Good news – we got the J30 back from the transmission shop. Turns out the case was cracked, which was causing all the problems in the first place. Luckily, we were at a reputable repair shop, so it didn’t cost us anymore than we had already spent. Unlike our experience at Lee Myles Transmission in Phoenix, Arizona, we were actually pleased with the service, once the root cause was found. Lee Myles just kept replacing parts, without really making any advances – and the last time I talked to that shop, they basically told me to take my business elsewhere. Well, I’m glad I did.

Bad news – now that we have had this much trouble with the car, we don’t really know if we want to keep it or not. We own it, free and clear, but we have lost a lot of confidence. Is it mechanically sound? Could be – heck, it might run another 100,000 miles without another hitch. Or, it could be like every other time, and it will break within two weeks. We just don’t know.

So, the discussion between the two of us is whether or not The Most Beautiful Woman in the World will be riding around in the J30, (which, by the way, is a very nice ride when it’s running) or if we will be buying her a new car and using the J30 as a down payment. The problem with using the J30 as a down payment is that we will never get out of it what we have put into it – even if we sold it outright to anyone, we wouldn’t get “enough” for it – but selling it to a third party would net us more cash for the down payment on the new car.

As a concerned and loving husband, I am leaning toward putting TMBWitW in a new car.

What do you think?

P.S. Want to buy a 1994 J30? You would look really good in it…