Automatic transmission reliablity inquiry 2000 SL2
 

I was out of town for longer than expected on a job and recieved a call about my SL2 being parked at a friends I know was being frowned upon by the neighborhood HOA. So I sold it to a buddy of mine last summer and have been looking to replace it with a lower mile unit as mine had 144k miles on it and had been progressively eating more oil ( I told my buddy about that and priced it accordingly) Anyways, I have found a low mileage SL2 but it has the auto transmission in it, so I would like to ask if there were any issues with the auto transmission or is it a problem free transmission?

I know about the rest of the car and trust its reliability, which is why I want another one. A family situation has come up which will require several 1100 mile round trips over the next year, and driving my truck isnt economical.

Thank You for the help in the past as well as any help with this, you all accepted me here and immediately helped me with an issue on my last SL2 ( Plastic ECT sensor upgrade) and I greatly appreciate that.

Welcome back.
I wouldn't characterize these auto trsnses (that's not a word) as problematic on a regular basis. Although I own 2 SC2s they are both manual and I therefore do not speak directly from experience but rather from being a member of this forum for as many years as I have been.

Just like any other mechanical device you need to maintain it if you want it to last.
Ask for proof of trans fluid changes (maybe about 1 every 50K).

The two biggest issues we see on this forum are the "reverse slam" issue where the car pauses when shifted into reverse and then slams hard into gear, and issues with the valve bodies. Search "reverse slam" and "valve body" on the forum and you'll know what to look out for.

Rebuilt valve bodies can be found on ebay and elsewhere. The reverse slam issue is more nasty as you'll see from reading.

I agree with derf. If the fluid and filter have never been changed, then you're taking a risk on the car. I had to replace the valve body in one of mine and it wasn't too bad of a job. Just a little time consuming if you have ABS on that car like I did. On the non ABS cars, it's pretty simple. Only took me a couple of hours and if it hadn't had ABS, I'd have been done in a hour or less.

The car only has 44k miles on it so it is just now due for a trans fluid change I guess. I will be sure and pay close attention to how smooth it goes into reverse, then back into drive when I test drive it.

A good portion of the miles this car is gonna see are gonna be highway miles in 1100 mile sessions. I put 70k on my last SL2 in just a couple of years.

Thank You for the info....

Wow, that's a very low mileage vehicle. If it seems to drive okay, I say jump all over it. Those are very economical cars and not bad road trip cars either, as long as it's only one or two of you.