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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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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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I agree, resale isn't very important for our situation. We will probably keep the car for a long time. Do you think the Taurus or Impala will provide a better deal than some of the other things I've been looking for? I'm hoping to go check out the Prizm this afternoon. If I like it, I think I should have it inspected, but my mechanic is close to an hour from the place with the Prizm. Do you think I can just call up a mechanic from the yellow pages nearby and ask him to inspect it? Any other advice for the visit? Thanks again!
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Replying to: latham (Feb 17, 2005 3:49 pm) 1) The Impala is more comfortable for a big guy like myself. Comfort is a major issue with me as I have circulation problems. 2) From *MY* experience, I got 28 mpg from the Impala vs. 24 mpg from the Taurus under the same conditions. 3) The Impala is more reliable to a certain degree and I have had better experiences with GM products although Ford has always treated me well also. If you like the Prizm, that would be a pretty good car and easier to park than the others. I would take the car to a reputable shop in the Yellow Pages or ask for a referral to a AAA garage as they have an inspection process that they go through. Again, realize that we are not talking charity work. You will be charged for the inspection. But the inspection may catch a big issue that you will not see as a layman. For example, a friend buys a used Lexus at a very reputable Cincinnati dealership. I call the place reputable as the guy only sells quality used car and treats people right. The friend buys the car and takes it in to his mechanic a few weeks later. The mechanic notices that the car had about $15k in damage repair that had been professionally repaired. The car was later bought back by the dealership. Do realize, that any inspection may miss something. Maybe a problem is intermittant. However, you have a better chance of landing a good car. |
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So we went to check out the Prizm. We were somewhat surprised at the place. Called "Euro Wholesale", it was very small, they had like 20 cars, nearly all more expensive than this one, and 1 guy there. He let us take the car for a drive, and my wife and I each drove it, but he didn't come with us. The sticker price said $8,900 (the ad we followed said $6,450) When I mentioned that the car was a former rental, he seemed surprised, as if he didn't know. He didn't have any service records for the car. He was very much not the car salesman I was expecting. He didn't seem to care whether I wanted the car or not really. Anyway, on the whole the car seemed pretty good to me, though there were a couple buttons missing. However, there were two issues with the car which may or may not be a problem. First, it smelled somewhat of cigarettes, which bothered my wife. I wouldn't want her to have to use that car if we couldn't get the smell out. Second, when I turned it as far left as possible (u-turn), I heard what sounded sort of like a recurring grating sound. I mentioned it to the man when I returned, but got pretty much no comment. He was very willing for me to take it to a mechanic, but I haven't done so yet. We left unsure, because of the two issues I mentioned. What do you think? Can cigarette smell be removed?
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Replying to: latham (Feb 17, 2005 9:47 am) $6200 - 2002 Nissan Sentra 38k miles automatic link
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