I have a 1989 Volvo DL 240 that I bought for 4k. Then I spent 2k fixing it. So I have about 6k into it. The transmission had a leak for awhile and so I drove it without any fluid in it. It's ok right now. But because of that(and the cars age) I am always scared that the transmission will die someday. I am curious, if that would happen what would be the best thing for me to do? Would fixing it be worth it? I've heard of places that charge like $2,500 to rebuild transmissions but only give like a 1 year warrenty. I'd hate to abandon my investment if that would happen, but would that be the best thing to do?

 

My experience has always been that you will sleep better at night if you don't try and pre-plan for mechanical failures on a car that is 20 years old.

Seriously though, $2500 for a rebuilt transmission sounds awfully high. You might want to call a few re-builders for estimates before you hang your hat on that one. If something like that happened to me, I would search for a used transmission that is known to function. An operable transmission should be relatively easy to find...especially if your car is an automatic. The manual transmissions are not as plentiful; but they are out there.