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Smart Shopper Used Vehicles Best Values
948 messages, Last post on Aug 11, 2009 at 11:51 AM
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Replying to: qbrozen (Jun 01, 2005 7:01 am) You are kidding...right? I see the repair bills from the Volvo dealer on some of the Volvos we take in as trades! With a Volvo, it seems like something is ALWAYS wrong and it's usually something electrical. Check engine light on, ABS light etc. When they need brakes, they usually need rotors etc... Nice cars to drive to be sure but as they age they can become big time money pits. At least that's what I see.
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A used VOLVO 10+ years old might have been a good solid used car a few years back. However, some of the repairs on some of the under 5 year old Volvos that I have had in the fleet have been quite expensive. DITTO for the Saabs. They also can be real money pits. I have a real bias against these vehicles as the one in my fleet has been in the shop seven times before 25k on mostly minor issues and it also chews up tires. If you are looking for a Honda or a Toyota under 2-3 years old, you are almost better off buying new. Many private Honda owners ask for stupid money on their used cars ... and occasionally get it. I think that the quality is better than some of the domestics but the margin is shrinking. If you are looking for solid transportation, I generally like the fleet vehicles as they can be had for a very reasonable price. My personal favorites at this time are the Chevrolet Impalas, Buicks, and the NEW Chevrolet Malibus (not the old style which is an inferior car). The Escorts are pretty reliable. Most of the Taurus models post 2000 are fairly reliable. And we had some good luck with the Intrepids and Concords that we have had. Personally, I look for the best car I can get with $6-7k which is a 3 year old domestic that is $4-5k less than the comparable Honda/Toyota and invest the difference for any major repairs. |
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| Reliable American built cars (Ford, GM, Chrysler) tend to be nice- reliable, dependable and they depreciate like a rock. (since they're American) | |
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Replying to: isellhondas (Jun 01, 2005 9:43 am) Now, notice I said "cost of particular jobs." Yes, I've had the ABS light and had to have the module repaired ($180, so no big deal) and have yet to have such an incident with the Honda, so I can't compare that. BUT, I've priced rotors for both vehicles and the Honda (Pilot) was way more expensive (even the online suppliers want $87 per front rotor!! I paid $125 for a PAIR of Brembo replacements, INCLUDING PADS, for my volvo) - so I wound up just letting the Honda dealer do the Pilot because their quote of $425 all of a sudden didn't seem so bad (although they only cut to rotors for that price). Even if I let the dealer do the brakes on my Volvo, they wanted $600 for all 4 new rotors and pads. Again, seems like a bargain compared to the Honda, but, of course, since I did all 4 in my garage for $250 in parts, I went that route. Oil changes are $27 for each vehicle ... so that's dead even. But then I have that $55 for the differential fluid on the Pilot every 15K miles. Now, granted, my experience so far is with 106K on the Volvo and 46K on the Pilot, so who knows what the future may bring .... but, as I said, comparing repair to repair ... my Volvo has not been anywhere near the cost that many non-owners report it to be. And the true failure of components hasn't been extraordinary. Let's see... other than the ABS module, its been pretty typical stuff like new shocks, one seized caliper, a bad wheel bearing, and a broken power antenna .... that's all I can think of. Not too bad. My sister had 2 seized calipers on her 45K mile Civic, so I really don't expect miracles from any car.
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Replying to: qbrozen (Jun 01, 2005 10:40 am) True, but it's also from ME. I try to keep the "dealer" part out of things and just call things as I see them. Last week...Volvo S-80 traded in with ABS and some engine light on. Our cost at the Volvo dealer was 1900.00 to repair. Typical from what I've seen but your experience may vary. Nothing as bad as an Audi but still naggy problems. I once owned a bulletproof Volvo 240 that was a primitive, rugged car. the newer ones are so much more complex. Not knoocking Volvos but I'm vary of them for the reasons I stated. |
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Replying to: isellhondas (Jun 01, 2005 2:41 pm) As far as what you've seen, I think its fair to say that many trade-ins suffer from neglected maintenance, don't they? I mean, when someone has their mind set on trading a vehicle in, they tend to let it slip a bit. Plus, the mentality is usually, "well, why fix the current problems when I can just let someone else do it." I would think you get to see most brands of cars at their worst, no?
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Replying to: qbrozen (Jun 02, 2005 5:38 am) And, this fear comes from years of experience. I don't have the same fear if I'm showing a used Honda or Toyota because they usually don't act up. Again, I'm not knocking European cars. I do think there are better choices for people on a tight budget.
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Replying to: isellhondas (Jun 02, 2005 5:59 am) |
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Replying to: isellhondas (Jun 02, 2005 5:59 am) Which is why I ended up with a Japanese entry level luxury car earlier in the year instead of a German or Swedish one. For people on tight budgets, I think the Ford Taurus is ideal- its reliable, inexpensive to fix, cheap and is fairly safe. Plus it depreciates like a rock thanks to all those fleet sales. 
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Just avoid the early Taurus with the 3.8 engines. A lot of these had head gasket and transmission problems. The 3.0's were better. And, yeah..these have no resale and can be bought cheaply. Just be very sure to have it inspected by a competant shop. It seems these can be very good or very bad depending on the car. A lot of car for the money if you get a good one. |
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