Transmission Question

[philosophicaldreamer]

I asked someone on the board this question but never got any response. So I am hoping that one of you will be able to help me. My friend's 2001 XC70 with 178K miles experienced "deadly" transmission failure. The car looks great, and my friend is considering whether he should put a new tranny into the car, or buy another car. He is leaning toward having a dealer install a new tranny, but he wants to know whether new transmissions are like old ones, or are they new and improved versions of the old ones?

Any help will be appreciated.
Thank you.
Ta-ta, j.

[JRL]

They are the same except I would guess they have all the latest valve body, B4 servos and of course the latest software.
With no stop neutral function to immediately hammer the transmission it should be fine and probably outlast the car at this point.
The other question that remains;
is he sure he wants to spend about what this XC is worth?
An 01 with that many miles is a 5K retail car (maybe) and a $3000-$3500 wholesale car and a new (rebuilt) trans will be from $3000 to $4500 depending on who installs it

[philosophicaldreamer]

They are the same except I would guess they have all the latest valve body, B4 servos and of course the latest software.
With no stop neutral function to immediately hammer the transmission it should be fine and probably outlast the car at this point.
The other question that remains;
is he sure he wants to spend about what this XC is worth?
An 01 with that many miles is a 5K retail car (maybe) and a $3000-$3500 wholesale car and a new (rebuilt) trans will be from $3000 to $4500 depending on who installs it

JRL:

Thank you for your response. I've asked him about this, too. The car indeed is spotless. He is O.C. He says that it is cheaper for him to spend $4000 on a transmission then to buy a brand new XC70. What is astonishing about the whole thing is that he is bonefide multimillionaire. His wife drives a $80K Mercedes, and he prefers to keep his old Volvo. Go and figure:rolleyes: When you ask him why he does not get a new Volvo, which costs half of his wife's car, he says that having an old Volvo is good for business. When people see him in an old Volvo, they think that he is moderately successful, and they are less likely to hit him for money. You should see him go and buy cars. When he was buying a Mercedes for his wife, he went to a local Mercedes dealer in a worn out suit, which you could buy at Goodwill for 10 bucks. When he entered the lot no one bothered to talk to him because all these salesmen assumed that he could not afford any car on the lot. Then one of the youngest salesman approached him, and they started to talk about football. Two hours later they guy was holding a check for over $80K, and you should have seen the faces of all these other salesmen who did not bother to talk to my friend. He is a strange bird, but he would give you his last dollar if he considers you a friend.:o

Thanks JRL.
Hope you have a nice 4th.
Ta-ta, j.



Thanks again for your help. He is going to be happy to hear about the tranny improvements.

[Ragman]

I have 109,000miles on my '01 and there are occasional clunks and slams from the tranny-even after a flush and software update. I've decided, with this board's help, to trade it in for a low mileage '04. I figure spending 3-4 grand for a down payment on a newer car is better than putting it in an old one. Have '01's really depreciated that much!?!