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Smart Shopper Selecting and Buying My First Car
761 messages, Last post on Jun 08, 2009 at 8:02 AM
You are in the Smart Shopper Forum. Your Hosts are kirstie_h & tidester
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Replying to: jchan2 (Feb 17, 2005 3:47 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 4:49 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 10:47 am) $6200 - 2002 Nissan Sentra 38k miles automatic link
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Replying to: latham (Feb 17, 2005 11:17 pm) Again, through personal experience, I'm a fan of the Sentra. The News & Views host, pf_flyer, drove one of those some 200K miles before buying another Nissan, so they can certainly live a long and happy life.
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Replying to: kirstie_h (Feb 18, 2005 7:19 am) But, I like Prizms and Proteges much better than the Sentra.. Nissans last a long time.. and that isn't a good thing, if you are the one that has to drive it... The Impalas and Tauri are a good deal.. but, you've been driving small cars before this.. If they meet your needs, no reason to spend more on fuel with a bigger car.. Keep looking.. lots of cars out there.. regards, kyfdx |
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Replying to: latham (Feb 17, 2005 10:51 pm)  The price difference isn't surprising. Happens all the time. If someone shows the ad and they honor it, no big deal, right? But if someone comes in off the street, never saw the ad, they might wind up paying more based on the sticker. Not the nicest way to do business, but its a used car lot, after all, so you can't expect much. I differ on the cigarette smell. I believe enough Febreeze can get rid of anything over time.
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Replying to: qbrozen (Feb 18, 2005 9:02 am) It is his wife that has the cigarette smell problem... You know what I am getting at? |
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How does this one sound? $2950 - 2001 Ford Escort 66k miles automatic link
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