Just wasted $300 on a 'rebuilt' transmission for my 2002 Civic

I bought a so-called rebuilt transmission off Facebook Marketplace for $300 and spent a whole weekend swapping it in my driveway, only for it to start grinding on the test drive. Turns out the guy just cleaned the outside and swapped the pan, lol. Has anyone else gotten burned buying used parts from random sellers near Dallas?

2 comments

2 Comments

kellyg146d ago

Honestly, I feel like you're making this a bigger deal than it needs to be. Tbh, $300 for a transmission on a 20+ year old Civic is basically nothing, so expecting perfection is kind of on you. Ngl, Marketplace is a gamble every time, but a little grinding might not even mean it's trashed, could just need a fluid flush or an adjustment. Grinding on a test drive could be something simple like the shift linkage or a bad mount, not the whole tranny being shot. Seems like a quick afternoon of diagnosing would tell you if it's really fried or if you're overreacting to a minor issue. Maybe ease up on the panic and check the basics first before writing it off as totally wasted.

blake_williams6d ago

There's a guy in Mesquite who does rebuilds on the side for older Hondas, charged me $250 cash for a perfectly good one after I got burned the same way. Found him by asking at a local auto parts store who people trust for used transmissions. Worth tracking down someone with a real rep instead of rolling the dice on Marketplace again.