2000 RX 300 230,000 miles, need new transmission, car 6 hours from home in a transmission shop, blue book only $3200 or so, any suggestions of how to deal with this? sell for salvage is my best idea at present, towing back home around $400 if I want to try selling it but have no idea what it could be worth for someone who could rebuild transmission?

 

I've read of a several folks getting a refurb for a little less than 3K installed. Mine cost $4600 from a dealership (my aftermarket warranty covered it thankfully). I think it's a few hundred less if you find someone that can rebuild it.

But, I digress. It seems that you are figuring that if the cost to fix is more than the blue book value of the car that it is time to get a new car. If you do a break down of the cost of ownership though, it's almost always cheaper to pay the cost to fix and maintain a vehicle than to buy new or newer used.

 

I'd fix it if it still ran great and didn't need a bunch of other work like brakes, suspension, tires, etc. Also cosmetic condition comes into play as well, if its looking worn out, ripped seats, dash lights/gauges not working, dents, peeling clear coat, rust, etc then I would send it to the bone yard. If it still looks great and runs great, fix it, or sell it to somebody who would fix it IMO.

 

slap a junkyard tranny in it.....