My $100 dollar car getting a transmission

Zorba · Jun 29, 2020

tworley said:
Both my wife and I said that when we have kids, we'll never buy a minivan We'll stick to something like a suburban.

Unless you're going to off road it, tow something with it, and/or haul HEAVY stuff in it, you'd be far better off with a minivan. Just sayin'.

mxz800 · Jun 29, 2020

My dad had a thing for minivans, he had a Windstar, then he got a Freestar, then the last one was a Town and Country.

I really liked the Windstar, the seats were so comfortable, I would drive round trip from Maine to Florida. He had a conversion van but I preferred the Windstar.

InOmaha · Jun 29, 2020

Chris said:
And when you remove the seats (which is very easy) it has just as much room inside as most pickup trucks.

We've owned 2 Honda Minivans. The latest is a 2010 we got in 2012.

The first one, we drove a jacuzzi tub down to my brother's house. They bought it up here and we picked it up when we were going down to visit. I called for exact measurements and showed up with the van. The kid loading it gave me that look like I was about to try and stuff 10 lbs of crap in a 5 lb bag.

I pulled the back seats as far forward as they would go and we stuffed it in. The back door just closed. Luckily the kids were still in car seats and didn't need the leg room. The cargo room is crazy when you take out the back seats. I think the newer model is bigger but gets better gas mileage.

The biggest knock on the Honda is too much road noise.

Chris · Jun 29, 2020

InOmaha said:
The biggest knock on the Honda is too much road noise.

Absolutely agree. This is my only major gripe with it. Other than that, I love it.

I wonder if the Toyota Sienna is quieter.

Zorba · Jun 29, 2020

Road noise? What's that? Huh? What? Speak up!

Squatch · Jun 29, 2020

I've always liked the first gen Mazda MPV. Funky looking, and 4-wheel drive (not AWD). From Wikipedia's description:

"Its selectable 4WD system is not to be confused with all road conditions "all-wheel-drive" systems; the MPV can be switched into locked 4WD with a switch mounted on the column gear selector. A dash mounted switch controlled the center differential, creating a locked power distributions on the front and rear axles. The 4WD is not for use on dry roads, but can be engaged and disengaged while moving."

Flivver250 · Jun 30, 2020

I am a big fan of the old full sized GM station wagons. Our last one was the last year they were made, a 1996 loaded RoadMaster with the first year vortex.

TRevs · Jun 30, 2020

I totally agree on the minivan >> SUV for most folks. Had a '98 Caravan from 2003-2008, then got a new Odyssey. Still have the Honda. Good reliability, plenty of punch, and room for almost everything (although with Kid #7 we had to get a 15 passenger van).

Front-wheel drive is better than rear-wheel drive for most purposes. If you're not pulling a trailer or going off-road, a heavy V-8 RWD SUV isn't worth it.

The Caravan scared me because they were supposed to be less reliable than Honda/Toyota back then, but it was in our price range. When the AT went into safety mode one day I thought we and the budget were toast. Turned out to be a $100 fix for a speed sensor.

The Odyssey is at 110K; the front end clunks from bad bushings (not separately replaceable apparently) in the lower control arms. I had to replace the high-pressure power steering hose but not much more than that. Honda seems to tweak the Odyssey a bit toward "performance" compared to the Sienna. Stiffer suspension maybe; road noise is negligible to me

I would do almost anything if one of them would make a 6sp MT minivan...

Nimbley · Jul 1, 2020

I wouldn't take a minivan as a free gift. There is a reason you don't see many mechanics driving vans of any type, they are a pain in the ass to work on in just about every way.

The Dodge Caravan was the first mini van in the US followed shortly by the Ford Aerostar, which may have been on a F-150 frame (pretty sure it was a Taurus frame) but never had a V-8 as an option (came with a 3.0 V-6). The third american entry was the Chevy Safari, the most like a full size van in design. Interesting those first gen american mini vans were all rear wheel drive and the Chevy even made a 4x4 Safari. Does anyone remember the Toyota mini van with the engine under the drivers seat? I avoid working on them as much as possible, luckily there aren't may left on the road.

Zorba · Jul 1, 2020

Nimbley said:
I wouldn't take a minivan as a free gift. There is a reason you don't see many mechanics driving vans of any type, they are a pain in the ass to work on in just about every way.

Yea, there *is* that. Vans are indeed a class a PITA to work on from what I've seen! I'm no fan of FWD either, but its a cheap way to get decent handling/traction.

Squatch · Jul 1, 2020

Nimbley said:
The Dodge Caravan was the first mini van in the US followed shortly by the Ford Aerostar, which may have been on a F-150 frame (pretty sure it was a Taurus frame) but never had a V-8 as an option (came with a 3.0 V-6). The third american entry was the Chevy Safari, the most like a full size van in design. Interesting those first gen american mini vans were all rear wheel drive and the Chevy even made a 4x4 Safari. Does anyone remember the Toyota mini van with the engine under the drivers seat? I avoid working on them as much as possible, luckily there aren't may left on the road.

Actually, the Chevy Astro predated the Ford Aerostar by a year. Also, the Aerostar could be had with the 4.0 V6, as well as the 3.0. You are correct, however, that they never had the V8. And finally, the Aerostar did not have a frame. It was a unibody.
I remember those Toyota minivans you mentioned. Boxy little things. Can't remember them ever having a name attached to them (LE is all I ever remember them being called). They tend to sell for fairly good money around here, especially in the 4wd version.

Babygools99 · Jul 1, 2020

The 98 Windstar i have has the 3.8 v6. Taking the transmission out has been an absolute nightmare, but if i can get another 80-100k miles out of the van over the next few years i'd go on to say it was a good investment.

Babygools99 · Jul 4, 2020

Day 2 update: basically have to take everything off to drop the transmission. Stabbed the new one in its place and are on the downhill slope putting everything together.

JEEPCJTJ · Jul 4, 2020

Squatch said:
I've always liked the first gen Mazda MPV. Funky looking, and 4-wheel drive (not AWD). From Wikipedia's description:

"Its selectable 4WD system is not to be confused with all road conditions "all-wheel-drive" systems; the MPV can be switched into locked 4WD with a switch mounted on the column gear selector. A dash mounted switch controlled the center differential, creating a locked power distributions on the front and rear axles. The 4WD is not for use on dry roads, but can be engaged and disengaged while moving."
View attachment 173277

I never knew those existed until we bought my wife a 2nd generation MPV and I don't think I've ever seen one in person but I really would have loved to have one. FWIW, our 2nd generation MPV was a 2006 and we bought it in 2008. We ended up with it because it was the only minivan that both the 6'2" me and the wife with long legs could comfortably drive beside the GM minivans that we'd had enough of. It wasn't too fast but it wasn't too slow and handled better than most vehicles I've driven at that time. It kinda drove like a British sports car, had a Ford engine (was it inspired by the Shelby Cobra? HA), and Japanese reliability. I referred to it as our Japanese sports van.

Squatch · Jul 5, 2020

JEEPCJTJ said:
I never knew those existed until we bought my wife a 2nd generation MPV and I don't think I've ever seen one in person but I really would have loved to have one. FWIW, our 2nd generation MPV was a 2006 and we bought it in 2008. We ended up with it because it was the only minivan that both the 6'2" me and the wife with long legs could comfortably drive beside the GM minivans that we'd had enough of. It wasn't too fast but it wasn't too slow and handled better than most vehicles I've driven at that time. It kinda drove like a British sports car, had a Ford engine (was it inspired by the Shelby Cobra? HA), and Japanese reliability. I referred to it as our Japanese sports van.

We bought a 2002 MPV for the daughter. It's actually very comfortable to drive, and has the middle seat that can slide over sideways to create easier access to the back seat. I also like that the windows roll down in the large sliding doors (Mazda was the first to feature that particular set-up, btw). I had to get on my daughter's case about not checking the oil. The last time I checked it, I had to add 3.5 quarts!!! WTF!?!? That van obviously loves my daughter, because by all rights, it should've grenaded its engine by now through her neglect. (She now checks the oil on the 3rd of each month, kinda like paying a bill every month). I've always maintained that Mazdas are an under-rated vehicle, and I still believe that to this day.

Zorba · Jul 5, 2020

I like Mazdas too - best of all the Japanese makes. Neighbor had one that was similar situation to your daughter. She started it up once in my driveway to clattering lifters: "TURN THAT DAMN THING OFF!". I forget how many quarts of oil I poured into it until it showed on the bottom of the dipstick...

Squatch · Jul 5, 2020

Zorba said:
I like Mazdas too - best of all the Japanese makes. Neighbor had one that was similar situation to your daughter. She started it up once in my driveway to clattering lifters: "TURN THAT DAMN THING OFF!". I forget how many quarts of oil I poured into it until it showed on the bottom of the dipstick...

We owned two 2001 Proteges at the same time. I bought and repaired a totaled one for my son, and bought a nice low mileage one for my daughter. Hers was totaled in a head-on collision, and the boy's I eventually bought back off him after he wanted something else. Sold it to a guy at work who absolutely loves it. Super cheap to fix, and easy to work on. 29 mpg all day long. Good cars.

Turdworlder · Jul 5, 2020

You are so lucky ford windstar the cheapest one from 90ies cost atleast 7000$ here. I want some softer car for everyday driving but cars are tripling their prices day by day

Turdworlder · Jul 5, 2020

I am stuck I dont like city driving but i need car for my work, otherwise i would use subway and jeep as weekend car. My only way out i think is hidden gems!? Like saab, citroen, cars with engines bigger than 5.0 litres they cost cheaper here. Any ideas with those?

Babygools99 · Jul 5, 2020

Day 3 update:
Well, my $100 running and driving car just turned into a $400 running and driving car. 20-ish hours of labor in a horse barn with no internet, cell service, limited amount of tools, and no knowledge of how to do any of it. Loved the challenge and learned alot from the experience.

My $100 dollar car getting a transmission

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