Won't my 1964 Cadillac's 429 V8 and 3 speed Turbo-Hydramatic transmission be less expensive to repair?

(2010-10-15 02:10:19) 1. Bay Says: With new cars getting a stupid amount of gears, 6,7,8 the cost of rebuilding these transmissions which, for my 3 speed is around 900 as my mechanic quoted, becomes about 2500 for the 4 speed all the way up to 5000 plus for the 6 7 8 gears. Wouldn't my car be far more practical to repair?
Let's not even get into the engine rebuild area.

First off the odds my thick steel block would crack is little to none so my who engine would never need to be replaced (unlike new cars which have very thin, light aluminum blocks). And the cost to replace/rebuild those new engine is in the 5-10k range depending on how much useless ricer technology is in them. My 64' on the other hand will probably only hit 2k.

So I ask you, which is more practical to repair if you're not a millionaire? Sure my Cadillac drinks gas and it is suffering from the burdens of age but at least its repairs don't cost a fortune. All the while both the engine and transmission of the Cadillac have a very good reliability streak with the turbo hydramatic still in use til the early 80s then made into a 4 speed version.2. Aaron Says: I think your perception on the 5-10k engine repair bill is a little much. You can get crate engines for under 2500. It is easier to work on an older engine, obviously without emissions and all the electronics, but much of the "ricer technology" is mass produced so prices are dirt cheap.

I've rebuilt a Muncie m21 4 spd, older transmissions aren't really that tricky to work on. Rebuild kits come cheap.

Overall it comes down to what you like. If you were to get say a 2005 carolla, You probably wouldn't even need to touch anytime until 200k miles, even then it's more than likely not going to be internal engine work. If you take care of it, the engine will last forever. By the time something goes wrong, the money you've saved from getting 40 miles per gallon would probably pay for the engine work.

Don't get me wrong, I would choose the Caddy3. Walt Says: Less expensive than what? Your 64 came with a perfectly functional 3 speed at the time. Get it rebuilt, they never came with a 5-6-7-8 speed trans. As for the 429 it also worked well for the era, why change things? It is a boat not a performance car just use it as such, or sell it to me.4. ricardo9505 Says: way to go. u have a 64 caddy. if u were smart you'd put her in a garage, drop $10K on her and take her out on the town. and to auto shows. then sell her for a more modern car that doesn;t kill the planet and swallow $$$ in gas. Japanese cars became big in the 70's after the Mideast oil crisis. The most efficient engines have always been japanese. that's why American car companies were marketing american cars with Jap engines. Tag: Won't my 1964 Cadillac's 429 V8 and 3 speed Turbo-Hydramatic transmission be less expensive to repair?