Help, my car just quit on me - Page 2

lje62 · 10-28-2009, 07:23 AM

My husband is a diehard Toyota fan...and that includes Lexus and Scions. I will never be allowed to stray from those cars. My current car is a 2002 with 150K. We have only done wear and tear maintenance on it ( tires,brakes,timing belt ,etc ) It runs like a top and I will most likely drive it until it dies, if it ever does

Onward · 10-28-2009, 07:48 AM

You got me nervous DadII. Older d drives a 03 Taurus. Yikes! This is the first I've heard of this problem.

Dad II · 10-28-2009, 08:46 AM

Onward. Google "Ford Taurus transmission" and you will find 100s people had experienced the same failure. Some had that around 50,000 miles. The worst part is that that was no warning sign at all. The car drives fine all the way from work and it just went.

I was counting on my lucky stars afterward. Had this happened on highway, I could have been in a very serious accident.

jym626 · 10-28-2009, 09:08 AM

Here's a thought. You can buy a motorized electric vehicle for about $6-10K (or a fancy Hummer- looking model with top-of- the- line sound system for $20K) and get a tax credit of up to about $5,500. Its practically like getting a new vehicle for about $5k. Just don't expect to be able to do much highway or long distance driving with it, but for local travel, its apparently catching on like wildfire.

Golf Cart Tax Credit Stokes Controversy

Golf Car Sales Spike Thanks to '08 Bailout - ABC News

From the WSJ:

Quote:

The federal credit provides from $4,200 to $5,500 for the purchase of an electric vehicle, and when it is combined with similar incentive plans in many states the tax credits can pay for nearly the entire cost of a golf cart. Even in states that don't have their own tax rebate plans, the federal credit is generous enough to pay for half or even two-thirds of the average sticker price of a cart, which is typically in the range of $8,000 to $10,000. "The purchase of some models could be absolutely free," Roger Gaddis of Ada Electric Cars in Oklahoma said earlier this year. "Is that about the coolest thing you've ever heard?"

The golf-cart boom has followed an IRS ruling that golf carts qualify for the electric-car credit as long as they are also road worthy. These qualifying golf carts are essentially the same as normal golf carts save for adding some safety features, such as side and rearview mirrors and three-point seat belts. They typically can go 15 to 25 miles per hour.

In South Carolina, sales of these carts have been soaring as dealerships alert customers to Uncle Sam's giveaway. "The Golf Cart Man" in the Villages of Lady Lake, Florida is running a banner online ad that declares: "GET A FREE GOLF CART. Or make $2,000 doing absolutely nothing!"

Golf Cart Man is referring to his offer in which you can buy the cart for $8,000, get a $5,300 tax credit off your 2009 income tax, lease it back for $100 a month for 27 months, at which point Golf Cart Man will buy back the cart for $2,000. "This means you own a free Golf Cart or made $2,000 cash doing absolutely nothing!!!" You can't blame a guy for exploiting loopholes that Congress offers.

The IRS has also ruled that there's no limit to how many electric cars an individual can buy, so some enterprising profiteers are stocking up on multiple carts while the federal credit lasts, in order to resell them at a profit later.

NJres · 10-28-2009, 09:28 AM

whoa! Didn't know that! A golf cart would be real useful around here. There are actually a few in the neighborhood already. Sister in law could definitely use one to ride the 2 blocks to her boat slip. Will research this one. Thanks!

jym626 · 10-28-2009, 09:33 AM

^^^ Yup, its a great deal! I find the creative uses of this option (eg that of "The Golf Cart Man") interesting. Ahh... the spirit of free enterprise....

***** Forgot to mention-- be careful with golf carts. There have been a lot of accidents with them, and some ill-informed parents have let their kids drive them, sometimes unsupervised, thinking it was safe. Tragic results ensued in some cases.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0610071908.htm

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnew...891.xml&coll=2

Dad II · 10-28-2009, 10:31 AM

Thanks, but I need a car to go to work 30 miles one way.

The problem I have now is "trusting" a mechanics. They all said: bring it in and we only charge you $50 ~ 100 to inspect it. Once they took the transmission apart and said "it is about 3K" then what do I do?

If I don't have it fixed, what do I do with this piece of metal in my driveway?

jym626 · 10-28-2009, 10:41 AM

Who does the routine service and maintenance on your car? If you have been having the car properly maintained according to service guides in the manual, you should have a service place you have been dealing with. If they dont fix transmissions, ask them who they recommend. And check the Better Business Bureau in your area for any complaints. And check to see if they are ASE certified. That guarantees a certain level of proficiency and reliability. If you haven't been properly maintaining your car, it could have been leaking transmission fluid for a while and caused your problem.

My car goes in for its 50K service tomorrow. Proper maintenance is the key to the longevity of the car. Cheaper to replace a few gaskets than to replace the whole car.

dadx · 10-28-2009, 11:13 AM

This is truly amazing.....and makes me very happy I don't own one. Based on these posts, this is unlikely to be a maintenance issue.

2003 Ford Taurus transmission failed | CarComplaints.com

I hate to say it, but this is consistent with my view of what's wrong with the domestic manufacturers. And its not the lazy workers. Its the incompetent engineers and the shortsighted bean counters. I bought my first Japanese car in 1980. It never had any problems. Everything worked when I drove it home. Nothing broke off when I operated it. My first new car was a mid seventies pontiac that I really loved. We sold it when we moved to where we didn't need a car after three years and 42,000 miles. For some reason, I had loved it despite: 1. Non-working odometer noticed in first day. Return to dealer to pull dash and replace part. Dealer dents hood in shop and has to repaint. 2. Voltage regulator fails on trip south over Christmas. 3. Thermostat fails and causes water hose failure. 4. Heater core develops leak and soaks carpets. I cant' figure out why windows are so foggy. 5. Paint on rear marker lights rusts off within a year....on mine and every similar model. Happens again. 6. Plastic around bucket seat bottoms breaks off. 7. Center cap of factory mag wheels will not stay on and is lost on two wheels.

I still loved it when I traded it, but after owning my first toyota, and then three more, I realized the pontiac was the equivalent of an abusive relationship. I gave GM one more try in the mid 80s, but bailed out in only 9 months when my buick was having transmission shudders, a speedometer that sometimes read 0 at 60 mph, and the wiper motor quit in less than a year. Never again. Your car doesn't have to beat you up.

IF you donate that car and can claim blue book, it might be worth a couple thousand to you in tax deducations, depending. I have no idea what anyone would pay in its current state.

jym626 · 10-28-2009, 12:38 PM

I believe current tax rules allow only to take the value of the car if it is operational. When older s's infiniti (bought for $3k!) had the little tensioner that holds the timing belt break (we had replaced the timing belt not long before!!) anyway- it ruined the engine and wasn't worth fixing. We were told when we donated the car that we could only take the value of the car minus the reapir costs, or the value of the parts, or something like that. We got only about a $500 write-off

*** BTW, thats an interesting link, dadx. I was surprised to see a couple of Hondas in the list of top 10 cars that had the most complaints http://www.carcomplaints.com/top_vehicles.shtml

jym626 · 10-28-2009, 12:48 PM

Here's a description of the tax write-off limits. Rules changed in 2005 (which was the year his car died) Donating a vehicle to charity

younghoss · 10-28-2009, 02:24 PM

My s car just turned over 210k. Good ol' Dodge Dart Sport.

I'd recommend that if as far as you know other parts are working, carefully diagnose tranny; and if at all feasible try to fix tranny.

jym626 · 10-28-2009, 02:44 PM

^^^ You have a Dodge Dart, younghoss??? Wow!!! That was my brother's first car, and he is now 59 yrs old!!!

AllThisIsNewToMe · 10-28-2009, 03:32 PM

You WERE lucky. My transmission (in a Honda Accord I had years ago) died where two of Houston's major hwy's intersect. I coasted down a ramp and held down my horn as I scooted across the feeder til I could stop. Seems funny in retrospect. NOT funny that day.

dadx · 10-28-2009, 03:45 PM

JYM

I'd never seen it before, but its obviously very useful to used car buyers.
And I'm surprised about the same things, and also the RAV4 transmission issue. It does seem that you can make some informed judgement about the severity of these problems based on the numbers.

For new car buyers, its a little less useful, but could steer you away from disasters. I'm surprised at how many transmission problems are out there.