Hi Scott,
First of all, thanks so much for the good "general" help (and entertainment too 🙂 you've given me with your fun-to-watch, informative videos. Been watching your videos since I was introduced to your work by an officemate last year, who incidentally also advised me to write you.
I have a good friend who's selling me her low-mileage 2012 Nissan Rogue (80k miles, Automatic), with a *broken transmission*, that she's not confident to drive anymore. Mavis, the car-repair-chain, says "there's something with the transmission that they are not 'authorized' to repair."
Being a bit more knowledgeable on cars than her, I thought of buying it at a low price and getting the tranny rebuilt or replaced, by a reputable shop (which I still need to research on.)
I've seen your video where you said to *stay away* from such a model, because 'Jatco' (the Nissan subsidiary who developed this tranny) did a poor job, compared to Toyota's 'Aisin' subsidiary.
I've just wondering if you could assist me further in below (4) questions, given the low-mileage and the opportunity for a win-win between friends.
1. Should I still stay-away from the deal outright? If not: What are the good questions to ask her or myself or you?
2. Can a remanufactured version of the CVT *improve/fix* the original design defects/issues by Jatco? (I've read such assertions from the internet, but I have doubts.)
3. Can such a remanufactured version also last 80K miles? (AAMCO offers a basic 3-year, 18K warranty. I think the warranty should be 5-years, 60K miles on parts and labor, given a potential 4K to 5K cash outlay.
4. What shops can you recommend here in NJ? (Not sure if you have friends or contacts here.)
Like you, I've had a good experience with my '07 Accord (225K miles) and my '12 Sienna (105K) files. No major repairs so far with these makes.
I just feel that there's an opportunity here, given that the car as a low-mileage, and my Accord may not be worthwhile to repair anymore, in case something major breaks down.
Please advise. And thanks in advanced, Sir.
Best wishes,
Jay
(Central New Jersey)
If the following conditions are met:
1) You have the skill set and/or knowledge of how to fix the problem.
2) The cost to acquire a similar car of the same class and mileage is significantly less than (cost to acquire the broken Rogue + the cost the broken part.)
(whether this be through your own sweat or paying a mechanic)
3) A positive projection that the fixed car will be reliable, based on available data.
Then go ahead and go for it! Me personally, I’m not skilled or knowledgable enough. But I do appreciate your entrepreneurial spirit in trying to find possible deals!
Thanks so much Kaizen for the well thought out advice! Yes, I methodically went through your (3) points, and came to the conclusion that: 1) I don't have the time to acquire the skill-set nor knowledge required to mitigate the risks, and (3) I will still not feel confident on the fixed car as the data may just not be there. As for (2), it sure is tempting given the price of say a Toyota RAV4 with a similar mileage is significantly higher that this "buy and repair deal", points (1) and (3) outweigh the potential payoff in (2)...BTW, your methodology is applicable I think on other problem contexts, and I'm sure I'll reuse your advice again down the line! Thanks again!
I would stay away from the deal. To fix it could cost you more than the car would be with the new transmission. I would not trust the newer versions as well
Thanks Jpparisio! I just called my friend and walked away from the deal.
If it were me, and I wanted to keep her as a good friend, I would warmly thank her for the opportunity to purchase her vehicle, but politely decline.
Her best bet is to sell it to a shop that does graveyard rebuilds and then sells the animated corpses on weekly payments in the shady part of town.
golem- I did as you said. She was cool about it. Thanks!