There is a Dodge Avenger for sale here locally. I believe it's a 99, leather/wood grain interior, automatic, body kit, custom wheels, lights and exhaust. Looks really good, but it has a little over 163,000 miles on it. I don't know much about Avengers, so is the mileage too high? He's asking $4,500, and he says he's put $6,800 of work into it. Also I had a mechanic drive it and he said it sounds like it's slipping, and there's a slight ticking noise under the hood, and that it may need cam work. The man selling it says it's just that he hasn't drove it in 3 weeks and the plugs are bad.
The car is worth maybe 3500 just guessing with what you said. Pics would be more helpful. Have the seller replace the plugs and see if that helps the noises. The transmissions are known for going bad on the automatics. So if it's slipping it's probably junk, which means a rebuild or a new tranny, that's some serious dough. If the tranny really is slipping I'd offer the guy 2k max. And then get the new tranny. Otherwise I'd keep looking.
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Mod List. Um WAY too many to fit on here. But the engine can handle about 800HP
Find someone who has already owned an Avenger (like any of us). You need someone who really knows what their talking about. People like us know more than just average mechanics, but I'm not doubting your guy. Have them check it out. $4500 does sound a bit too pricey though.
163,000 miles does sound a little high for a '99. I have a '95 and only have about 139,000 on it. Of course, I've been fortunate enuff to not have to drive extremely far to go places as I live real close to work and whatnot. If it's not gonna be a daily drive, the mileage really isn't that important.
I agree with Darktengu. I've had my tranny rebuilt once and that ran me around $1200. So, if you must have that particular Avenger, I def wouldn't give the dude more than 2k. You may want to get another mechanic to take a look, just to have a second opinion… second opinions never hurt.
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i'm a peripheral visionary. i can see into the future, but way off to the side.
I recenly bought my Avenger for 5,000 CAD(which is about 4,500 US)...and it had 130,000 KM on it (which is about 81,000 miles)....trust me...it's not worth it. I agree with Darktengu about everything he said. If the tranny's slipping, don't pay more than 2 grand on it.
as much as i love these cars, i would say the engine/tranny needs work and he just made it a bit MORE attractive than stock looking to get a better pricing.that car sounds like it was beaten up on the road pretty bad to have that much mileage for a 99. unless the car drives smoothly and those noises get cleared up....AND the price drops, I would say no. look at the kelley blue book, then calculate the above mentioned fixes and minus these from the blue book. THATS what u should pay for the car, unless u really only want it cuz it looks nice..then u might pay some more for the work he put into it to make it look the way it does. If not....trust me..u can find another one in better shape at about the same cost. you dont wanna pay all that money to have it on some mechanics "shelf" taking up space.
no matter how much you put into a car, you wont get it out. all in all, with everything including the price of my car when i bought it, (the year 2000 for $6000) i prolly have damn near 20k in it including all the damn wheel bearings i had to put into it and i would never dream of askin that for it and mines a 95 with 100,000 on it. just cause you put it in NEVER means youll get it out. now that is a lil high for the year and miles and i agree 100%, the tranny is prolly goin bad and will need to be replaced soon. shop around for another one cause it seems to me that this guy it dead set on gettin at least 4k out of his car cause it has a kit and wheels on it. i hate people like that
ok, on the a604 tranny there is a sensor that gets dirt to it embarrassingly easy and goes bad just as easily (its outside the transmission). this sensor is the reason why alot of those transmissions have to be rebuilt (todd, sorry about the 1200) and it's one of the things the chrysler mechanics replace when they rebuild the transmission. a friend of mine (scott) worked for Ford, Chrysler, an GM as a certified mechanic (the chrysler dealers in the area still call him at least 3 times a month needing his assistance) and had to rebuild the SAME Avenger tranny 4 times because the manager told him to NOT replace that sensor. the last time he asked the Avenger owner personally if he would pay for the part, he would put it on without the manager knowing (this guy is FAST. he basically has time to sleep after every major repair because of how much time he's given based on the Chrysler Service Repair Manual.). After he did, he didn't have to rebuild it ever again. the guy stopped by and thanked scott for his expertise in that matter. I forget the name of the sensor but it's one that WE can put on with just ramps and sockets (and a nice list of cuss words but thats optional). 9/10 times its this simple little fits-in-the-palm-of-your-hand sensor.
well if the plugs are bad have him replace them because it's expensive to have it done. you basically have to take the whole top end off to get to the rear plugs. many places charge over 300 bucks just to do it. personally, i'd buy one with under 80k miles on it that has a replaced transmission, at least you'd get 40k miles out of it. for an avenger with that many miles, i'd pay 1500 bucks. who cares what body kit or whatnot he has on it. he obviously knew that he has to get rid of it before it breaks, considering who would sell a car you invested so much into?
...man this thread went pretty deep....im still waiting on the person who started the thread to give a response . as for that sensor issue, that could be really helpful!
yeah, that sensor thing is helpful. too bad it's a too late for me tho . so, Shiano, you're saying if they replaced the sensor i may not have any serious, rebuild the transmission, problems with it anymore… well, at least for a long while anyway—things like that are bound to tear up at some point. where is that sensor located? i'd like to keep an eye on it if i can.
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i'm a peripheral visionary. i can see into the future, but way off to the side.
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. as for that sensor issue, that could be really helpful!
. so, Shiano, you're saying if they replaced the sensor i may not have any serious, rebuild the transmission, problems with it anymore… well, at least for a long while anyway—things like that are bound to tear up at some point. where is that sensor located? i'd like to keep an eye on it if i can.
