Her minivan is a 1996 Plymouth Grand Voyager. While it has less than 72,000 miles on it, it's almost 10 years old. According to my brother (the best mechanic I've ever known), transmissions on them often die at about 90,000 miles. Japanese parts don't apply.

As any cynic could've predicted, it turns out the leak was in the worst possible place - between the engine and the transmission. It'd be over $500 in labor to replace a $5 part. Nope. While the leak is small, I worry about what it's doing when my wife is driving. I have a policy that if I can't trust a vehicle, it's time for it to go. The trust is gone. Right now, the 2005 Honda Odyssey is the leading contender, probably the EX with Leather version.

Looks like the hangar is out for this year.