Good deal or bad decision?

[Kap-10]

I've been looking around for a trans for the ranger and came across this. The guy says he's parting out the whole truck due to a bad starter (sounds a bit fishy) and is selling the M5OD for only $150 which seems a bit low even with 130k on the odometer (a little more fishy) and "just replaced fluid" in it (pretty fishy [can't check the fluid to see if the trans has eaten itself apart]). What do y'all think? What would be the best way to go about seeing if the trans is good or not? I know I can check the seals at the top of the trans to see if they've been leaking, check the fluid for bits of eaten transmission even though it was recently changed out I'd think there would still be some bits in there if the trans was fried. Let me know what you guys think. http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/pts/2239580057.html

 

[khast2010]

i have found on ebay and craigslist if it is "fishy" or sounds too good to be true then it probably is.

The fact that you said "fishy" three times in your post leads me to believe that this is one of those cases where, although appealing, better to just stay away.

 

[chrwilkins30]

I thought the same thing when a guy was selling on on craigslist for 80 bucks with 100,xxx. I told him i wanted to see inside and checked the gears for broken teeth and made sure it was good inside. I would say go check it out and check everything about it. (cracks,splines, wear and tear,etc)

 

[adsm08]

Check it out at least. You can pull the top cover off and look around inside pretty easily. At that point it should be easy to see if the trans has been beaten to bits.

Just take a ratchet, lone extension, and 10mm socket with you.

 

[88_Eddie]

a bad starter? that's retarded, i'd look into it but dont expect anything

 

[Jason_J]

I sold an NV4500 that worked fine for a hundred bucks on craigslist, it was taking up needed space and I wanted it gone fast. Check it out good, but keep in mind not everyone is out to screw people over.

 

[88_Eddie]

maybe it's just me, but it's hard to give people the benefit of the doubt these days

 

[straycat]

The best bet is to see it in person of course. I would never buy from another location on Craigslist and hope if you got something shipped to you it would come in!! If the person is close by and he wont let you inspect the item you are buying.....walk away. Just go to a local JY and try to get the best buy on what you are looking for.
A buddy of mine went to a local JY looking for an 8.8 complete rear end for his 95 4x4 Ranger with 49,000 original miles on it. His had the 7.5 and he wanted to upgrade it. A buddy with a Suzuki Samurai wanted the 7.5 for his buggy project. My buddy found a low milage clean as can be 8.8 rear end with a 4:10 gear. He went three times to negotiate a price and the owner told him he will install it for free and that was the best he could do. My buddy bought it for $400 total out the door with the free install. This way he got to check it out as well before he paid for it. It has been three years now and he has never had a problem with it. I wish our local JY people were like that!!!