Chosen Thought

A careful inspection of the transmission in a used car can mean the difference between a car you will enjoy for years and a car that will cost more to repair that you paid for it. You don’t have to be a mechanic or know a lot about cars to know if a vehicle has transmission problems.

For used cars, check the transmission fluid first. It should be pink or red, not brown. It also should not smell like it’s burnt. You can check transmission fluid with the car running, in park, on a flat driveway. If the fluid is brown or smells like it was burnt, this is a sign of expensive transmission trouble. This does not happen often, especially at dealerships, but spots under the place the car was parked are a sure sign that the oil or transmission fluid is leaking.

When test driving the car, note how long the transmission takes to engage the next gear. Is it smooth? There should be no noises like grinding or banging. Be sure your test drive includes a highway drive so you can see how smooth all the gears change. Don’t forget reverse.

Some people think they don’t know enough about cars to determine which are going to be trouble but if you know how to drive, you know what the transmission should feel like when changing gears. Don’t ever let the seller tell you noises while shifting are normal, the are a sign of trouble.

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