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Help buying a used Charger.
Good morning,
I went to my friend that works on cars with his mechanic friend on weekends for info about the two cars my wife & I are going to be looking at.
I've checked Edmunds & the prices the dealer is selling them at is exactly the same price. However he warned me about both vehicles.
The car I'm wanting is a 2008 Dodge Charger 4spd automatic with 170,000 miles on it. He let me know that Chargers especially the 4spd auto's have known transmission issues. Is there a big reason why or is it usually the driver just pushing the car more than the tranny should handle?
The car my wife is interested in is a 2003 Honda Element 4cyl automatic with 204,000 miles on it. He told me that those cars main problem is a gasket issue however I haven't found anything on it.
Any & all insight on both matters I'd appreciate it.Also if there's anything I should be looking for out of the normal or listening for I'd greatly appreciate all info.
This will be my 3rd car I've ever bought 1st by myself.
I went to my friend that works on cars with his mechanic friend on weekends for info about the two cars my wife & I are going to be looking at.
I've checked Edmunds & the prices the dealer is selling them at is exactly the same price. However he warned me about both vehicles.
The car I'm wanting is a 2008 Dodge Charger 4spd automatic with 170,000 miles on it. He let me know that Chargers especially the 4spd auto's have known transmission issues. Is there a big reason why or is it usually the driver just pushing the car more than the tranny should handle?
The car my wife is interested in is a 2003 Honda Element 4cyl automatic with 204,000 miles on it. He told me that those cars main problem is a gasket issue however I haven't found anything on it.
Any & all insight on both matters I'd appreciate it.Also if there's anything I should be looking for out of the normal or listening for I'd greatly appreciate all info.
This will be my 3rd car I've ever bought 1st by myself.
0
Answers
The Dodge at least is probably a lot of highway miles, based on the year. Unless it is yellow and used to be a cab!
what are these going for? I would expect a really good price, otherwise for not much more money you can probably get similar car for not much more. And what are you planning to do with it? Depending on it every day? Long trips? 2nd car for running around town? And what location are you at?
here is an example of cheap, with a lot fewer miles.
https://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/5413339246.html
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
On the Honda, what gaskets does the mechanic refer to? Is it valve cover gaskets? Or, some other gasket?
Haven't heard of any particular issues with Dodge 4 speed transmissions. But again, with that any miles, who knows?
These cars would have to be cheap, I mean really cheap, and neither would be my primary driver, in order to consider them.
What price point are you looking at?
1. You must have the car checked out thoroughly by an independent repair shop
2. Throw away the "blue book" or any other price guide. If these vehicles are not steeply discounted off of published "book" prices, then don't even bother.
Statistically, most modern cars can last from 175K to 225K. You would be hard put to find very many in junkyards beyond that mileage. So if a vehicle has 200K on it, it is at the statistical end of its life. Just as some people live to be 100, some cars exceed their life expectancy. But on the other hand, 100 year old people don't get around very well.