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Smart Shopper Good, Cheap Beater Cars & Inexpensive Commuter Cars - how to find one?
345 messages, Last post on Nov 25, 2009 at 9:00 AM
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Replying to: asafonov (Aug 24, 2006 7:15 am) I continue the search
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Replying to: stuartf (Aug 24, 2006 6:25 pm) |
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guys, help, last time i checked,,2000 integra SE came with 1.8L engines., im trying to buy one and found a really nice one for 9000 at 160000 clicks with everything power except no sunroof,,but the engine is 1.6L? what does that tell you about what could be wrong with it if anithing at all, and isnt that price anyways a little too generous for a 2000 model? This is the description i found: 2 Dr, 1.6L, 5 Spd, Pwr Steer, Pwr Door Lock, Pwr Window, AM/FM Radio, CD Player, ice cool A/C, ABS Brakes, Cruise Control, Pwr Mirror, Mag Wheels, Ext. Warranty Available. Certified, E. tested, 30 days Warranty. its a nice looking car too..helpp??? THXXXXX alot : ) |
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Replying to: chrissy221 (Aug 26, 2006 8:11 pm) what could be wrong with it if anithing at all Well, that's about it: Anything at all could be wrong with it, and how would you know? At the very minimum, when buying used, take the car to a GOOD, KNOWLEDGEABLE mechanic and have it checked out stem-to-stern. The laundry list he'll likely come back with is going to make you think twice. Trust me on this, I recently flubbed one and flipped it to a local dealership for a few hundred $$ loss, just to get rid of the darned thing. And I've been buying used cars for a looong time, and kinda know what I'm doing. Small, good-quality, low-mpg cars are really pricey right now in the used market. That's what happens when gas goes up. New cars didn't rise nearly as much, because there is still more supply than demand. Also, people just won't buy an econobox for $20k. Only buy this Integra if you absolutely have to have it, and if you can afford to throw $4000 at it in the first year without going broke. There is nothing worse -- except maybe microwave popcorn -- than making payments on a car that needs repairs, and then not being able to afford those repairs. I've seen it happen to people, and the results are an absolute disaster that messes up your life. Given your taste, if you want to spend $9 wisely, look for an '02 Protege or better yet, Protege5. They come without the insane Honda/Acura markup used. Long-windedly yours, -Mathias
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| Always check with www.bbb.com, The Better Business Bureau will have information on its members and non members that may be helpful if considering a used car from a used car dealer. Some are ethical sales people, and some will sell you junk even if you were a family member. Also, be sure to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau if you have unresolved issues or feel you are being treated unfairly as a consumer. By doing so, you may prevent another unscrupulous dealer from selling to an unassuming buyer. We have power as consumers but sometimes forget how strong a force we can be. | |
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Replying to: steine13 (Aug 27, 2006 5:08 am)
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Replying to: chrissy221 (Aug 26, 2006 8:11 pm) But 9000 for one with 160K - that's beyond crazy. That's a decent price for a 2000 with about half the mileage. |
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Replying to: chrissy221 (Aug 26, 2006 8:11 pm) Of course the market value of the Integra, and its desirability to thieves depends on the engine (which is an easy swap into a Civic). james |
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Replying to: lemmer (Aug 28, 2006 6:02 am) I just didn't see myself spending $$ to get a decent exhaust, and then turning around and selling it on the street. Live & learn. -Mathias |
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of Cheap...Cars Of the 53 cars I've owned, 38 were purchased for $500 or less. That's for the whole car, not a down payment. Only 4 of them were inoperable at the time of purchase. All but six of them lasted more than a month. The best ones (the two Buick Centurys, one Datsun 210, and two Celebritys) lasted over a year each. I would much rather buy a $300 car every month for the rest of my life than spend thousands or tens of thousands on a new or later model used car which I would be sick of in six months or so. I buy my cars from eBay, Craigslist, private sellers, abandoned car auctions, and the occasional small used car lot. I like to go to smaller wrecker services for the abandoned cars because they are more likely to allow me to drive the car home. They also have locksmiths and guys selling used batteries and tires on premises to help out. If I buy a car from a city-run abandoned car auction I'd have to spend $75 to $200 to have it towed home depending on which city. Typically, the $300-$500 cars I buy seem to run for three to six months before something major happens to it. By that point, I'll strip out whatever will sell on eBay (radios, headlights and taillights, computer, interior plastics, trim, etc) and send the rest to a junkyard. I'll get $50 to $300 for the junk car and still have stuff to resell. And if it still runs by the end of six months and I'm sick of it, I'll resell it and probably make money. 50/50 chance of making a profit and then I go buy another. My wife doesn't get it, she drives a $4000 Lumina which we still owe half that and it's worth half of what we owe. But everything works but the cruise and it's a good looking car. So she's happy. And if she's happy, I'm happy. I just hope I can keep finding her decent cars in the sub-$5000 range so we aren't buried in some huge payment which will keep me from buying the beaters here and there when I need them. Right now I'm without a car because we made some repairs to hers and started buying Christmas gifts and paying off some old debts. But if all goes well, I'll be buying a pair of $300 cars off eBay and bringing them homein a couple weeks.
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