The transmission has been leaking badly for several thousand miles. I replaced the car as soon as I could, but otherwise it is a great car that has been in our family since new.

A friend put most of the miles on the car since I discovered the leak and I learned not to loan cars to friends.

We haven't talked since I finally got my car back.

I live in rural Arizona and a place in Phoenix will ship a JDM transmission for $930, but I hope that freight would be less since I am in-state.

The closest transmission that Car-part.com shows with any kind of encouraging information is over 600 miles away and just says "TESTED GOOD, STOCK# #0001418, TAG# #0001418."

There is one almost 800 miles away for $350 with a 60-day warranty--and 279,000 miles.

However, there is another slightly further away with the same price and warranty, but only 178,000 miles.

LKQ will ship a US-built transmission with 126,000 miles for $1,257.80.

Mine was built in Japan, but I am sure those are closer than the JDM ones.

Some people have reported problems, but I haven't seen any conclusions. Did they fix the problem? Did they need to cut their losses?
Did they sell their car and commit to the bike life?!

I have read the MCJA has taller third and fourth gears than the BAXA\MAX and some parts need to be swapped from the old transmission to the new one. It doesn't sound like too much trouble, but I want my speedometer to read correctly!

Is it worth going through the extra steps to swap a less-expensive JDM transmission with lower miles?

Have you JDM-swapped your transmission? If so, what complications did you have?
Thank you very much! Have a great day!

 

Why not rebuild it? If it leaks that means a seal has gone, it doesn't mean the guts are worn out.

 

I cannot find any estimates on-line for a rebuild and I even took my car to a transmission shop and asked how much one would be. The mechanic, the third one who has supposedly looked for a transmission leak, said "I don't see a transmission leak," adding "that is motor oil." He looked around and showed me a part near the top, on the back, that was wet with oil, and said that my rear main seal is leaking, which would cost $700 to replace, and then we could figure out the transmission leak, potentially rebuilding or swapping in a low-mileage transmission.
So, I need a $700 repair before my $2-3,000 repair.
Huh.
There is only one remanufactured transmission on eBay. It ships for $2,000 and has a 3-year warranty, but that doesn't cover labor or shipping.
Reman Transmission will ship one for $2,177 with a 36-month warranty.
They advertise an easy, hassle-free, transferable warranty, nationwide coverage, instant replacement, and paid parts and labor.
Curiously, the warranty would be 60 months for vehicles from 2001 and newer, but it is tied to the VIN, so I could not simply order a 2001 transmission.

KBB says the private party value is $1,590.

I had planned on selling it for $1,500 if I cannot fix the leaks.

It says it would be worth $2,185 in excellent condition.

Accords of this generation were sold private party between $2,994-3,550. All of them were lower mileage than this, but with a rebuilt transmission I would ask $5,000 and not sell for less than $4,000.

Selling as-is for $1,500 makes vastly more sense than paying $3,800 to fix up and trying to sell for $5,000.