(urgent) Another TRX auto thread (urgent)

[saviour]

Hey guys & galz..

I'm looking at buying a TRX - i've seen the car twice so far and it seems pretty good. The body is in good nick other than a small repairable dint and it could do with a  cut&polish. Interior is spectacular and engine looks like its been given a good clean.

It's around $4200 and with 164k on the odo - its auto - from reading posts here it seems this is the prime time for the gearbox to go - has everyones gearbox $#!+ itself?? The guy seems pretty genuine and its been serviced 'regularly'. How can I tell whether the gearbox is on its way out? Does everyones go or just if you don't take care of it?

Also, other than engine mounts, shafts, etc. is there anything else that i should expect soon which is above $300??

AND how many kms do you guys get out of a tank, in xxL per 100km? b/c my main issue for looking at a trx is that i currently own a falcon which drinks petrol (4.0L I6) and looking for something smaller but more economical.

Tomorrow is the last day i'm visiting it, so if you can answer my questions by tonight i'd appreicate it.

Cheers
Sav

PS. any pointers you can give would be appreciated.

ALSO, if anyone is free tomorrow morning in Vic around the eastern suburbs and wants to check the car out with me (to help me and not to perve at the car) - come along lol

[Milford]

i get about 450k's a tank if driving sedately with the odd burst (who can resist)
probably 400 when i nail it more than i should, you cant really sus out the fuel consumption from other people, because my roads are different to yours. but generally TRX's are pretty reasonable with the fuel

for the auto box i guess you can check if the gears engage smoothly, with no clunking etc. other than that ive got no idea.

[Jtas]

see this thread for common problems...
http://www.antrx.com/smf/index.php?topic=1913.0

-engine mounts
-TIMING CHAIN
-Lifters

[Budgie]

The autos will last a long time IF they have been maintained properly.

Take out the auto boxes dip stick, check the fluid.  Then drive it, get the auto box up to operating temp then test the fluid levels again.  If the fluid is a winey red and doesn't smell burnt then its probably fine.  The only person with a 2.4 auto I know of is evenflow who is on his second auto box I think.  His car has just over 200,000 on it.

[saviour]

That's about 13L/100km....is that right? Cuz that's what some 6 cylinders do...

Cheers
Sav

[Pringles]

thats sounds very very low kilometres to a tank, my gli (ca20e) dose about 600 to a tank and my foot has lead inplants in it

[saviour]

I hope so...can anyone else with the 2.4L give their insight?
Cuz if its 13L - thats about what my 4.0L I6 does....

Cheers
Sav

[trxmad]

if i try hard enough i can get 500km out of mine (with a few litres left i guess)

but yeh if i hammer it a lot about 400

so normally bout 450 like milford

edit - mine is a manual btw

[Resin]

i have an auto and it died at about 155000kms .......so i got it reconditioned ...total cost was about 2000 $  ...but if u were replacing the maunal gearbox and clutch it is a similar cost .......

if his hasn;t been reconditioned he is probably selling because he knows its about to go.....if u are going to buy it expect to recondition it and spend an extra 2000$.......

[Jtas]

remember that pintara fuel tanks are 60 litres (like alot of 4 cylinders) where as falcons and commodores have about a 75 litre tank.  My mate with a VT used to go on about how much better his cars fuel economy was (about 10ks more per tank ), then I pointed out that his tank was 75 litres, and mine is only 60, that shut him up

[saviour]

Yeah my current tank is 68L - and i manage about 13L per 100km in city driving. If the TRX is the same, or similar, I might have to hang on to the Falcon. This gearbox is my main scare factor - $2000 is a LOT of money....that's what half the car is worth. I'll have to think this one through thoroughly.

Cheers
Sav

[Chadza]

Like Milford said...if the changes are relatively smooth ***under smooth acceleration** and it doesn't clunck at all then it should be fine.

My old TRX was an auto...it had 212000km's on the clock and the previous owner didn't exactly take good car of it but it was still going VERY strong....Check the fluid and if there are no clunks you should get at least another 50 thousand out of it. (if you don't kill it youself by thrashing it)

As for auto fuel consumption....My old one was stock except for extractors and a pod filter for most of the time I had it and I was getting between 10.5L/100km if I granny drove ALL THE TIME up to the high 12's if I gave it a fang. Auto TRX's have their gearing too short for medium-high speed driving....I'm talking just about 80km/h plus..being a four speed they tend to rev fairly highly in 4th. As a guide I take my TRX over 4000rpm almost every day a couple of times and I get solid low 10L's/100km.

The only other thing I can suggest that might be over $300 is if the brakes and discs are completely shot....usually the discs should be fine at that amount of kays but the pads might set you back up to $150 if you don't do them yourself....test for any sqealing under soft braking.

Also as on all FWD you need to check the cv joint (constant velocity) TRX's don't seem to have a HUGE problem with these as Liberties do but if you do a tight slow u-turn and it sounds as if you are driving over leaves....it means they are shot and could cost you over $400 to replace....thats just a guess, but that would definietly be over the 300 mark that you mentioned.

Hope it all goes well!

Chad

[Jtas]

CV joints are a common problem with most FWD cars

[saviour]

Well he said he had to replace the front right drive shaft and rear brake pads for RWC if thats any help.....and he's also changed the starter motor and one of the engine mounts recently too (both within 2 years). As i said, my main and pretty much only concern is the transmission. Cuz if it does go ill end up with an older car (worth less) than what i had to begin with which cost me the same as my current car (after adding $2000 for the tranny). Where is the dipstick located? (b/c on the EF Falcon they decided our transmissions won't need one - dont ask why) And by smooth changing gears - you mean on a straight and not giving it to it, just slightly right?

Cheers
Keep it rolling

Sav

[BoGAn]

Whenever you buy a second hand car, expect there to be something costly to fix on it, be it brakes, gearbox, suspension etc within a year or so of you owning it.

That being said, get a mechanic to come along with you or take it to your mechanic if you're keen on buying it. Tell the guy selling you'll take it pending the mechanics opinion. RACV (or equivalent) checks are always helpful too. Cheap as well for about $125-150.

Economy wise theyre not too bad. I usually do about 11k/100L with the occasional spirited run.

Im probably too late in replying, but oh well.

Good luck, and hope to see another TRX join the ranks

[chucky]

firstly, its a transmission not a gearbox, secondly it depends more on whether the car has been maintained, ie. the person has serviced the transmission or not and or whether it has been given a hard time, my first car was an auto and the abuse it copped.... its pushing 190k and the tranny is fine... why? because i've looked after it

dont go by km's as bible, often cars have been wound back at least once during their lifetime and be under no illusion that even if a car does truly have low kms it does not mean its in any better condition than a well maintained car with high kms

get a mechanic to check the car if you belive its worth it.

[Resin]

its doesn't always depend on how well it was service.....because i bought mine of some elderly people and it had a very good service history and low kms at the time...and the gearbox began to die 30000ks after ......

also gearboxs that clunk doesnt mean its dieing ...my recond one clunks more that the old one but only when dropping down gears

the old box was slipping .....and wouldnt change gears at all sometimes ......

[noss]

the reason very low km engines/cars can have lots of problems is because they've basically been babied their entire life and they're not prepared to suffer the stresses of a p plater driver or what not.

km is never a very good way to judge things, just because a car can have high kms and be in excellent condition. it shits me to tears that people wont touch cars over 200,000kms. kms means nothing.

the auto trannys are much more forviging than the manual tranny. the reason for this is because you never crunch gears on an auto, you can trash the auto and it will be fine in most cases, where as there is room for driver error in the manual.

[Jtas]

true Noss, particularly with things like seals, gaskets (in brake master cylinders particularly).

If they've been sitting around in a garage doing nothing for long periods of time the seals and other things like belts in the auto tranny will deteriorate through lack of use.