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Hi!

Just realized that the full story below is a bit long.  
In summary: 89,000 mile 2001 transmission for $600 ($1000 installed) that has no warranty, or a rebuild for $2500?  Or, an $1800-installed tranny that claims to have a 'lifetime' warranty (yeah, right, they won't honor that in a decade-- but I'm probably safe for a couple years)?  If I go with that cheapest option, can I maybe pay a 3rd party mechanic $50 to look at it and tell me if it looks in good shape or if it's a loser?
If you were going to ask-- new is $4500 from any dealer and simply NOT an option for my finances.




Just bought a used car two weeks ago; came with a bad transmission (wasn't told about it either), but at the price I paid, and after my own expenses, I've decided not to get too worked up about it and just get it fixed.  Still below blue book, and I'll have a fresh transmission for the price.  It passed state inspection, which checks a lot of things, and I've already paid for the title, tags, insurance, taxes, dealer diagnostics... if I returned it to the seller tomorrow for the price I paid, I'd still be out $500 and then looking again for another questionably cheap car, hahaha.

This is a 2001 V70 XC.  Their transmissions are notorious for a programming decision to go into neutral when the car stops.  Great if the traffic is so heavy, you're stopped minutes at a time, and not a problem cruising on the highway either: disastrous more commonly in stop&go traffic where you inch forward and then stop every few seconds and the transmission is shifting in and out of neutral all the time.  This is fixed today, but too late for many of these cars; no one bought this new in 2001 deciding to wait until 2005 (or whenever-- it was a few years though) for the software update before driving anywhere.    

I'm still looking for someone who can rebuild it to get a quote; but from what I've read from others on volvo forums, I'm looking at $2500+ (they're more complicated than the usual transmission).
Since the transmission is precisely what dies, and only 2001 and 2002 v70 XCs are compatible, they're in demand.  One company was quoting $1500 for 100k mile trannys that only had 3-6mo warranties; scratch that.  
I did find a company that wants around $1500, maybe less, but promises a lifetime warranty (erie volvo); whether they can honor that still in 2020 I feel I'm right to be skeptical; but it's more promising than 3 months.

But there are other deals out there.  I missed out on a deal for $800 for a 72k 2002 transmission, it sold in a day; but he has an 89k 2001 for $600.  
So here's the million (well, thousand)-dollar question.  These aren't impenetrable black boxes.  Can a mechanic open up the transmission and give it a glance, and predict whether it's already toast and due to die tomorrow, or whether it was well tended, the 2001/02 programming flop not so detrimental, and maybe has another 100k miles left to it?  Quoting those prices up above, I'm still working in the dark here!  If I go with the $600 transmission, I want to be able to know that it looks good.  I wasn't cynical enough when I bought the car, and took the seller's word that hte transmission was already rebuilt (no way that it was); I now don't want to take a stranger mechanic's word that his transmission is also perfect.  

I have a mechanic I've worked with for my previous GM cars, but he doesn't deal with volvos; hence the need for switching and working with someone I don't know yet.  I'm not as worried about having the warranty, as I'm worried about what that warranty represents.  

I am sorry; I just realized that I somehow accidentally posted this in quite the wrong subsection of this site-- how do I move a thread?  Or delete it (and repost elsewhere?)  I just spent several minutes browsing options and found neither....