Oh Boy....am I glad I happened upon this group, whose members seem very knowlegeable and generous. If anyone has the time to comment on my situation, I'll be very grateful. Here's the scoop, and I apologoze ahead of time for being rather long-winded about it:
Brother GIVES me 2000 Outback wagon (92Kmiles) in October so that I may help Mom move from NY to Iowa. WOW, that is SOOO NICE, Steve! Thanks!! Except for a few minor funky details (which I can live with), the car seems to be really, really great, my idea of a dream ride. The CEL is always illuminated, but Steve says "No prob., it's always like that"...
Okay. I change the oil, get new tires, pack Mom, her boxes, and the dog and off we go, taking the beautiful back roads through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. I notice during the drive that sometimes the engine lags a bit when changing from 1st gear to 2nd, but car's still new-ish to me so I don't know if it's a big deal or not.
Then, since arriving in Des Moines, 2 or 3 times the car has just "slipped" (?) from drive into neutral, and back into drive again.... Hmmm. It isn't really that weird until it does so on a slight hill and the car just starts rolling backwards. You can probably tell, I am NOT a car expert, (having only owned 2 used ones in my lifetime), but that's when I realize perhaps I'd better get this one to a mechanic.
A relative sends me to her "very reliable" garage. They check the transmission fluids and find them to be fresh and clean. They also discover the following by means of the computer diagnosis: PO 325, PO420, PO113
Jeff the mechanic says it could run me 900.00 to have thse things repaired, but I learn from your site that some of these codes might (?) be simply caused by me not screwing the gas cap on tightly enough (I did not get a manual with the car...), or, that they might indicate situations that are not too dire. Okay. anyway, for now, none of these problems get deeply investigated since we're focusing on the Transmission situation and the car is now sent on to a transmission specialist. His report is not encouraging: I "might" need a new "Low Gear Timing Solanoid" replacement - (is that what it's called?) to the tune of $1200.00. They aren't sure though, because they couldn't really look in depth...(?) "No, It might NOT be that, but something else with the transmission that could cost up to $3000.00" !!!! Jeff, my liason mechanic, the original guy who sent it to the tran.place for me, says now, "If I were you, I'd just trade this one in and get something else".
Oh. Wow. I'm shocked out of my mind, but maintain my composure. So, I pay the guys for their initial troubles and take the car away with me so I can use it over the long weekend and reflect upon its future.
I'm supposed to drive to Florida at the end of next week and have NO IDEA if I'm being led down the garden path here.Would it be worth it to (borrow the $ and) have it repaired? I really thought this would be a great car for few years... I got it for free, so if I needed to invest in some repairs, might I still be coming out ahead, as opposed to buying anouther used car? Do these proposed prices sound reasonable? If the car is such a loss, how could I trade it in? Thanks for any help anyone has to offer.