Reddit mentions of Stanley 92-824 Black Chrome and Laser Etched 69-Piece Socket Set

The transmission shouldn't have much to do with your car starting.

First, in what ways does your car start funny?
-Could be the battery
-Could be the starter
-Could be a clogged injector
-Could be many inexpensive things that many people think will be bigger than it is.

Second, in what way is your transmission acting funny?
-Is it slow to shift?
-Does it shift hard?
-Does it have fluid?


The first thing I would do is learn a little about basic car maintenance. I know it all seems so complicated, but from someone who has at times in my life had to fix my car if I wanted to go anywhere just know this; there are very few car mechanics who are also MENSA Members. It is a different kind of intelligence all together but, with a little bit of effort everyone capable of driving a car, can learn how to fix one. I know you said you don't have tools or a garage, but stay with me here.

I always take people for their word when buying cheap cars. I have literally purchased cars for $200 that the previous owner told me that the transmission was "going out". At $200 I can turn a profit no matter what, so it's always a good buy. But every now and then I'll buy one and once I've gotten it home I've simply put transmission fluid in and bam! Transmission fixed! It's amazing, really. So I've bought cars that could have sold for $1,500-$2,200, but the owners didn't know enough to check the transmission fluid.

There can be other issues with the transmission, for sure, but honestly unless you've abused it (you know things like constantly shifting into drive while still rolling backwards/ driving without fluid) I would assume it's likely not going out. It could be, but I doubt it.



The starting thing I would put a large sum of money that it's your battery. You can take your battery into a autozone and have them test it, it might just fix that entire issue.

I view vehicles differently than most people I know a 2005 Chevy Cobalt with 120,000 miles is still pretty new, if you have in fact been changing the oil. My truck has 220,000+ and I feel like it's just getting started. IMO, your car isn't getting old. You may want a new one, but if you ask me it isn't the frugal decision.

The frugal decision is to buy some tools, like these.. Buy a book, like this one and last but not least get a manual specific to your vehicle, like this one..

With those things you're into it for less than $100 and with the knowledge you'll gain from doing simple things, like learning to change the oil, to swapping out the serpentine belt, and bolting on a new alternator, you'll end up saving thousands in your lifetime. And in time you'll gain confidence and start to do more and more.

My first project was changing my own oil, my second I put in a new thermostat, my third was an alternator, my fourth was a coil pack, and my knowledge and skill has improved with each one. I swapped a transmission a little over a year ago in my truck. My girlfriend at the time thought it was silly that I wanted to do it myself (her uncle owns a dealership, she tends to throw cars away for new ones) so I had her call a repair shop. They quoted her more than $3000 to put in a used transmission. I put in my own used transmission for $350. I did it all laying in a parking lot, without a garage using only hand tools (much like the ones I linked you to). It took longer, I got really dirty, it was frustrating and really, really hard, but at the end of the day I saved more than $2,500.

I've written you a book here, but it's because I think far too often people make excuses instead of just admitting that they want a new car. If you really want the new car, that's fine go for it! However I won't tell you it's a frugal decision because it probably is not.

All stanley, husky, and craftsman sockets are made with the same dies and tempering... Walmart has a nice "black chrome" set for like $60 with deep well sockets, metric and SAE. I have a complete set of huskys "black chrome" that have outlasted everything else.... The socket wrenches are pretty comfortable. My kit came with a foam insert for tool control and i still have the whole set and use it everyday...


stanley set

I bought this set a couple years ago and they are still going strong and i use them in my dewalt 20v impact

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KE6E1U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For the wrenches and sockets, I've got
https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-85-783-Finish-Combination-Wrench/dp/B000NIK9BE/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1541118044&sr=8-17&keywords=stanley+wrench

and
https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-92-824-Chrome-Etched-69-Piece/dp/B000KE6E1U/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1541118061&sr=8-5&keywords=stanley+socket


They're about on par with the Craftsman stuff I have but cheaper.


The bad thing about cheap wrenches and sockets is that they break, and even worse than that they're mis-sized. For example, you might have a socker that's off by .25mm - what will happen is you'll get to an extra tight bolt and instead of turning it the socket will just round off the corner. Then even if you get a good tool to put on it you might be screwed since the bolt is now mis-shapen.


Just thought I'd mention that since it sounds like you're just starting out. Good tools not only last longer, but work better too.

Corollas are great cars! I thought about getting one as my second car.

Yeah, you do need tools for most things. If you are able, you can assemble a small tool kit for under $100, and that will allow you to do a lot of stuff. Changing your own oil is a very good place to start, and most cars only need a single socket to do it.

If you want to get into car maintenance without tools, you can clean your car out, check and top off the fluids accordingly, or go to a gas station that has an air pump to pump up your tires.

Here is a good beginning to a tool kit:

Screwdrivers

Sockets

Pliers

Wrenches