I have a 1990 Civic DX and the automatic transmission just started to slip badly. I has been slipping in reverse for about a year now. Seems like it is ready to be replaced/sold cheaply. Can anyone give me an idea of what the cost for auto transmission options are. What should it cost to have a used one put in vs. what is the cost of having this one rebuilt. Alternatively, what would this car be worth in the Columbia South Carolina area with a bad transmission and 163,000 miles? (runs good, a/c doesn't work, tires from Sam's with 500 miles on them). Please help.

 

You could probably locate a used tranny for $150, and because they are light transmissions you could probably replace it yourself. Paying a shop to put the used one in will cost $300-$500, or possibly more. Rebuilding yours would be the most expensive route I would assume.

 

This belongs in the pre-92 section.

Anyway, 88-91 auto transaxles tend to go for under $100 because pretty much nobody wants them. If you have an engine lift or can borrow one, you can do it yourself pretty easily.

You could probably get $500 selling the car as-is. Nobody really wants an automatic with a blown trans.

 

Thanks for the info. Do you have any idea what an idependant shop should charge to install a $100 tranny? I do not have the tools, lift, or skill to do the job myself.

Is converting the auto to a manual transmission something that could be cost effective?

 

auto to manual swap isn't supposed to be really hard, but it requires quite a few parts that you might not expect.
since engine swaps are so common, you could probably get an engine and trans for a good price... but if you have a shop do it you'd be out of a car for a little while.

 

About $500-800.