My parents and I recently said goodbye to our 2001 Ford Escape after a relatively catastrophic transmission failure. It gave us 92,000 mostly trouble-free miles, and even though it was “just a nine-year-old SUV,” I do miss it just a bit.
We collectively decided to avoid a transmission repair after discovering the cost of a new (not remanufactured) trans would be $4,200. On a vehicle valued at $4,500, it’s tough to justify the expense. Well, it’s cheaper than a new car… but there’s an underlying issue. The early Escape was very …