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Purchasing Used Vehicles

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Comments

  • jlawrence01jlawrence01 Member Posts: 1,757
    Terry,

    I have a few questions.

    At Mannheim, what disclosures regarding vehicle condition needs to be made?? And how is that communicated to buyers?

    If you get a car that has a non-disclosed problem, what recourse do you have?

    How do the professional auctions segregate problem cars (MBB, flood, etc.)

    For disclosure, I have sent a few cars to Greater Milwaukee from the fleet through my lease company. I **DO** realize that we are talking about a "dealer only" auction where the rules are significantly different from a business-consumer transaction.
  • steine13steine13 Member Posts: 2,825
    ...... So you're off to the "big" Manheim ..l.o.l....

    That was some post.
    Thanks, I saved it... you never know when it might come in handy ;-)

    -Mathias
  • gussguss Member Posts: 1,167
    That's what I thought also. With all those cars rolling thru I know my head would be spinning.

    Terry reminds me of the jewelers that can spot a cubic zirconia from across the room. I am sure the system he has filters out the majority of the problems.
  • silvermanorthosilvermanortho Member Posts: 1
    Excuse the abrupt interruption of your forum but the line, "Forget NADA, KBB, Edmunds (sorry, Mother) and Galves.. " caught my attention.
    I am trying to research several topics using these sites. Is their some other way?
    I have an 2004 M3 convertible 18,500 with a one quarter sized ding and want to trade it in. Does any one have a suggestion to know if the low ball offers (compared to NADA and KBB) by the dealer is reasonable?
    LMS
  • rroyce10rroyce10 Member Posts: 9,332
    ... **I have a few questions.
    At Manheim, what disclosures regarding vehicle condition needs to be made?? And how is that communicated to buyers? ....**

    The *sellers* have to disclose if it's TMU (True Mileage Unknown), MBB (Manufacturers Buy Back), Canadian, frame damage, salvage title, flood, etc, etc ...... this information is given to the auction when you book it in, then the auctioneer .. it's also displayed on the screen .... when the auctioneer opens, he loudly announces: "we have a 03 xxxxx with frame damage - *be aware*.! .. do I have $8,800, $8,900." .... plus it's stamped all over the paperwork, and should be on the title ..

    If you run a vehicle thru and you don't disclose ... then the dealer can bring it back inside of 8 days and they take the money right out of the sellers account, plus any costs .... that said, non-discloser also puts a mark on your account and that shows all over the country at every auction house in the country the very next day ....... 2nd time - you're fined and you are out ...



    Terry :lemon:
  • raybearraybear Member Posts: 1,795
    Well, the advantage to you is, spring's just around the corner. You have a car that's still under factory warranty. There is no way I'd ever trade it, selling it privately is the way to go.
  • imariquinnimariquinn Member Posts: 96
    hello, i have always traded in my cars, so I am selling on my own for the first time and I want to make sure that I do it correctly and that I handle the tags, title and registration correctly.

    Sorry this is long.

    On Sunday, I found a 2000 V8 Toyota Tundra Extra Cab truck w/84000 miles that i want to purchase BY OWNER from my neighbor. We agreed on $8500 as the price (according to Edmunds that is a good deal). I told him that I need to sell my car first, so Monday, I put my 1998 Honda Odyssey on Craigslist.org for $4700 (after checking Edmunds.com appraisals & TMV for pricing help) and that same day I took a deposit and I got my asking price and the buyers are coming to pick it up with cash on Saturday. I have the title and all the service records, books, keys, etc.

    Now how do I do this? do I type up a sales contract or agreement? what should it say. The vehicle is beyond warranty @ 132,000 miles. I found a bill of sale form on the Florida Dept of Motor Vehicles website, but it says nothing about AS-IS.I want to say all sales final.

    Does the buyer have to have insurance BEFORE they pick it up?
    Do they have to take my license plate? I just got my 2007 tabs in January. I plan on placing the plate on the new truck.

    Do i give the buyer a receipt for the payment (we agreed cash)?

    how do I fill out the title information on the Title or do I have to do that at the county offices in front of somebody?

    How about taxes?

    Should this be done on a weekend?

    I also need to know how to buy the truck from my neighbor correctly, so this should help my buyer and also me as a buyer. I previously bought his house, now I am buying his truck!

    I live in Florida, hope that helps. thanks for any help you can give me for buying and selling by owner
  • jdh5jdh5 Member Posts: 9
    Thanks for all of the helpful advice...I've been doing as much research as I can up front. When it comes time to actually go to the auction, I was going to have my friend e-mail me the VIN #'s of the cars I'm interested in so that I could do car history reports on all of them. I'm hoping to narrow down my list to 10 cars +/- before we even go to the auction. Then we were planning on going up early to look at the cars I'm interested in (he even said they permit you to drive them around a bit). I printed out a comprehensive list from KBB of things to look for when inspecting a car at an auction...I was going to use this as a guide for inspecting each of the cars I was interseted in...although I'll probably add some of the items that you pointed out to my list as well. Plus I feel pretty safe in the fact that my friend is a dealer who has a lot of auction experience, and knows what to look out for.

    What I'm really interested in, but it seems that no one is able to provide is guestimates based on experience of how much below trade-in values cars typically sell for at auction. I'm already aware of the added costs of associated with buying a car at auction & the added costs to make the car "like new" (i.e. new tires, brakes, wipers, etc.), but I'm really interested to know what the cars sell for in comparison to KBB/NADA/Etc. trade-in values before any of the add-on costs.
  • tcanslertcansler Member Posts: 1
    :mad: I learned a valuable lesson: All mechanics are not the same.

    I followed everyone' advice and had an ASE Certified mechanic perform a pre-purchase inspection on a car I wanted to buy. I found out later he was only certified in a couple of areas. I did not know that there are 8 ASE certification areas! He missed some existing mechanical problems and that the car had frame damage from a previous accident. He cost me a lot of money and I decided just to get rid of the car.

    I found a web site that I really told me what I needed to know. Please share it.

    www.usedcarinspections.org
  • rroyce10rroyce10 Member Posts: 9,332
    ...... Not to hurt your feelings ..

    But .. top mechanics look at the mechanical end of it ... top body guys look for any potential body/paint and frame damage ...

    You don't call an electrician when the kitchen sink backs up, do you ......?



    Terry ;)
  • bdr127bdr127 Member Posts: 950
    I have an 2004 M3 convertible 18,500 with a one quarter sized ding and want to trade it in. Does any one have a suggestion to know if the low ball offers (compared to NADA and KBB) by the dealer is reasonable?

    Figure $100-$150 to get rid of that dent (assuming they can do it via "Dent Wizard" or whomever your local paintless dent removal guy is).
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Check out his registration date me thinks this is spam.
  • rroyce10rroyce10 Member Posts: 9,332
    ..... Dang.! ..... I fell for it again.!

    See what happens when you date a blonde .....!

    Terry. :shades:
  • colebcoleb Member Posts: 1
    (This is my first post, so please be gentle.)

    As my 1991 Thunderbird is on its last legs, I'm going to be looking for something a little less old. I've estimated the top end of my budget at about $5,000. (This, of course, depends on whether I can get a loan, but I'll worry about that when I'm more ready to buy.) My concerns are, in order of importance: reliability, safety, and fuel economy. I don't need a lot of bells and whistles, just automatic transmission and air conditioning. I don't drive a lot; maybe 5k miles a year, so I'm hoping to be able to keep this car for 3-4 years.

    Having pored through a chunk of the forums here, it looks to me like my best bets are either a Chevrolet Prizm or a mid to late 90's Buick with the 3.8L engine. I was wondering if there are any other hidden deals I should be looking out for. I'd like a Honda Civic, but they seem impossible to find in my price range with less than 150k miles on the clock.

    Oh yeah, also, I live in Virginia Beach, so any suggestions as to reputable dealerships in the Hampton Roads area would be appreciated too.

    Many thanks in advance.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    What about a Taurus...maybe about a 2000-2002???
  • suydamsuydam Member Posts: 5,067
    I think your choices are better than the Taurus for what you want. There is a Buick dealership in Virginia Beach. My son had his Buick serviced there when he was in the Navy.
    '24 Kia Sportage PHEV
    '24 Chevy Blazer EV 2LT
  • sparkertsparkert Member Posts: 5
    Ok - so how much negotiating room is there, really, when you are buying a late model used car?

    I am in the market for a 2003-5 Mazda MVP. I have seen many of them on auto trader for a median price of 14 500. The 2003's seem to be about 1000 less, but the 05's are only 500-800 higher.

    I really need to spend 14 500 *out the door*. But is a thousand dollars off sticker really off-base? And should I begin with this figure or a lower one?

    I am worried about low-balling and being laughed at. I am paying cash.

    Any suggestions would be so helpful, thank-you.

    sparkert
  • biancarbiancar Member Posts: 965
    Don't ever worry about being laughed at. Sounds like you're saying the 2005's are being offered at around $15,000 to $15,300, is that right?

    Your budget is a little less than that, but close enough. Make an offer and see where it gets you. Start with the best car you think is within range.

    If they accept that offer, then fine, you've got a new car. If they can't or won't accept it, then you can always look to a car that's a year older. You never know 'til you try.

    We're already looking at the last two weeks of the month, so that might be a slight advantage to you. Get serious in the last week of the month, you might see some dealers more willing to meet your offer.
  • sparkertsparkert Member Posts: 5
    Yes - the 15000-15300 figure is accurate.

    The thing is - and I think this is becuase those vans are unpopular - the prices are almost always below the Edmonds values. Even lower than the supposed trade-in values!

    Does this mean I have almost no room for bargaining? It sure seems like it. I am going to try, though. It helped that you said I shouldn't worry about laughter!

    Thank-you so much
    sparkert
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Try and figure out which one has been on the lot the longest. If you have seen the car advertised for a while you can figure that out or if you want to do a carfax you can see about what date the vehicle was purchased by the dealer.
  • asafonovasafonov Member Posts: 401
    I think you nailed it - I see 05 MPV LXs advertised at 16k and often below (the lowest I saw was 14.8k) by dealers, and the older models are not much less. One thing to keep in mind is that 05s are almost certain to be former rentals, while 03 and some 04s may have been privately owned. I don't have a problem with ex-rentals, but some people would not touch them.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    I never understood that either. As long as the car drives fine and has not been hit who cares if it is a rental. My shop used to do all of the service work for a couple of rental fleets and honestly most of those cars were maintained better then the cars owned by indviduals. Yeah of course there were some dogs but most of them were in good shape.
  • themanqthemanq Member Posts: 10
    Most of the used car listings are from dealers. Could someone point me to sites that have more private seller listings?
  • sparkertsparkert Member Posts: 5
    So I went down to a big used car sale at a stadium in search of an MPV. I saw a pretty 04 model, advertised at 14800, but my offer of 13600 did not get picked up. I really wanted that car - too bad!

    Now I see there's an 03 MVP coming off of a corporate lease, one owner and *very* well maintained (complete service every 4k miles) for 11990. The warranty has expired becuase its got 53000 miles on it. I *think* this might be a good deal but I'm not sure.

    Has anyone got any experiences with corporate leased used cars? Should I hold out for a newer model? I have exactly 14700 dollars to spend on a minivan. And that includes taxes and fees.

    P.S. themanq - if you want more private seller listings check out craig's list for your city.

    sparkert
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,736
    you could try craigslist.com

    edit - oops. didn't read all of the post before me. ;)

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • susiegsusieg Member Posts: 2
    I just purchased an '05 Ford Escape from a large dealer, which I found via the Internet. The sticker said it had cruise control and alloy wheels, but I've since discovered it has neither. My bad, I should have tested the cruise when I drove it, but I test drove a number of Escapes there and missed that step with this one. As for alloy wheels, I wouldn't know one if it hit me in the head, but I found the original sticker and made the discovery there. I called the dealer, and was told that they were sorry, but the price of the car reflected what features it had, even if the sticker and internet description were wrong. Do I have a leg to stand on, or is the onus on me because I didn't catch these errors before I bought it? I would like some compensation at least, as I feel I paid for something that wasn't represented honestly.
  • rroyce10rroyce10 Member Posts: 9,332
    ... **The sticker said it had cruise control and alloy wheels..**



    If the sticker and the Vin# *match* ... then the dealer needs to make it good ...


    I would bypass the salesman .. and in a nice manner, I would make an appointment and I would meet with the GM (whoever the big dude is) and have all the paperwork in hand .... most problems are handled pretty fast and easy when the Big Dog knows the whole story.



    Terry.
  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    Was this a new or used car?

    I think a new car is required to have the factory 'sticker' on it until it is sold, and it is even to be given to the purchaser.

    If used, the 'sticker' is just an 'list' of options typed up by the dealer. I think they might have a good case of 'We're so sorry, but that was a mistake by someone typing up the sticker.' Also, if used, was it an 'As Is' sale? If so, you are probably out of luck.
  • susiegsusieg Member Posts: 2
    The Escape is a certified pre-driven car. It seems to me that since the mistake was made by one of their employees, they should be responsible for it. They would dock the car for lacking those features if I were to trade it in to them. As of now they are offering to pay half the $400 it would cost to have cruise control added to the car. I have concerns about how risky it would be to do something like that.
  • rroyce10rroyce10 Member Posts: 9,332
    .. **As of now they are offering to pay half the $400 it would cost to have cruise control added to the car. I have concerns about how risky it would be to do something like that.**



    Cruise is added every second of everyday - no biggie, but they need to pay for the whole thing .... that said, just make sure they aren't handing the job over to Billy Bob's Barbeque and Auto repair -- and get "ALL" the paperwork.!

    Next time ... just like when you buy a house, make sure you do a complete walkaround .. check the rubber, locks, spare tire, seats, possible paintwork, books, records, all the keys - all of it.!

    It always kills me when folks purchase a vehicle and they come back 5 weeks later and say "I didn't know this car didn't have power seats" ..l.o.l... of course I have an "aquantence " that bought a house a few weeks back and just found out it doesn't have air conditioning --- duuuuuh.!

    Like my great grand Daddy used to say:

    ... common sense isn't common ....



    Terry.
  • ronsteveronsteve Member Posts: 1,234
    Pulled the carfax on a vehicle that I looked at the other day, and found this as the first title record:

    12/09/2003 3,503 Auto Auction
    Sold at auction in Florida
    Listed as a manufacturer vehicle

    Soooo what does this mean? It doesn't show any problem titles, but could this be an indicator that they've buried something? It's the NEXT record that is the first owner.
    2015 Acura RDX AWD / 2021 VW TIguan SE 4Motion
  • raybearraybear Member Posts: 1,795
    The car may have been an "executive" car what was later sent to auction. Usually dealers have the pick of these and they don't get that far. Maybe someone else knows, what brand is it?
  • richkneecerichkneece Member Posts: 1
    Just a warning to anyone thinking about doing business with Private Party Vehicles (www.privatepartyvehicles.com) in Bridgewater, MA.

    Basically the ownus of the business is they'll sell your car at full retail value, then they take a marketing fee + a commission.

    It's a scam. They made promises to me that they would be able to sell my car within 2 weeks and didn't deliver on those promises.

    Four months passed by and I never heard from them once. No calls "just to check-in," no calls to recommend adjustments in the marketing strategy.

    I had to call them and hound them. Only them did they make up excuses about why they couldn't sell it (it needs work, it's a tough car to sell, etc., etc.). If I hadn't contacted them, I guarantee that car would've sat on a lat for a year before anyone even remembered it was there.

    My car is a 2000 Volkswagen in good condition. Not a cream-puff, but certainly something I could sell on Craig's List within a few weeks with some time and effort. I have realistic expectations on selling this car, but these guys sat on their rear-ends.

    My real frustration isn't that they couldn't sell it...my frustration is in the fact that they promised they would easily be able to sell it just to pay a marketing fee ($650). They made empty promises and had no real intention of keeping those promises.

    Then they made up the excuses as to why they couldn't sell it. Why am I hearing about these supposedly reasons after they took my money??? They didn't do anything to sell my car

    Then when I decided I'm just going to sell it on my own, they won't refund the money claiming "the money's been put into marketing the car." Yuh right. Obviously their marketing hasn't done a thing.

    It's a scam...don't deal with them. Please -- for your own sake. Ultimately it's my fault that I lost the $650, but I want to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else!
  • ronsteveronsteve Member Posts: 1,234
    It's a Subaru... WRX wagon.

    I'm probably gonna shy away from it anyway because it has since racked up some tall miles, and the asking price is way high.

    But I had to wonder how much I would need to worry about that title record, in case I should find something like that on an otherwise more viable alternative.
    2015 Acura RDX AWD / 2021 VW TIguan SE 4Motion
  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    You paid someone up front to sell your car?

    Tish, tish, tish...
  • raybearraybear Member Posts: 1,795
    2000 Veedubs are hard to sell, Consumer Reports is pretty hard on that model year as I recall.
  • asafonovasafonov Member Posts: 401
    Where would you look for a used vehicle if you were shopping for one? Local paper (probably online), Automart, Craigslist, maybe local dealer lots (but they would advertise in the paper or Automart.) What kind of marketing - besides exposing the car to reasonable advertising and setting a realistic price - is needed? Don't mean to sound harsh, but I cannot understand how $650 worth of "marketing" would sprinkle some magic dust on a car and guarantee it sells in a short time.

    On the positive side, if you have a written contract with the company guaranteeing a sale within a certain amount of time, or explicitly listing the marketing exposure your fee buys (and you can prove you did not get this), you may have a leg to stand on in small claims court. However, considering the modus operandi of the company, even if there is a contract, it may written so that is is practically unenforceable.
  • michaelsfomichaelsfo Member Posts: 1
    John offers Roger a clean, low mileage, used car which he represents (honestly) to be in excellent condition. Roger inspects the car, test drives it, and being satisfied, pays cash for the car. John provides Roger with maintainance records dating back to John's purchase of the car (10 yrs) Everybody leaves happy. Then a few days later Roger calls John and tells him that his (Roger's) mechanic says there is coolant in the oil and some blowby, and the car won't pass CA smog test without repair. Roger's mechanic recommends ring and valve job at considerable cost. John is flabbergasted and asks Roger to bring car to his (John's) mechanic (who has maintined the car for the past five years) for evaluation. John's mechanic assures Roger that the car has been well maintained in his shop and has shown no signs of trouble, but does no tests. Still not satisfied, Roger takes the car to a dealer's shop and the dealer's findings confirm the previous mechanic's findings. The dealer recommends replace the engine. John requests copies of mechanics findings and estimates which are provided. John suspects that Roger may be may be suffering buyer's remorse and is inflating the problem in the hopes of securing a rebate. Roger suspects that John knew of the problem and feels cheated.

    Now; Assume all parties are honest and truthful.

    Query: Does Roger have any legal claim against John under CA law? (Any California Lawyers out there?) Remember, Roger paid full agreed price in cash, signed the bill of sale and took possesion of the car and title papers.
    Query: What's the "Right thing to do"? Should John
    a) pay to have the car repaired? (at least half the selling price)
    b) take the car back?
    c) pay half or some other portion of the cost of repairs?
    d) tell Roger to sue if he thinks he has a case?
    e) something else not yet thought of?
    And can Roger compel any of the above through the courts?
    Anybody have a thought?

    :confuse:
  • theflushtheflush Member Posts: 100
    Assuming all parties are honest, John should do absolutly nothing. Roger should have taken the car to his mechanic before he bought it. If John really felt he needed to do anything to help Roger, he should take the car back from Roger with a refund, but he is not morally or legally obligated to do so.
  • steine13steine13 Member Posts: 2,825
    "which he represents (honestly) to be in excellent condition."

    "won't pass CA smog test without repair."

    Those two statements don't go together.

    In my state, a used car is sold as is, unless the seller is an automotive professional, like a mechanic. John can tell Roger to go climb a tree.

    The buyer is an idiot for going to his mechanic AFTER he's paid. It's done the other way 'round, and for a reason.

    But, if the car was promised to be "excellent" and now really won't pass smog, that's not right. If they were friends -- it doesn't sound like they are now -- the seller should take the car back to keep the peace. The buyer should pay the transaction costs, if any.
    (Notice I'm done with this John & Roger business.)

    If they are strangers, I think the seller's mechanic should try to get the car smog certified, but that's only if the car was truly represented as being in great condition. It's the right thing to do, but not required. If it can't be certified, then I don't know.

    I think they both should start behaving like grownups. "Excellent shape" and "ten years old" my foot.

    -Mathias
    in Mid-MI, where ten-year-old cars usually don't look so hot & nobody expects them to be perfect...
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,296
    Buyer taking car to mechanic after purchase? That is certainly questionable behavior.

    Good point if vehilce was advertised as being "excellent".
    But, seller disclosed maintenance records and history.

    Seller "owes" nothing...not even an explaination. Though if it were myself I would probably offer a couple hundred bucks to help with repairs.
    2021 Honda Passport EX-L, 2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,514
    ... then John isn't obligated to do anything... and shouldn't be.. Even if they are close friends, he isn't obligated...

    Unless he actively worked to convince Roger not to have the car inspected, he did everything correctly..

    Ten-year-old cars are sold "as-is". Caveat emptor..

    Unfortunately, Roger is never going to believe that John didn't know about the problem... but, if John's conscience is clear, then that is all that matters.

    regards,
    kyfdx

    Edmunds Price Checker
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    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • bigdveedubgirlbigdveedubgirl Member Posts: 402
    Roger is an owner. Plain and simple.

    If the car is 10+ plus years old, what does he expect? How much is he out anyway? Hope he learns his lesson!

    If I remember correctly, even if the smog is done two weeks ago, in a private party deal, it has to be resmogged by the new owner?
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,736
    Assuming all parties are honest, John should do absolutly nothing. Roger should have taken the car to his mechanic before he bought it. If John really felt he needed to do anything to help Roger, he should take the car back from Roger with a refund, but he is not morally or legally obligated to do so.

    a nice simple answer that i completely echo.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • jlawrence01jlawrence01 Member Posts: 1,757
    I sell ALL cars whether they are my personal vehicles or fleet vehicles AS IS WHERE IS with no guarantees except a clean title. I especially highlight the clause if I am selling to either relatives or friends as those are generally "headache" transactions.

    I sold a 150k Mercury Topaz (10 years old) to a kid who played around with the engine and blew it up within the 1st week. Came to me screaming that he was going to sue me. My response: "Go ahead, make my day."
  • ghuletghulet Member Posts: 2,564
    How many people driving around in ten year-old cars actually know anything about its condition, other than what they've done to it? I mean, after a while, most people don't have their cars inspected just for the heck of it, they tend, rather, to 'fix what needs fixing'. Short of regular maintenance, tending to funny sounds or idiot lights, ten-year old cars aren't usually exactly babied. In other words, there was probably no malice or deception intended, the seller probably thought, and had all indications that, the car was in 'excellent condition'. It certainly wasn't the seller's obligation to have it checked by a mechanic, that was the buyer's prerogative, preferably before the transaction.
  • theflushtheflush Member Posts: 100
    I'm looking for a cheap good gas mileage car for my 40 mile round trip commute and apparently so is everyone else because there are not many low priced (<$2K) cars with less than 200K miles here in southern Ohio. I just looked at a rebuilt salvaged '95 Civic DX Coupe 5 speed with 96K miles. They are asking $3500 for it, which seems high to me, even for a non-salvaged Civic. The seller said it had only body damage to the driver's door and the passenger side rear. It appears well done and the car drives as you would expect a Civic would, and has cold AC (no other power options)and does not appear to have any problems. What is such a salvaged Civic worth, and what would a similar non-salvaged Civic be worth in a private party transaction? If I get serious about buying it, I will take it to a mechanic for inspection. On an older, cheaper car, a salvage title does not bother me too much, because I plan to drive it for a long time and won't care too much about resale value, but I still want to get a good value for my money.

    Thanks for your help.
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,736
    They are asking $3500 for it, which seems high to me, even for a non-salvaged Civic.

    And I'd have to agree.

    $3k max ... and a salvage title means half that. So $1500 is all the beans, in my book.

    However, seeing as how Civics fetch more than used gold on the market, I could see stretching to $2k if a mechanic (make sure he's experienced in spotting body work, too) gives it the green light.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • theflushtheflush Member Posts: 100
    Thanks for the reply. I talked to an aquaintance who is in the used car business and he said he did not think it was necessarily that high just because they are in high demand. I was thinking it might be worth $2K, but the seller does not want to deal. Sadly, he will probably get his asking price from someone. I think I'll keep looking for a better deal.
  • cccompsoncccompson Member Posts: 2,382
    The problem, though, is that it is extremely difficult to find a nice used car with less than 100K for under $4000.
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