Thread: What would you do?

As many of you have read in other recent posts of mine the forward band in the trans broke on my Grand Prix, so I have since bought another car to replace it.

Anyway, I need to make a decision on how to move on from the car. Do I replace the trans and sell it as a running and driving car? Do I just try to sell it as is?

The biggest factor is, will I gain any money from fixing the car, or will is just end up even?

Is it reasonable to think I can get $2000 out of it the way it sits? Running and "drivable." What's it worth if I buy a trans and fix it?

Key details car is a 07 Grand Prix GT (read same as a GTP for those who still don't know the nomenclature changed) has 194,000 miles. It still ran great and looks like a car with 100k miles. It has Inferno hood and GXP/SPO spoiler. Leather interior, power drivers seat, dual heated seats, 5 button DIC, no sunroof, standard (non-Monsoon) single disc CD player with steering wheel controls, dual climate control, no On-Star.

Oil has been changed every 5,000 miles. I installed a trans cooler a few years back. New rack, struts, tie rod ends, sway bar links, etc all installed about 2 years ago. I have a stack of receipts for many regular maintenance items as well.

Any advice is appreciated.

How much do you think you could get if it was running? Around here, you car is easily $5-6K running.

Lazy me says sell as is, but I'm pretty sure you will get much more if she is running and mobile.

I really don't know what I could get with it running, that's part of the reason I posted this thread LOL. I had planned on trying to get $3500 out of it in the springtime had the trans not crapped out on me, but I wasn't sure if I was being unreasonable.

I mean honestly if I could get $2000 out of it the way it sits I would probably end up further ahead than if I fixed and sold it. I figure if I get lucky enough to find a trans I am probably going to have $700 there. Another, what, $200 in trans fluid, filter, etc. Then there is my time.

If I get $3500 out of it running, then I am ahead maybe $400 max ahead of if I sold it as is. I mean, if I could even think about getting $4500 out of it running, then that would be a no-brainer.

This is why the decision is so difficult.

What would I do....?

Put a new band in it. By myself.

I'd do the same as Brandon.

Although...at that cost for fluid and filter... You have me thinking you are driving an Audi like me
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-assemble...e-kit/09lecs2/

To do what is needed is pretty straightforward. It's not bad

I'd pick it up from ya and do the fix. Just don't have room at the moment
Any rust ?

Originally Posted by CrazyGuy03

I'd pick it up from ya and do the fix. Just don't have room at the moment
Any rust ?

I had the page open for awhile dealing with other things and you posted in the meantime.

No rust to speak of. I always tried to run it through the touchless car wash on the warm winter days to get the underbody washed off good.

Well a guy I know used to work for GM rebuilding transmissions. He still does it on the side and told me he could tear it down to install the band and would charge me $500. That includes the band, a few other miscellaneous parts and the filter. I can't remember if it includes fluid, but I want to say it doesn't. He said he would recommend going ahead and doing the torque converter while it was out, but that would be another $250.

I'd still be responsible for removal and reinstall, as well as fluid and whatever other misc. things would come along along the way.

The question still remains, what is the car worth in running and driving condition?

Without crunching speculative numbers... thats a conversational trap... If I were you, I think I'd snatch my trans out and get the guy to build it all the way. Then sell the Mitsu and stay in the Pontiac. You rolled the dice by not selling it last summer and got bit for it, thats all. You scored karma points by not dumping it for top dollar then though. For what its worth, here, CL is flooded with 04+ and prices are dropping fairly quick now. You know you love it so keep it. Dad always said the most frugal thing to do is nearly always fixing what you have and it usually bears true in reality. Figure convenience and your willingness to change a trans in dollar form during the thought process though because your time is worth something. And of all the used cars out there, you know recent history on only one. And it has a plenty of good service life after this fix.

My advice on this may not be the most popular but it is free and I have been through it twice. Transmission failure is worse than most wrecks, financially speaking for non-wrenching individuals. So help yourself by deciding which you need to conserve most... your effort or your dollars.

Regardless of if I fix it or not, it will be sold. I actually just got off the phone with a friend who made me a ridiculous offer to buy some parts off him for my Stealth, which is even more reason to want to push the Pontiac down the road.

I'm starting to think I might talk to my friend again and get all pricing options, then throw it on Craigslist and see what happens.

I'd be really surprised if you could get $2k out of it as is.

I paid $2500 for a loaded and very clean 04 comp g, 4 or 5 years ago with half the miles and a bad motor.

I wouldnt pay over $1500 as is. Cant drive cant test it.

If you did replace the trans or fix it - you could do as mentioned above. Replace the stealth with this as a
side car project.


When you compare the two - which one would take more to make it faster then the other?

No matter what, you'll get a hundred people trying to get just the hood lol.

Originally Posted by ItHurtz

I wouldnt pay over $1500 as is. Cant drive cant test it.

It's just the forward band, so it could be driven. You just have to manually shift to get started. I just wouldn't recommend driving it that way long term.

Originally Posted by CrazyGuy03

If you did replace the trans or fix it - you could do as mentioned above. Replace the stealth with this as a
side car project.


When you compare the two - which one would take more to make it faster then the other?

The Stealth could be WAY faster than this. Even if i couldn't I still wouldn't keep this is a side project over the Stealth.

Originally Posted by industrialfish

No matter what, you'll get a hundred people trying to get just the hood lol.

No doubt about that.