To be honest I don't think it's worth it. Maybe keep it around and work on it over time if thats an option for you and if your attached to it.

I've always though a Ford Ranger was the best girls car and for what you'd be putting in the montero you could buy one of those.

There are enough variables to keep this from being a simple "yes/no" question.....If it's only the head gasket I'd repair it.If you know for certain that the transmission is toast, I'd part it out.You will stand a greater chance of re-cooping more of your investment than selling it as a defective unit.It will probably take a while & you'll have to listen to your bride saying"When are you gonna get this piece of crap out of the driveway?".

Vehicles,new or used are an expense.We never get out of them all that we put in them.Your decision depends on a lot of factors;
how long will you keep it,
why is it important to you to keep it,
do you have the expendable income to invest in it,
how tired are you of working on it?.
if you have the income,is repairing it better than having a car payment,
after it's repaired will you be able to let your daughter drive it anywhere w/out worrying that it will break down.

Unsolicited advice is never taken; advice that is solicited is rarely heeded.(1 of my father's favorite sayings)I think you already know in your heart the course of action that is best for your situation.Don't sweat it.If you repair the rig,enjoy it. If not, there are still some out there at a great deal. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the advice Jim.
P.S. I added a small pic of the Beast and the Future owner... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

Good advice but she didnt like any of the pickups. Her sister has an Explorer SportTrac but she sees what she has to pay at the pump each week...

My daughter wanted a purple Jeep CJ, she got a Toyota Corolla.She wasn't happy at first but now she's lovin' the 35 mpg. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

More great advice. You're right; my heart really wants to go for it. My daughter could have driven a 5-6 year old Rav4 but she wanted the Raider. She saw a Mitsubishi Pajaro on some Discovery Channel a month back and that was it! Thankfully there wasnÆt a Raider within 500 miles until this one showed up on Craigslist about 30 miles south of me. I knew it would take some money to fix it up but I was only looking at this getting her around for 2 years. At this rate, this one is taking her to collegeà

I get 15 mpg with my 2.6 5spd...

I'm about as handy with a wrench as my wife is with a spoon... The Mechanic I'm using now is ASC Certified, charges $50 an hour and uses the Chilton program to estimate the job. He is installing a rebuilt transmission that I found online and he is backing the entire job parts and labor without marking the part up. I did find a used transmission online this evening for $275. That's almost $800 less than the rebuilt. Mudraider is calling me tonight about an engine with 80K miles since being rebuilt. I may be able to bring this in for under $4K after all.

I hate to tell you this, brotha,(brace yourself).Once they leave for college ,they ain't coming back.But isn't that what we raised them for?

You may be right and I can't get the sour taste out of my mouth. Here's the deal. She finds the raider 30 miles from us. We go to look at it and I can tell I will have to spend some money. We drive it and other than the brakes, it seems to have some pep. We didn't get it going fast enough to engage the OD. I was worried we could never get it to stop. I've taken it to 3 different mechanics and they all say the trans is shot. They may be all crooks but I'll go with the law of averages. The engine was the latest surprise since I had thought any engine noise was due to a small exhaust leak I found at the flange. This has all happened in a span of 3 weeks including an $800 paint job that makes the darn thing look like it just came off the showroom floor. the interior looks fine and I replaced the headliner with a blue one that matches the interior. Except for the fact it won't run, it's really a gem...

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1988 Dodge Raider 194,566 miles
Blown head gasket
Broken Transmission
Leaking exhaust
Nice Paint Job!