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10 year old Mercedes SUV probably needs a new transmission. Has 105,000 miles on it. Can put a replacement transmission is for about $3,500. May run for another 2-3 years. Or get a new car. Problem is there aren't any new cars. Went to two dealerships today. Drove a new Ford Edge that has a MSRP of $42k and then went to the Nissan place but they didn't really have any cars. Will probably go to a couple of more tomorrow. I'm wavering back and forth between putting the new tranny in or getting a new car. I don't know how long I can limp along with it as is. I also hate to pay nearly full sticker for a new car. A used car makes sense but there really aren't many of those and the prices are nearly equal to new. It's a screwy time for sure.
Has anyone else been looking at this lately?

10 year old Mercedes SUV probably needs a new transmission. Has 105,000 miles on it. Can put a replacement transmission is for about $3,500. May run for another 2-3 years. Or get a new car. Problem is there aren't any new cars. Went to two dealerships today. Drove a new Ford Edge that has a MSRP of $42k and then went to the Nissan place but they didn't really have any cars. Will probably go to a couple of more tomorrow. I'm wavering back and forth between putting the new tranny in or getting a new car. I don't know how long I can limp along with it as is. I also hate to pay nearly full sticker for a new car. A used car makes sense but there really aren't many of those and the prices are nearly equal to new. It's a screwy time for sure. Has anyone else been looking at this lately?

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[–] • 0 pt

When they first appeared I looked into them and it's like two wedges/tops with special belts. They slide back and forth unto each other to give you the infinite gear ratios. I was like ha no way am I messing with those. The fluid must be changed right on time to avoid a blowup and it's a fortune. I had a truck so it didn't have those. Even that I had to reroute the coolant line because of dumb shit they did, routed through the trans and it cracks and you end up with coolant for transmission fluid, which destroys it. Dumb!

[–] • 0 pt

I've driven a few CVTs, it was like an infinite slushbox of no-go. That's why I bought my last car as a stick. Those seem to be vanishing, sadly. Gotta have that nanny driver system in your car!

Automatics use the radiator as a cooler for the transmission fluid. I always used to disconnect it and put a simple cooler on the front of the car when I had an auto, probably saved my butt more than a few times.

[–] • 1 pt

I didn't even add a cooler, no overheating or nothing after that.

The electronics in the new ones are crazy and with the shortages makes me nervous. Trucks go in for service and just sit for months. They drive great though, power, mpg, smoothness, everything just keeps getting better. But I have been looking to get an old truck as a backup too, something 1970-85 or so.