Attn savy car buyers, help me out

[thefed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Trust me, you're not going 1/2 way with Nissan. Definitely not with the 4th generation Maxima, 1995-1998. The Maxima is the most reliable car I know of, bar none.

thats the truth. nobody can argue that point...95-98 max gets my vote. i own one(1998, 80k mi), and sold one (95- 200k miles-nearly totalled so i sold)

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords I think the next time we go car shopping I'll show up with an OBD-II cable and a big towel just to see the look on the seller's face...

I hope for his sake he didnt watch pulp fiction or deliverance the night before.

[brewer12345]

You know, all of this talk of climbing around under cars, shady sellers, geysering 170F radiator fluid, etc. makes me a lot less sorry that I buy new and run it until it dies on the side of the road.

[KB]

I buy new for my cars, but my kids buy used cars found on Craigslist.

We've found that taking a car to the dealer and paying $99 to 149 with compression check has worked well for us. Having a list of known problems, large or small, has helped us decide whether the car is worth buying and gives us a little negotiating room.

The only problem cars they've bought were ones that didn't get the dealer check.

[cj]

We should hook up, Wildcat. I've been getting the new car itch, and am deciding what to do with my 1-owner, well-maintained, nothing-wrong-with-it-except-I-want-a-new-car 1994 Honda Accord. There is a pretty good chance I will be selling it to a friend for his daughter, but if that doesn't work out, I was thinking about Craigslist. DH doesn't want to deal with "unknown" people, and would prefer to just trade it to avoid the hassle.

OK, so this is not a sales pitch to Wildcat, but in the meantime, it appears that some of you have had good luck with Craigslist. Any bad stories? Any advice? I would be a bit nervous about it, but I guess it's no worse than advertising in the paper... You know the stories about meeting strange people over the internet. Oh, wait - that's what we all are, eh?

Thanks!
CJ

[travelover]

Another option, for those less than squeaky tight, is to buy a car 2 years old. This way you get some warranty to take care of any issues and usually a car that looks like new, but for a lot less. I bought a Taurus for my wife that was 1 1/2 years old for half new price because of Ford's poor management of resale value (rental dumping, etc). It is not an exceptional car but I found it to be a exceptional value. And, she is happy with it - all that matters to me.

[MasterBlaster]

Travelover:

I agree with your assessment of late model domestic iron as a great value. Three and a half years ago I bought a Mercury Sable that was one year old with 16k miles on it for $10k. Since then I have put 70k miles on the car and the car has been flawless. My operating costs for the car including depreciation have been under 10 cents a mile.

My original plan was to replace the car about now with another late model domestic but the car runs so good that I have decided to keep it for another year or two. Why sell off a good running car.

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 You know, all of this talk of climbing around under cars, shady sellers, geysering 170F radiator fluid, etc. makes me a lot less sorry that I buy new and run it until it dies on the side of the road.

That works.........probably was cheap as buying 2-3 years old and trading more often.........

When I worked in the auto industry, we LOVED used car buyers..........they were the type of buyer that gets itchy every 3 years or so and wants a different used car.

New car cash buyers we wouldn't see for 7-10 years................

[Sam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 You know, all of this talk of climbing around under cars, shady sellers, geysering 170F radiator fluid, etc. makes me a lot less sorry that I buy new and run it until it dies on the side of the road.

It's not as bad as it sounds. Actually it's quite entertaining and rewarding for people who likes cars, or anything with an engine that goes vrooom vrooooom. But I understand your view too.

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam It's not as bad as it sounds. Actually it's quite entertaining and rewarding for people who likes cars, or anything with an engine that goes vrooom vrooooom. But I understand your view too.

We need a permanent "car thread" to share wisdom........I know 73454 is in..........

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam It's not as bad as it sounds. Actually it's quite entertaining and rewarding for people who likes cars, or anything with an engine that goes vrooom vrooooom. But I understand your view too.

You have to understand: I don't even change my oil. I do my job and my mechanic does his...

[Sam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 You have to understand: I don't even change my oil.

I do understand. I don't change my oil either. Wait a minute, you meant your car's oil, right?

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 You know, all of this talk of climbing around under cars, shady sellers, geysering 170F radiator fluid, etc. makes me a lot less sorry that I buy new and run it until it dies on the side of the road.

Hey, it's not the fresh meat-- it's the thrill of the hunt. It's like finding that neglected small-cap with an unrecognized asset on its balance sheet, an income statement that justifies a P/E of four, rising margins & cash flow, and a huge short interest.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 You have to understand: I don't even change my oil. I do my job and my mechanic does his...

It's probably a better use of your time (and your salary/bonus) to keep paying him to give you more time at financial analysis.

It makes more sense than being three months behind on the oil changes due to high surf...

[FinanceDude]

Nords:

This should be on your X-mas list this year:

CarMD - The easy-to-use handheld automotive diagnostic tool and software package

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinanceDude Nords: This should be on your X-mas list this year:

Better yet, Father's Day is upon us!

I can always use another diagnostic toy tool...

[FinanceDude]

My Odyssey has an oil life idiot light on it. When it gets to 5%, I get an oil change..........

My dad was a fanatic about oil changes every 3500 miles. When I stupidly asked why once, his response?

"Because you can buy a LOT of oil changes for the price of a new engine"............

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinanceDude My Odyssey has an oil life idiot light on it. When it gets to 5%, I get an oil change.......... My dad was a fanatic about oil changes every 3500 miles. When I stupidly asked why once, his response? "Because you can buy a LOT of oil changes for the price of a new engine"............

I LOVE the "heres what to do with me now" light on our honda. Saves me a boatload of time remembering when I did what last.

The 3000 mile oil change was invented by jiffy lube, and a fabulous marketing campaign it was. In independent lab tests, modern oil under the absolute worst possible conditions was still quite viable after more than 5000 miles.

I guess the bottom line is to follow the manufacturers recommended maintenance. I try to beat that by a little bit because its just not that expensive, but I figure since the average joe isnt doing a TCO on his car buying options, they're not going to stretch any of that further out than they have to.

What cracks me up is when the dealer, on selling you a new car, includes their own recommended maintenance schedule, which does twice as much, twice as often, for four times the price of what the manufacturer recommends.

[wildcat]

Quote:

We should hook up, Wildcat. I've been getting the new car itch, and am deciding what to do with my 1-owner, well-maintained, nothing-wrong-with-it-except-I-want-a-new-car 1994 Honda Accord. There is a pretty good chance I will be selling it to a friend for his daughter, but if that doesn't work out, I was thinking about Craigslist. DH doesn't want to deal with "unknown" people, and would prefer to just trade it to avoid the hassle.

Hmm, where are you located: east coast, upper south area? I bi-locate right now so send me a PM. No joke

Quote:

Hey, it's not the fresh meat-- it's the thrill of the hunt. It's like finding that neglected small-cap with an unrecognized asset on its balance sheet, an income statement that justifies a P/E of four, rising margins & cash flow, and a huge short interest.

That's scary. I can see Nords pulling out the Sunday classifieds and circling potential victims.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildcat Hmm, where are you located: east coast, upper south area? I bi-locate right now so send me a PM. No joke

I've been wondering if CJ would ship to Hawaii, but that's probably a losing proposition even if it's ballast...

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildcat That's scary. I can see Nords pulling out the Sunday classifieds and circling potential victims.

That's so last millenium.

Craigslist. But the stalking analogy is appropriate!

[wildcat]

Quote:

Craigslist. But the stalking analogy is appropriate!