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Smart Shopper Selecting and Buying My First Car
764 messages, Last post on Aug 17, 2009 at 12:29 PM
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I just found another interesting one. It seems like a good deal (too good?). The ad says "Nissan GXE" which I think means Sentra. $6200 - 2002 Nissan Sentra 38k miles automatic link Would you choose this one over the Prizm and Protege?
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Replying to: latham (Feb 17, 2005 9:47 am) -Mathias |
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Replying to: latham (Feb 17, 2005 9:36 am) YOU are paying for the inspection ($75 or so). How many do YOU want to have inspected? Generally, the car has to pass by me first. If I don't like the looks or the drive, the mechanic will not see it. |
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I just got this reply from the owner of the Protege: Hi, it has a salvage title, But the car has no accident I bought it from auction it was missing the seats, wheels, stereo ,and the driver side wendow was broocking so I got the seats the wheels with new tires the stereo and new window. you can come over and check it your self and you are more then welcome to take it to any mechanic to check it for you to see if the car ever had any accident or not so this is like a clean title car and you are getting it for very less price cuase the blue book for this car is $7300. And I'm selling it cuase I bought one more car together with this car from auction and the other one is a 1999 toyota corolla CE and it dosen't matter wich one I sell cuase they both good cars if you want the corolla this one had a very miner damge from the driver side fender so I got it fixed and painted It has 107000 miles and i'm asking $4650 this car is also nice and very clean so please think about it Like I said take it a mechanic then you'll know if I'm writh or not. Is a salvage car just not worth considering? In any case, I guess I'll pursue the Prizm now. What about it being a rental?
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Replying to: latham (Feb 17, 2005 12:33 pm) I'm no big fan of ex-rentals either, but it's a $5-6 car, not a $15 car... so check it over really good, take a flashlight and peek in the cyl head through the oil filler & past the baffle.. if it's clean there, it's been maintained. There isn't much else to look for in terms of long-term concerns. Short-term, if someone broke something, it's broke now, so have it looked at closely by a mechanic you have reason to believe is competent. Check for all the VIN stickers to make sure it hasn't been severely crunched and rebuilt... a little q-panel repaint ain't a big deal, though... Good luck, -Mathias
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Replying to: steine13 (Feb 17, 2005 12:41 pm) Thanks so much for your help. |
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Seller seems honest, but if you go for it just consider it a beater and drive it to the ground. Don't plan on selling, as you see from the sample here few people want a salvaged car. -juice
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Replying to: ateixeira (Feb 17, 2005 1:38 pm) Just say no to a salvage car.. especially since you want to buy a car to last for ten years.. |
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As I mentioned earlier, avoid salvage cars. Actually, I think used rental cars could be a good buy. Just don't look for high resale when you want to trade it in. eBay has Taurii on the cheap, and most are former rentals. For a used rental car, try to find one with more equipment and lower miles. Most rentals were probably base models. (unless you search really hard)
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Replying to: jchan2 (Feb 17, 2005 2:47 pm) 1) I would agree with you that there are a LOT of used '02-04 Taurus vehicles out there for sale. However, a lot of them are from corporate fleets (think salesmen, reps, insurance agents, etc.) and not just the rental car fleets. I do believe that they offer some of the BEST values. I bought an '02 Taurus last year for $5500 with 55k miles. It flipped it later to a friend. It is a good deal. 2) However, in 2003, a lot of corporate fleets switched from the Taurus to the Chevrolet Impala which in my book is a much better car than the Taurus both in terms of reliability and fuel economy. Last year, 2 yo Impalas with 50k were pretty pricy - $7500-8500 off lease. this year, I am seeing them go for $5800-7000 which is IMO, a screaming good value. 3) I have been to muni auctions in the Chicago area where used Impala - Police Packages are going for $4800 consistently. 4) "Base" models are not stripped down models. Most fleet vehicles have most of the popular options (except leather, sunroof and wheels). In general, you are getting a lot of cars. When you buy a car 3-5 YO for around $6-8k, resale should not be an issue IMO. You should be looking for a car you'll drive for a long time. |
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