dodge neon with a shit transmission and one fog light for $5000
yeah, you should be able to get a used tranny from a junk yard for very cheap, then the labor is the only thing that would cost you, find someone that will do side work for you, or ask on here, im sure someone on here is willing to do a tranny swap for you for much cheaper than that and get some side cash!
I put it in reverse the other day and it went no where till I hit the gas a bunch of times.
slips 1st to 2nd and chugs a bit when slowing down.
I brought it in to see what the check engine light was for.
Ic, I only ask because the trannies in the Neons are actually kinda solid and rarely break under normal circumstances but anything can happen. However I have heard of solenoid pack failure being a common culprit behind transmission problems and it will put the car in limp mode. Just a little heads up, hope everything works out for you.
I would definitely go the junkyard trans route. Or better yet, check the neon forums (I’m assuming such a place exists) and see if you can find a used one real cheap there. A week after I put my old Fiero up for sale it blew the 2nd gear syncro. I found a used trans for $75 on the Fiero forum from a guy in Rochester, tossed it in the back of my truck, and swapped it myself in the garage in about 7 hours with nothing just jackstands and hand tools. Paying someone on the side for the labor shouldn’t be THAT expensive, especially if they have air tools and could do the job pretty quick.
Have you checked fluid level? I know that on the 4L60E that is in the car in my sig if the level is low by a quart it behaves much like what you’ve described with your Neon.