Ol' Ford finally kicked the bucket

[ejb222]

Well, driving home on the highway last night and the tranny went. Not too shabby though. 1996 Ford Taurus with 305,000 miles on her. Engine still runs strong...but she won't move while she's in drive. Probably not worth fixing.

So I'm in the hunt for a new car. Considering selling my Strat that I rarely use. The strat is a 96 too :) American, black, maple, pearloid, and SCN pickups with 10way switch. I'm on the fence about selling it. Think I could get $1000? It's in really good shape.

Anyway, anyone have a 06 Jetta with the 5cylinder motor they can either recommend or warn me about? That may be the next car I buy.

Thanks
-EJ

[tiktok]

You got 305,000 miles out of a Ford and for your next car you're thinking...a VW?

Damn--what does a company have to do to get some repeat business?

[mr natural]

Fords have been hit or miss for me. Had an '86 Taurus wagon that I bought for like $500. Lasted about 3 years until the body was mostly rust and the tranny went. Had an Escort for about 4 years that was unkillable. Paid around $250 for it. That thing just kept going no matter what. Never spent a day in the shop. Like an idiot, I traded it in on a new '03 Focus. Which has been nothing but trouble from day 1. It's a total lemon. Oh well.
-Mr. N.

[PapaBeef]

Every Ford I've ever had anything to do with ended with a bad transmission.
There was my 74 Econoline that had 320,000 miles & just crapped out a block from my house, when it was slipping so bad it just couldn't get all the way up the hill.
My 86 Aerostar that I got new & went through 3 transmission rebuilds in the 4 years I had it.
A 92 Mustang that I was able to have my brother replace the torque converter & get a couple more years out of.
My 90 Taurus that crapped out after 130,000 miles.
My 89 Econoline that I inherited from my parents business, that needed a tranny as soon as I got it. That one, I had a friend replace the trannie with one rebuilt by Jasper & it went for about 5 years before it spun a bearing & wasn't worth fixing.
Right now I have a 92 Explorer that I got real cheap for fishing & driving to my doctors appointments. And my wife has a 96 Sable that's like new.

I'll tell ya...If you're considering a repair at all, find a Jasper dealer. You get 3 years unlimited mileage warranty. And it's worth it IMO if the rest of the car is decent.

[tiktok]

Every vehicle I've had with an automatic transmission, that's been the weak link.

[mudbean]

Buy a Honda.

mud

[rangercaster]

an auto trans is good for 100,000-150,000 before an overhaul is needed ... i'd rather drive a manual and replace a clutch or two for a LOT less than a transmission job ... plus a stick is more fun and gets better gas mileage ...

[Derek McNelly]

You could rebuild that trans yourself for $400, assuming you have the knowhow.

[Tonemaster]

Originally Posted by mudbean

Buy a Honda.

mud

Word.

T.

[Strat62]

Originally Posted by Derek McNelly

You could rebuild that trans yourself for $400, assuming you have the knowhow.

+`1. I do my own; I got into it because my drag car runs one; you get to know where the weak links are and how to fix them. And any regular rebuild kit will have a "shift improver kit" with it that will go a long way towards keeping it from burning up again. Technical Video has the how to vids for each type of tranny.

[tcadam]

Originally Posted by tiktok

You got 305,000 miles out of a Ford and for your next car you're thinking...a VW?

Damn--what does a company have to do to get some repeat business?

Hmm, good point.

Ford- 1
VW- 0

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by mudbean

Buy a Honda.

mud

Have you seen the roads in Massachusetts?

The Hondas they make now would be shaken to pieces in no time.

Hondas are fine on smooth as glass roads and if you don't get into collisions.

Drive on rutted roads and in 12 months you'll be trying to remember when you bought a Mitsubishi.

[Derek McNelly]

Originally Posted by Strat62

+`1. I do my own; I got into it because my drag car runs one; you get to know where the weak links are and how to fix them. And any regular rebuild kit will have a "shift improver kit" with it that will go a long way towards keeping it from burning up again. Technical Video has the how to vids for each type of tranny.

The worst part of rebuilding a FWD transmission is removing the darn thing. However, RWD is cake.

[otterhound]

Originally Posted by Derek McNelly

The worst part of rebuilding a FWD transmission is removing the darn thing. However, RWD is cake.

That sure sounds familiar to me . Putting them back in sucks as well . I think that you should buy a brand that never breaks . Just find a dealership with no parts or service departments and you're set for life .

[JPark]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

Have you seen the roads in Massachusetts?

The Hondas they make now would be shaken to pieces in no time.

Hondas are fine on smooth as glass roads and if you don't get into collisions.

Drive on rutted roads and in 12 months you'll be trying to remember when you bought a Mitsubishi.

I have to respectfully disagree. I've driven roads in Massachusetts and the roads around my parts are WAY worse. My Civic is solid as a rock. It's been hit from behind, from the front, and the only 'natural' problem I have is the clear coat is starting to peel. But that's because of the weather it takes.

Oh, and it's still in one piece. And it's got about 252,000 KM on it, and has never had a mechanical problem. It's Hondas for me for the rest of my existence

[Kewk]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

Have you seen the roads in Massachusetts?

The Hondas they make now would be shaken to pieces in no time.

.

Ummm, you're insane. I live in MA, and only buy Hondas. They hold up just fine.

[RodeoTex]

I've owned and abused Ford pickups for years now. Only one transmission failure. I't was a tired old '81 pulling a 22' camper crosscountry. I drive 'em to 200K and still get some trade-in.
For used cars (which I don't have much use for) I've had 4 Nissan Xs. The only lemon among them was the one with an automatic transmission.

[JayFreddy]

Originally Posted by tiktok

You got 305,000 miles out of a Ford and for your next car you're thinking...a VW?

Damn--what does a company have to do to get some repeat business?

+1,000,000!

I dunno'... I've always tried to buy American when I could. I used to like Mopar, then Chrysler went bankrupt. Then I switched to Chevy, now GM's gone bankrupt.

I don't have any problem with Ford, but with my track record, probably the best thing I could do for US car makers is to start buying imports...

[ejb222]

I'm not necassarily brand loyal. Yeah the Ford did last a while...I think it was on it's 3rd tranny though. I prefer the VW now only because for the money, it's the best buy. For $9000 the car is a 2006 with at most 50,000 miles, plus a 2 year warrenty and I would like a stick for the NE winters. Most car companies have their highs and lows...so no hatred for any particular one...just kinda have my own feel for the better car for what I'm lookng for. I've had 2 87 BMW 3 series. With over 200k on them they still rev up smoother than most new cars. Chevy pickups are the longest lasting vehicle on the road and Hondas last a while too with a higher resale value then Toyotas. Anyway...

Anyone have a newer Jetta they can tell me about?

[kelnet]

Are you close personal friends with a good mechanic? If so, then by all means, buy a VW.
But let's face it, Toyota, Honda, Mazda, and Subaru have reliability records that the other makers are striving to equal. Plus, if you want to follow the "buy American" crowd, Toyota, Honda, and Mazda are made right in the USA, so you'll be supporting American workers.