Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

Mr_Shiftright · April 2019

Yeah, the difference between a 30 year old drug addict and a 50 year old marathon runner! Low miles might not matter!

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

ab348 said:
Well, our useless city council, who never saw any wasteful spending they didn't like (except for fixing the roads) today went and approved $500K for the police dept to buy one of these:

The most bizarre part was that the guy making the case from the police dept for it admitted they had never had any previous need for one, could not provide any credible case for why they would now need one, and really did not provide any kind of a rationale for it. Yet the spend-happy Council went and approved it. This is for a police dept that is presently being barbecued in the press for excessive use of street checks and carding, especially in certain areas, to the point where a provincial review had to be undertaken and the Attorney-General had to order a ban on it until they could come up with some kind of policy as to when it can and cannot be used.

If our entire municipal council doesn't get tossed next election something is seriously wrong.

Maybe they need it to silence their critics.

ab348 · April 2019

oldfarmer50 said:

ab348 said:
Well, our useless city council, who never saw any wasteful spending they didn't like (except for fixing the roads) today went and approved $500K for the police dept to buy one of these:

The most bizarre part was that the guy making the case from the police dept for it admitted they had never had any previous need for one, could not provide any credible case for why they would now need one, and really did not provide any kind of a rationale for it. Yet the spend-happy Council went and approved it. This is for a police dept that is presently being barbecued in the press for excessive use of street checks and carding, especially in certain areas, to the point where a provincial review had to be undertaken and the Attorney-General had to order a ban on it until they could come up with some kind of policy as to when it can and cannot be used.

If our entire municipal council doesn't get tossed next election something is seriously wrong.
Maybe they need it to silence their critics.

It had me wondering what top-secret stuff the police have on some members of Council.

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

jipster said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jipster said:

abacomike said:

jipster said:

Here's an interesting story from the sales frontline for you guys. As most of you may, or may not, remember, I've been looking for a 2010-2012 midsize sedan for my son. Trying to stay around 6 or 7k. Today I happen to be reading thru our neighborhood association website and someone had offered to sell their 2010 Hyundai Sonata GLS Only 48,000 miles, for $6,700. Supposedly in excellent shape.

I call the guy. He says he bought the car in 2012 when it had 19,000 miles. It was an executive lease vehicle. Says he bought the car for his daughter, who is unable to drive it due to severe anxiety. The guy only lives 10 minutes away, so Mrs. Jipster and I go take a look.

Nice car. Not great. Fairly clean. Cigarette burn on drivers side door. A bunch of dogs chewed a bit on his rear bumper. Says except for oil changes, he hasn't done anything to the car. Says needs brakes. We test drive. It does! Drives and handles well.Good power, but not too much. 4 cylinder. Get back to his house, about here is when you'll want to start taking notes, and the guy starts talking Kelley Blue Book price. $6,700. As y'all know, the ole Jipster don't play KBB. I played Edmunds True Market Value.....which may be why I'm still looking at cars. But, I mention how great an automotive site Edmunds is, and they value the private party price at $4,700 in clean condition. He says no way, Jose. I say, well, my son hasn't looked at the car yet, if we come over tomorrow and he likes it, will you split the difference and take $5,700. He again says too low. I mention the car will need new brakes all around, transmission flush as fluid is dirty, and.probably new tires as the tires on the car are showing signs of dry rot. He balks. I say I'll do $6,000 if my son likes it. And the guy agress. The Jipst method of used car buying has worked?

The guy texts me a few hours ago, says his fiancee put the kabash of the deal, and he can't sell it for $6,000. He'll sell it for $6,500, but I can make an offer close to his. Now...this was a really nice guy. I think he was honest with me. Mrs. Jip and.myself enjoyed speaking with him. So I respond we can't do $6,000 because of the repairs needed. I mention how these car web sites are crazy with how they value the exact car so far apart. Say thanks anyhow. But, come on, you make a deal, agree on a price...then go back on your word? Not cool. I think Jmonroe would have sold me his Legacy for $10,400 had I made the deal before he found out XXX company was going to give him $12,600....KACHING! Pretty sure he would. But, what are you gonna do?

Guy just texted back an hour ago, says he'll do what I had offered to do, split the difference, and sell the car for $6,250. I've yet to respond. It's late.

Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Snide remarks?

I suggest you have a mechanic go over the car before your son looks at the car. If inspection is AOK and your son likes it, offer him $6150. Why barter with the guy if, in the end, it needs even more $ investment?

You should know that those 4 cylinder engines are iffy if they have not been properly maintained. My son bought one off lease and has regretted the purchase due to engine.
Yeah, if I came back today I was going to ask the owner if I could have a mechanic look at the car. There was what I thought a ticking noise coming from the engine. Mrs Jip said that was normal. "Sorry dear, that's just not good enough." And the transmission fluid was a real light blackish color. Wife said it was fine though. Think she really wanted the car. :-)
How does Mrs. Jip know what’s normal? Is she that knowledgeable about cars? Ticking could be nothing or could mean sticky lifters or other unusual wear. Could also mean sludge slowing the flow of oil to the top end. Did you pop the oil cap and stick your finger around in there?

No, Mrs Jip isn't that knowledgeable about cars. Slightly above average Is say. She did say some car of ours, can't remember which one, made a similar noise. But I think she she was sold on the car before looking at all the variables. And no on checking the oil cap.I made a mental note of checking that, and totally forgot. I checked dipstick, and it was fairly clean.I thought the noise maybe coming from the belt, but it was the engine.

I went to look at a convertible once being sold by a young woman who said she was selling to help pay for college. When she started it up there was a definite tapping. As the car warmed up the tapping subsided which said to me lifters. She mentioned that the car had sat for a few years which explained everything.

You mentioned that your Sonata looked like it had been sitting too.

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

jipster said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jipster said:
Did have the chance to drive a Nissan Versa rental while our Veracruz is in the body shop. A surprisingly nice.little cheap car. Nice looking. Roomy for a subcompact. Absorbs bumps in road fairly well. Fairly comfortable ride. Nimble..Quick If not pressed too hard. Engine whines under moderate to heavy throttle. Cheap interior all around.Seats felt a bit like sitting of a bale of hay. Reminded me a bit of that 2012 Honda Civic I leased. Overall grade a C+.

Those Versas are just awful. Might be a good city commuter but you don't want to be in one for long trips if you can help it.
Really? It's interior reaked of cheap plastic and material, the seat was.like sitting.on a bale of hay, but for one of the lowest priced cars on the market I thought it drove fairly well.

I’ve driven them several times for a few hundred miles non stop and I felt pretty beaten up. No worse than a Hyundai Accent or Mitsubishi Mirage.

suydam · April 2019

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

Like OF says, what executive leases a Sonata?
I got a laugh the other day at the GM dealer here. On their front line next to the road they have a bunch of cars lined up as usual. This time many of them are slightly used ones. Several Chevy Spark hatches in the bunch, which are barely bigger than a Smart car. The stick-on banner on the windshield screams "EXECUTIVE DEMO".

I immediately thought that they must have been used for very junior executives. :laughing:
.....and today I saw what looked to be a pretty new fancy Porsche sports car pulled up at a KFC Drive Thru....what is happening there? The guy has good taste in cars but.................
That might be all he can afford now. Think payment buyer.

jmonroe
I think I would rather starve than have to eat KFC. I was just reading never buy their chicken burger or pot pies, they are made from the day before left over chickens.

Our IT guy at work once worked at a KFC, if a chicken piece fell on the floor he was told to throw it into the fryer, it will get sterilized in the boiling oil.
I don't remember exactly how this happened but a few months ago I was asked by someone to taste their KFC pot pie. I thought it tasted as good or better than any chicken pot pie I ever had. And I've had plenty of them over the years.

As for what goes on in kitchens, I guess we'll never know. I just hope the Italian restaurant we are going to tonight doesn't drop my meatball on the floor then throws it back on my plate. But if it happens I hope they have the decency to at least plop it back in the sauce pot first.

If you want your meals to be perfectly pure, you shouldn't eat out.

jmonroe

Or don’t eat at cheap chains. When our kids were young and we didn’t have much money, we ate there. But I stopped going to most chain restaurants once I could afford better.

jipster · April 2019

Just saw a 2011 Genesis coupe turbo 2.0 on Facebook marketplace. Love how you can ask owner about maintenance, records.and how long they've owned the car, and they always reply the same.."Clean title. No dash lights. Runs great" They never want to answer how long they've owned the car. I'd be more inclined to buy from flippers that are upfront...not the sneaky little weasels who evade questions. .Too much power on that car anyhow. It is just really really hard.to find a legitimate privately.owned car.

stickguy · April 2019

Jip, every time when I am about to buy I get it in my head to find one. clean, 1 owner, all records, OCD owner, etc. Then I get frustrated as heck, realize that I am about the only fool that put one of those on CL in the past, and just go buy or lease something new! At this point, if I am getting used, it is almost a lock to come from one of the few used dealers nearby that I trust, and in that case will be a good car but not really a good price (IOW cheap). and at that point, not worth it to go that used.

driver100 · April 2019

ab348 said:
Well, our useless city council, who never saw any wasteful spending they didn't like (except for fixing the roads) today went and approved $500K for the police dept to buy one of these:

Guess they are expecting rioting in the streets in quiet little Dartmouth.
Boys will be boys!

driver100 · April 2019

explorerx4 said:
When I was in junior high, I went on a tour of a potato chip plant.
Didn't eat potato chips until I got the munchies, years later.

When I was about 13 we went through a chicken processing plant. The smell and the whole concept made me feel really sick. I eat lots of chicken, but I have to put all that out of my mind.

driver100 · April 2019

jipster said:

explorerx4 said:
@jipster,
The seller seems pretty sketchy. Based on previous observations of the car, maybe that oil change 3k miles ago could have been the first one in a while.
There have got to be some other cars out there.
Thx..Still looking. Like many have pointed out, finding an older lower mileage car is tough. May have to get under my mattress and bring a little more cash to the table.

You should have bought our 2013 Passat 2 years ago....7000 miles, they gave us $11200.

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

jipster said:
Just saw a 2011 Genesis coupe turbo 2.0 on Facebook marketplace. Love how you can ask owner about maintenance, records.and how long they've owned the car, and they always reply the same.."Clean title. No dash lights. Runs great" They never want to answer how long they've owned the car. I'd be more inclined to buy from flippers that are upfront...not the sneaky little weasels who evade questions. .Too much power on that car anyhow. It is just really really hard.to find a legitimate privately.owned car.

The Genesis 3.8 was my fallback if I couldn’t make the Mustang deal.

roadburner · April 2019

jipster said:

ruking1 said:
I’d freeze. If I read you correctly, you are $250 over what the both of you agreed earlier. If you REALLY like the car, which you are saying is meh... offer $5,950. $250 UNDER. I don’t get there are a lot of stacked cash offers in the wings.

@ 48,000 miles needing oil/filter change, alignment, brakes pads, rotors, brake fluid, & transmission flush? It probably can use a deluxe inside & out detailing. Who knows what else?
Well, we agreed in person on $6,000. Later on that day, the owner texted me back he can't do $6,000...he'll do $6,500. I texted, no thanks. Then owner came back an hour later and asked for me to split the difference of $6,000 and $6,500...and he'd take $6,250.

My wife really liked the car. When we were test driving it she suggested the most we offer be $6,400. I was thinking $6,000 would be about max. It's a very bland car...visually. So I liked it, but didn't feel the love.

On the maintenance, yeah the car only has 48,000 miles, but it's almost 10 years old and no fluid changes/maintenance except for oil. And yeah, the car could definitely use a good interior and exterior detail.

It sounds borderline neglected. I'd definitely pass.

driver100 · April 2019

Prices on those Sonatas are ridiculous. I was checking dealers around Louisville.

This one has 92000 miles on it!
2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS FWD - $7,500

Ads

Check some of the prices and look at the mileage.
I don't get it....how long is a 10 year old car going to last without some major repairs. I wonder if that mileage is even true.
I would rather use the money you are going to spend....$6000, to lease a car for 3 years then buy it back once the lease is over and the price falls....a car like that you will get 10 or 12 or more years out of.

jipster · April 2019

driver100 said:

jipster said:

explorerx4 said:
@jipster,
The seller seems pretty sketchy. Based on previous observations of the car, maybe that oil change 3k miles ago could have been the first one in a while.
There have got to be some other cars out there.
Thx..Still looking. Like many have pointed out, finding an older lower mileage car is tough. May have to get under my mattress and bring a little more cash to the table.
You should have bought our 2013 Passat 2 years ago....7000 miles, they gave us $11200.

Scotty says not to buy V.W. LOL

Wow, only 7,000 miles. You a member of the chronic car buyers club, or just not Like the vehicle?

My 2008 Mercury Mariner is sitting on 154,000 miles. So keep me me mind if you decide to sell within a couple years. Well, don't know what you drive, but semi luxury mainstream, like a Buick Regal or nicer Mazda 6 would be what I would be looking for. Hopefully Mrs. JMonroe will be wanting another car in a couple years.

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

stickguy said:
Jip, every time when I am about to buy I get it in my head to find one. clean, 1 owner, all records, OCD owner, etc. Then I get frustrated as heck, realize that I am about the only fool that put one of those on CL in the past, and just go buy or lease something new! At this point, if I am getting used, it is almost a lock to come from one of the few used dealers nearby that I trust, and in that case will be a good car but not really a good price (IOW cheap). and at that point, not worth it to go that used.

You have to be diligent and be ready to jump fast if the stars align. Took me less than 12 hours to see then buy my son’s car off CL.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2019

Yes, you have to be ready to strike! I kicked tires for months and bought my last car in about 10 minutes. Did I miss anything? Yeah--one of the 12V power sockets didn't work, and I didn't notice that the heat does not divert to the footwell--I only felt it from the vents and defrost--didn't check down under. Otherwise, very pleased with the purchase so far.

jipster · April 2019

driver100 said:
Prices on those Sonatas are ridiculous. I was checking dealers around Louisville.

This one has 92000 miles on it!
2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS FWD - $7,500

Ads

Check some of the prices and look at the mileage.
I don't get it....how long is a 10 year old car going to last without some major repairs. I wonder if that mileage is even true.
I would rather use the money you are going to spend....$6000, to lease a car for 3 years then buy it back once the lease is over and the price falls....a car like that you will get 10 or 12 or more years out of.

I was actually going to do that with the 2012 Honda Civic I leased. $3,000 down, then $79 a month. Buy it back for around $11,800 when the lease was up. Did oil changes esrly, every 5,000 miles. Towards the end of the lease, I couldn't do it. Just not a very good car.

Just spent $500 on my Mercury Mariner. New front brakes, rebuilt caliper, hose and brake fluid flush. That $500 is.probably half to a third of what a dealership would give me.for the car.

jipster · April 2019

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:
Jip, every time when I am about to buy I get it in my head to find one. clean, 1 owner, all records, OCD owner, etc. Then I get frustrated as heck, realize that I am about the only fool that put one of those on CL in the past, and just go buy or lease something new! At this point, if I am getting used, it is almost a lock to come from one of the few used dealers nearby that I trust, and in that case will be a good car but not really a good price (IOW cheap). and at that point, not worth it to go that used.

You have to be diligent and be ready to jump fast if the stars align. Took me less than 12 hours to see then buy my son’s car off CL.

Well......now you tell me..LOL.if you all haven't noticed, I have a tendency to overthink these kind of things, also thinking that if the car sits a little bit longer the owner is more likely to deal. But the good cars don't last long. The curbstoners snatch them up quickly.Had 2 really nice privately owned cars lined up. One a 2012 Ford Fusion. $7,800. Around 90k miles. I saw the ad on a Tuesday, texted.owner Id.like to see it Saturday.morning.The car was.sold.on Friday.

But, I prefer to go my wife when looking at a car. It's usually 2 against one. She chats them up on current events, the car, whatever...I can focus more in looking and.listening to the car without owner distraction.

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

cdnpinhead said:
Well, there's mileage and then there's mileage. A car with 15K miles of 5-10 mile trips in a cold city, in my world , is much less worthy than one with 95K miles gathered on the Interstate in the Southwest by a sales rep or some such.

If only someone could develop a device to determine what kind of mileage a car had he could make a fortune.

tjc78 · April 2019

My parent’s neighbor always looked for a very late model high mileage used car at a good price.

Think something 2-3 years old with like 70k on it. He would get a good price on it, then the miles would balance out in two years or so and then he got a decent buck for it since the miles were now “average”. I remember him doing it a few times and did pretty well in ownership costs.

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

jipster said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:
Jip, every time when I am about to buy I get it in my head to find one. clean, 1 owner, all records, OCD owner, etc. Then I get frustrated as heck, realize that I am about the only fool that put one of those on CL in the past, and just go buy or lease something new! At this point, if I am getting used, it is almost a lock to come from one of the few used dealers nearby that I trust, and in that case will be a good car but not really a good price (IOW cheap). and at that point, not worth it to go that used.

You have to be diligent and be ready to jump fast if the stars align. Took me less than 12 hours to see then buy my son’s car off CL.
Well......now you tell me..LOL.if you all haven't noticed, I have a tendency to overthink these kind of things, also thinking that if the car sits a little bit longer the owner is more likely to deal. But the good cars don't last long. The curbstoners snatch them up quickly.Had 2 really nice privately owned cars lined up. One a 2012 Ford Fusion. $7,800. Around 90k miles. I saw the ad on a Tuesday, texted.owner Id.like to see it Saturday.morning.The car was.sold.on Friday.

But, I prefer to go my wife when looking at a car. It's usually 2 against one. She chats them up on current events, the car, whatever...I can focus more in looking and.listening to the car without owner distraction.

That Fusion might have been a good buy. Here’s some more:

https://www.listingallcars.com/srp/?l=40023&d=100&co=u&yl=2010&yh=2012&m=Ford&mo=Fusion&mih=90000

sda · April 2019

tjc78 said:
My parent’s neighbor always looked for a very late model high mileage used car at a good price.

Think something 2-3 years old with like 70k on it. He would get a good price on it, then the miles would balance out in two years or so and then he got a decent buck for it since the miles were atenow “average”. I remember him doing it a few times and did pretty well in ownership costs.

If the car was used for mainly long distance travel and not taxi/delivery/hard commercial use, that strategy can certainly work. When I was having to commute about 90 miles a day, and then some normal driving during weekends, etc., I had almost 55k on the Accord in two years. It was still like new. Now, 40 months later, it has 87k and is approaching avg mi/yr and is still in great shape. Though I would get something different, my uncertain job situation and preparing to send our daughter to college in a year has put a damper on that.

driver100 · April 2019

jipster said:

driver100 said:

jipster said:

explorerx4 said:
@jipster,
The seller seems pretty sketchy. Based on previous observations of the car, maybe that oil change 3k miles ago could have been the first one in a while.
There have got to be some other cars out there.
Thx..Still looking. Like many have pointed out, finding an older lower mileage car is tough. May have to get under my mattress and bring a little more cash to the table.
You should have bought our 2013 Passat 2 years ago....7000 miles, they gave us $11200.
Scotty says not to buy V.W. LOL

Wow, only 7,000 miles. You a member of the chronic car buyers club, or just not Like the vehicle?

My 2008 Mercury Mariner is sitting on 154,000 miles. So keep me me mind if you decide to sell within a couple years. Well, don't know what you drive, but semi luxury mainstream, like a Buick Regal or nicer Mazda 6 would be what I would be looking for. Hopefully Mrs. JMonroe will be wanting another car in a couple years.

I liked the Passat, but it was a 2nd car used for 5 months of the year when we were in Florida. It was used by Mrs D to get to tennis if we had different schedules.....7000 miles over 3 years.
Funny thing I realized, you don't get much more for it as a trade in because of the low mileage.

driver100 · April 2019

Mr_Shiftright said:
Yes, you have to be ready to strike! I kicked tires for months and bought my last car in about 10 minutes. Did I miss anything? Yeah--one of the 12V power sockets didn't work, and I didn't notice that the heat does not divert to the footwell--I only felt it from the vents and defrost--didn't check down under. Otherwise, very pleased with the purchase so far.

That is one reason I like our CPO C250, they check about 120 things on it and warranty it up to 5 years. You don't have to worry whether every bulb is working, if the bluetooth connects, if a USB stick will work.

driver100 · April 2019

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:
Jip, every time when I am about to buy I get it in my head to find one. clean, 1 owner, all records, OCD owner, etc. Then I get frustrated as heck, realize that I am about the only fool that put one of those on CL in the past, and just go buy or lease something new! At this point, if I am getting used, it is almost a lock to come from one of the few used dealers nearby that I trust, and in that case will be a good car but not really a good price (IOW cheap). and at that point, not worth it to go that used.

You have to be diligent and be ready to jump fast if the stars align. Took me less than 12 hours to see then buy my son’s car off CL.

True....and then cross your fingers and hope and pray that you made the right decision.

stickguy · April 2019

that was actually one of my strategies. And I would do it again for the 2nd car. When you don't put many miles on it per year (5K or less) it makes a ton of sense. Especially on something that will be more sensitive to the miles, but comes with a 4 year BtB warranty.

a BMW 3 series say. common car, but I assume high miles will kill it. so say a 2 YO 2017 with 40K on it, an 24 months/10,000 miles left on the warranty. I could pretty much drive it for 2 years fully covered, and in the end have a 4 year old car with 50K on it, so pretty much normal. But, I probably saved a ton up front (in theory of course). And if I plan to keep it until 10 years, I should really save because it willl likely be worth the nearly same as if I bought it with normal miles to start with. Or at least, a much smaller difference.

driver100 · April 2019

jipster said:

driver100 said:
Prices on those Sonatas are ridiculous. I was checking dealers around Louisville.

This one has 92000 miles on it!
2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS FWD - $7,500

Ads

Check some of the prices and look at the mileage.
I don't get it....how long is a 10 year old car going to last without some major repairs. I wonder if that mileage is even true.
I would rather use the money you are going to spend....$6000, to lease a car for 3 years then buy it back once the lease is over and the price falls....a car like that you will get 10 or 12 or more years out of.
I was actually going to do that with the 2012 Honda Civic I leased. $3,000 down, then $79 a month. Buy it back for around $11,800 when the lease was up. Did oil changes esrly, every 5,000 miles. Towards the end of the lease, I couldn't do it. Just not a very good car.

Just spent $500 on my Mercury Mariner. New front brakes, rebuilt caliper, hose and brake fluid flush. That $500 is.probably half to a third of what a dealership would give me.for the car.

Ruking goes 250000 miles in his Civics and wouldn't buy anything else! Says everyone should do the same!
How come you didn't want to keep the Civic....people seem to love them?

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:
Jip, every time when I am about to buy I get it in my head to find one. clean, 1 owner, all records, OCD owner, etc. Then I get frustrated as heck, realize that I am about the only fool that put one of those on CL in the past, and just go buy or lease something new! At this point, if I am getting used, it is almost a lock to come from one of the few used dealers nearby that I trust, and in that case will be a good car but not really a good price (IOW cheap). and at that point, not worth it to go that used.

You have to be diligent and be ready to jump fast if the stars align. Took me less than 12 hours to see then buy my son’s car off CL.
True....and then cross your fingers and hope and pray that you made the right decision.

Or pay a whole lot more for the peace of mind of a CPO.

graphicguy · April 2019

driver100 said:

ab348 said:
Here's a decent Fusion not too far from you.

https://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/d/fairfield-2009-ford-fusion/6860776000.html
Not bad....I would want to see what is lurking under those seat covers;

btw....I haven't used seat covers in a car since....hmm, I think forever. Does anyone here use seat covers?

That’s about 15-20 minutes from me if you want me to go give it a “look-see”.

driver100 · April 2019

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:
Jip, every time when I am about to buy I get it in my head to find one. clean, 1 owner, all records, OCD owner, etc. Then I get frustrated as heck, realize that I am about the only fool that put one of those on CL in the past, and just go buy or lease something new! At this point, if I am getting used, it is almost a lock to come from one of the few used dealers nearby that I trust, and in that case will be a good car but not really a good price (IOW cheap). and at that point, not worth it to go that used.

You have to be diligent and be ready to jump fast if the stars align. Took me less than 12 hours to see then buy my son’s car off CL.
True....and then cross your fingers and hope and pray that you made the right decision.
Or pay a whole lot more for the peace of mind of a CPO.

Don't get me wrong...I give you credit if you can buy cars privately and can come out a winner. I am not knowledgeable enough to do that, so I am willing to pay a premium to get a certified car. I would rather waste $1 or $2000 getting it certified, than end up with an $8000 driveway ornament.....but, that's just me.

graphicguy · April 2019

driver100 said:

explorerx4 said:
When I was in junior high, I went on a tour of a potato chip plant.
Didn't eat potato chips until I got the munchies, years later.
When I was about 13 we went through a chicken processing plant. The smell and the whole concept made me feel really sick. I eat lots of chicken, but I have to put all that out of my mind.

My late Father owned a poultry processing plant (read slaughter house). Dirty and nasty business. But, I worked in it (doing some of the nasty work) and my Mother and Sisters worked in it (in the nice, clean office).

He had a farm where he and another family raised the chickens and turkeys for slaughter and also for egg production.

I get a chuckle today when I see poultry branded as “free range” or “organic” as I remember having to chase them down in a big farm to put them in coops to take them to slaughter. They were fed only grain that was actually grown on the same farm. So, my Father was ahead of his time. Those chickens definitely were free range. They were definitely organic. My Father wouldn’t know a GMO or steroid or any sort of hormone if it bit him in the posterior. He was way ahead of his time. But, he would have been gobbled up by either the Koch Brothers or Tyson at some point, also.

Lots of crazy weird stories I could tell. The one that sticks out the most.....while his poultry farm was the source of the vast majority of his business, there were local farmers that would ask him to slaughter their home raised chickens for them. He would agree and give them a scheduled date and time he would fit them in to be “processed” at the plant. He never charged them as it would rarely be more than 10 to a dozen chickens, which took more time to schedule than it did to process them. They would repay him by giving him eggs, sometimes.

Anyway, the one I remember the most was a lady whose husband passed away at an early age and left her with a farm to run, which she did, for many years. Every 6 months or so she would bring in her chickens for slaughter. Not unusual, except she would put them in these old wooden coups and throw them in the trunk of her Cadillac, learning the trunk lid ajar (fastened loosely with a rope so the chickens wouldn’t suffocate during the trip). My Dad would laugh every time she showed up. She bought a new Caddy every year, and my Dad wondered what she would say to the dealership when it came time to trade. The Caddy always smelled to high heaven. And, the trunk was always nasty.

Dirty, smelly, nasty business. But, he was in business for 50 years until his passing. He started it with what he called his “mustering out” payment from the army and a little stipend the army gave him for losing an eye in the first wave in the invasion of Normandy during WWII.

When he passed, my Mother wanted nothing more to do with the business. She tasked me with selling. I was shocked to learn that he was selling $2M+ of poultry/year. Sold the plant and the farm, too.

He built that business with a few hundred dollars in his pocket. Truly part of the “greatest generation”.

stickguy · April 2019

Driver, when you are swimming in the lower priced private party Craig’s list pool, you have to be willing to make a quick decision based largely on gut feeling. Meaning get there quick, with a roll of cash, and be willing to pull it out on the spot.

The good stuff is sadly rare, but goes quick.

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:
Jip, every time when I am about to buy I get it in my head to find one. clean, 1 owner, all records, OCD owner, etc. Then I get frustrated as heck, realize that I am about the only fool that put one of those on CL in the past, and just go buy or lease something new! At this point, if I am getting used, it is almost a lock to come from one of the few used dealers nearby that I trust, and in that case will be a good car but not really a good price (IOW cheap). and at that point, not worth it to go that used.

You have to be diligent and be ready to jump fast if the stars align. Took me less than 12 hours to see then buy my son’s car off CL.
True....and then cross your fingers and hope and pray that you made the right decision.
Or pay a whole lot more for the peace of mind of a CPO.
Don't get me wrong...I give you credit if you can buy cars privately and can come out a winner. I am not knowledgeable enough to do that, so I am willing to pay a premium to get a certified car. I would rather waste $1 or $2000 getting it certified, than end up with an $8000 driveway ornament.....but, that's just me.

Different strokes for sure but also different perspectives. My wheelhouse is under $4,000 so I not only expect some defects and could survive if it turned out to be a total clunker. If I was buying a $20,000 car I’d want some assurances I wouldn’t have to eat a loss that big.

jipster · April 2019

tjc78 said:
My parent’s neighbor always looked for a very late model high mileage used car at a good price.

Think something 2-3 years old with like 70k on it. He would get a good price on it, then the miles would balance out in two years or so and then he got a decent buck for it since the miles were now “average”. I remember him doing it a few times and did pretty well in ownership costs.

Funny you should say that. The other vehicle I was slow in getting to was a high mileage (for the year) Fusion. May be off a little with the specifics, but I think a 2015 or 16 model with around 100,000. Can't really remember asking price, maybe around $8,500. It was a company car, photos showed it.parked in front of a business. Thought about it for a day. That's a lot of car for the money. If given regular oil changes would be a good car. Went to pull the ad up the next day....sold. My wife and I put around 15-20k miles a year on our cars. But a student's car, those miles would start to fall back in line with the model year.

jipster · April 2019

oldfarmer50 said:

jipster said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:
Jip, every time when I am about to buy I get it in my head to find one. clean, 1 owner, all records, OCD owner, etc. Then I get frustrated as heck, realize that I am about the only fool that put one of those on CL in the past, and just go buy or lease something new! At this point, if I am getting used, it is almost a lock to come from one of the few used dealers nearby that I trust, and in that case will be a good car but not really a good price (IOW cheap). and at that point, not worth it to go that used.

You have to be diligent and be ready to jump fast if the stars align. Took me less than 12 hours to see then buy my son’s car off CL.
Well......now you tell me..LOL.if you all haven't noticed, I have a tendency to overthink these kind of things, also thinking that if the car sits a little bit longer the owner is more likely to deal. But the good cars don't last long. The curbstoners snatch them up quickly.Had 2 really nice privately owned cars lined up. One a 2012 Ford Fusion. $7,800. Around 90k miles. I saw the ad on a Tuesday, texted.owner Id.like to see it Saturday.morning.The car was.sold.on Friday.

But, I prefer to go my wife when looking at a car. It's usually 2 against one. She chats them up on current events, the car, whatever...I can focus more in looking and.listening to the car without owner distraction.
That Fusion might have been a good buy. Here’s some more:

https://www.listingallcars.com/srp/?l=40023&d=100&co=u&yl=2010&yh=2012&m=Ford&mo=Fusion&mih=90000

Thanks. I've kind of always avoided the smaller individually owned car lots in favor of the big dealerships. You think the quality of their cars are good? In looking at their pricing quite a bit the past 6 months, there cars are usually priced about $1,000 = $2,000 less than a dealership would ask. They usually get the auction cars the dealerships don't want? Don't know much about them.

stickguy · April 2019

Just need to pick the right dealer. Not a BHOH mouse house. Often they have contacts at new car dealers that slide them clean trades but too old or miled up to go on their lot, or brands they don’t want to retail. That bypasses the auction. But, tons of used cars go through the auction too.

There are a couple of used places by me like that which I trust.

stickguy · April 2019

Ya want budget friendly and low miles, here ya go.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2012-chevrolet-cruze-4dr_sedan_ls-used-18790162.html

abacomike · April 2019

Volkwagen now offers a 6 year 72,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty on their new cars according to their recent advertising. I've owned a couple of VW's and was not dissatisfied with them, however it's their styling that turns me off their brand.

Toyota had the same problem, however in the past two years, their designs and styling have been awesome withouit being gawdy. VW needs to redesign their front ends and rear ends, IMHO. Their products are OK, it's just that they are not appealing. Having the best bumper to bumper warranty is a big plus for them and should increase their sales of vehicles. But with a major styling change, they could really make some big gains in fans, like me.

henryn · April 2019

stickguy said:
Jip, every time when I am about to buy I get it in my head to find one. clean, 1 owner, all records, OCD owner, etc. Then I get frustrated as heck, realize that I am about the only fool that put one of those on CL in the past, and just go buy or lease something new! At this point, if I am getting used, it is almost a lock to come from one of the few used dealers nearby that I trust, and in that case will be a good car but not really a good price (IOW cheap). and at that point, not worth it to go that used.

I have sold a few used cars (and trucks) on Craigslist. I write up a long description, how long I've owned it, maintenance records, the whole 9 yards. If the right buyer comes along and sees my ad, they buy it on the spot. But sometimes I get nothing, other than of course the scammers.

henryn · April 2019

tjc78 said:
My parent’s neighbor always looked for a very late model high mileage used car at a good price.

Think something 2-3 years old with like 70k on it. He would get a good price on it, then the miles would balance out in two years or so and then he got a decent buck for it since the miles were now “average”. I remember him doing it a few times and did pretty well in ownership costs.

My Town and Country was an Enterprise rental, they put 34k miles on it in 11 months. I've had it for a little over 2 years, and put on another 10k miles. Now approaching average miles per year, 3.5 years old, 44k miles.

jipster · April 2019

driver100 said:

jipster said:

driver100 said:
Prices on those Sonatas are ridiculous. I was checking dealers around Louisville.

This one has 92000 miles on it!
2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS FWD - $7,500

Ads

Check some of the prices and look at the mileage.
I don't get it....how long is a 10 year old car going to last without some major repairs. I wonder if that mileage is even true.
I would rather use the money you are going to spend....$6000, to lease a car for 3 years then buy it back once the lease is over and the price falls....a car like that you will get 10 or 12 or more years out of.
I was actually going to do that with the 2012 Honda Civic I leased. $3,000 down, then $79 a month. Buy it back for around $11,800 when the lease was up. Did oil changes esrly, every 5,000 miles. Towards the end of the lease, I couldn't do it. Just not a very good car.

Just spent $500 on my Mercury Mariner. New front brakes, rebuilt caliper, hose and brake fluid flush. That $500 is.probably half to a third of what a dealership would give me.for the car.
Ruking goes 250000 miles in his Civics and wouldn't buy anything else! Says everyone should do the same!
How come you didn't want to keep the Civic....people seem to love them?

Yeah, I was thinking the same. I'd lease then buy a new Civic, then drive it until it turned to dust. Not to offend isellhyundais, but the 2012 model year Civic kind of sucked. Honda got a lot of heat over their cost cutting strategy on the 2012 Civic. Got burned in the press over the Civics cheaper interior and bland exterior styling. Honda listened and totally redesigned the 2013 model year. But, I just didn't care much for the small car ride. Not very comfortable, felt the bumps. Anemic acceleration...I do a lot of highway driving. I liked that cheap Nissan Versa rental's ride better than that 2012 Civics.

I thought that lease deal I got was too good to pass up, as well. It was early December 2012 that I leased.. Dealership had a lot of 2012's still on the lot. Dealership have me $2,000, near private.party value for my 1999 Buick Regal.

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

jipster said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jipster said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:
Jip, every time when I am about to buy I get it in my head to find one. clean, 1 owner, all records, OCD owner, etc. Then I get frustrated as heck, realize that I am about the only fool that put one of those on CL in the past, and just go buy or lease something new! At this point, if I am getting used, it is almost a lock to come from one of the few used dealers nearby that I trust, and in that case will be a good car but not really a good price (IOW cheap). and at that point, not worth it to go that used.

You have to be diligent and be ready to jump fast if the stars align. Took me less than 12 hours to see then buy my son’s car off CL.
Well......now you tell me..LOL.if you all haven't noticed, I have a tendency to overthink these kind of things, also thinking that if the car sits a little bit longer the owner is more likely to deal. But the good cars don't last long. The curbstoners snatch them up quickly.Had 2 really nice privately owned cars lined up. One a 2012 Ford Fusion. $7,800. Around 90k miles. I saw the ad on a Tuesday, texted.owner Id.like to see it Saturday.morning.The car was.sold.on Friday.

But, I prefer to go my wife when looking at a car. It's usually 2 against one. She chats them up on current events, the car, whatever...I can focus more in looking and.listening to the car without owner distraction.
That Fusion might have been a good buy. Here’s some more:

https://www.listingallcars.com/srp/?l=40023&d=100&co=u&yl=2010&yh=2012&m=Ford&mo=Fusion&mih=90000

Thanks. I've kind of always avoided the smaller individually owned car lots in favor of the big dealerships. You think the quality of their cars are good? In looking at their pricing quite a bit the past 6 months, there cars are usually priced about $1,000 = $2,000 less than a dealership would ask. They usually get the auction cars the dealerships don't want? Don't know much about them.

I’ve always been wary of small independent dealers for the same reason as you are. Are they honest? Are they selling auction junk? Etc. all valid concerns.

However, new car dealers buy and sell at the auction just like the little lots. The little lots tend to get the older 5+ year old vehicles sometimes with higher mileage. The new car dealers won’t bother with them. Doesn’t mean a 7 year old car with over 50k miles is bad. Maybe Mike can give us some insight into how new car dealers decide which ones to buy at auction.

Dealers want near new with relatively low mileage. That’s why they buy so many from my company.

I guess you have to research the small dealers like you would a CL seller. Any BBB complaints, ask people who have shopped there, consult social media reviews etc.

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

henryn said:

stickguy said:
Jip, every time when I am about to buy I get it in my head to find one. clean, 1 owner, all records, OCD owner, etc. Then I get frustrated as heck, realize that I am about the only fool that put one of those on CL in the past, and just go buy or lease something new! At this point, if I am getting used, it is almost a lock to come from one of the few used dealers nearby that I trust, and in that case will be a good car but not really a good price (IOW cheap). and at that point, not worth it to go that used.
I have sold a few used cars (and trucks) on Craigslist. I write up a long description, how long I've owned it, maintenance records, the whole 9 yards. If the right buyer comes along and sees my ad, they buy it on the spot. But sometimes I get nothing, other than of course the scammers.

I find that my miled up cheapies and my total junk goes fast while my good cars at $10k get crickets.

1993 Caddy Deville rotted to heck for $500, sold in 2 days.

1998 Buick Lasabre beaten up by my son for $900, sold in a week.

1984 Corvette with 136k miles with worn out interior asking $4k, sold in 15 minutes to somebody driving by.

berri · April 2019

I get a chuckle today when I see poultry branded as “free range” or “organic”

My wife grew up in farm country. She says it is interesting that that a big chunk of these food contamination issues are organic? That's because organic means fertilized with sh** . We both think organic is a racket that mostly enhances sellers profit margin. Besides, how do you really know the "organic" claim is actually true?

ruking1 · April 2019

tjc78 said:
My parent’s neighbor always looked for a very late model high mileage used car at a good price.

Think something 2-3 years old with like 70k on it. He would get a good price on it, then the miles would balance out in two years or so and then he got a decent buck for it since the miles were now “average”. I remember him doing it a few times and did pretty well in ownership costs.

driver100 said:

jipster said:

driver100 said:
Prices on those Sonatas are ridiculous. I was checking dealers around Louisville.

This one has 92000 miles on it!
2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS FWD - $7,500

Ads

Check some of the prices and look at the mileage.
I don't get it....how long is a 10 year old car going to last without some major repairs. I wonder if that mileage is even true.>
I would rather use the money you are going to spend....$6000, to lease a car for 3 years then buy it back once the lease is over and the price falls....a car like that you will get 10 or 12 or more years out of.
I was actually going to do that with the 2012 Honda Civic I leased. $3,000 down, then $79 a month. Buy it back for around $11,800 when the lease was up. Did oil changes esrly, every 5,000 miles. Towards the end of the lease, I couldn't do it. Just not a very good car.

Just spent $500 on my Mercury Mariner. New front brakes, rebuilt caliper, hose and brake fluid flush. That $500 is.probably half to a third of what a dealership would give me.for the car.
Ruking goes 250000 miles in his Civics and wouldn't buy anything else! Says everyone should do the same!
How come you didn't want to keep the Civic....people seem to love them?

The strategy of 1 to 5 yr old used car with low mileage is very sound.

If one is considering a new/used CUV/SUV, the Toyota Highlander is one I’d consider, even with “gutless” engine options/hybrid. https://www.engadget.com/2019/04/17/2020-toyota-highlander-new-york-auto-show/

Response to the last paragraph: 2/3 assertions are WRONG/FALSE & misleading. App 250 k miles were put on the Civic. I’d buy any number of OTHER brands & models. Should EVERYONE do (buy Honda Civics & run app 250,000 miles) the same? NO!

I did want to keep it for more time & mileage, even as it hit my (4 miles to 251k miles) targets. It so happens it cost $.0332 per mile. After all one can’t be greedy & have all the fun & luck. Besides she couldn’t drive two cars back. She chose the 2003 VW Jetta TDI.

People do seem to love them both new & used.

Again, I have a very simple assumption.

ANY late model brand, model, etc. should be able to go to the first “major tune up” @ 100,000 miles to 150,000 miles with little to no unscheduled maintenance.

If NOT, why is it is it worth ones’ hard earned monies? Also if not, if one sells/trades a “problematic car “ to another, one is basically/essentially scamming the next owners.

Interesting 369 to 516 # ft of torque brand/model/s. ! https://jalopnik.com/the-2020-mercedes-benz-gls-is-the-alabama-built-s-class-1834109151/amp

jipster · April 2019

Thanks for the story on your dad and his business, g.g. Nice.

Stickguy- price and year good. Great miles. That Blue Topaz color could be a problem for my teenage boy, but I'll let him check it out when the photos come.out. Thx.

henryn - So many people posting ads on Craigslist are.oblivious on how to properly market their car with a good description. Most are just a few lines of generic information. Screams indifference to me.. Could you speak some on your experience with scammers?

oldfarmer - Thanks for the info. Good idea on researching the business.

tjc78 · April 2019

abacomike said:
Volkwagen now offers a 6 year 72,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty on their new cars according to their recent advertising. I've owned a couple of VW's and was not dissatisfied with them, however it's their styling that turns me off their brand.

Toyota had the same problem, however in the past two years, their designs and styling have been awesome withouit being gawdy. VW needs to redesign their front ends and rear ends, IMHO. Their products are OK, it's just that they are not appealing. Having the best bumper to bumper warranty is a big plus for them and should increase their sales of vehicles. But with a major styling change, they could really make some big gains in fans, like me.

I used to be a big Toyota fan. I had a 2000 Solara SLE V6, 2003 Avalon XL, and a 2006 Avalon XLS.... I just can't warm up to them any longer.

I really feel like they are completely over-styled and the front ends are all pretty bad. I want to like the Avalon, but can't get by the front end. The Camry depending on the trim has a decent side profile, but again the font and rear have lots of issues. A dark color certainly helps tone it a bit.

ruking1 · April 2019

tjc78 said:

abacomike said:
Volkwagen now offers a 6 year 72,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty on their new cars according to their recent advertising. I've owned a couple of VW's and was not dissatisfied with them, however it's their styling that turns me off their brand.

Toyota had the same problem, however in the past two years, their designs and styling have been awesome withouit being gawdy. VW needs to redesign their front ends and rear ends, IMHO. Their products are OK, it's just that they are not appealing. Having the best bumper to bumper warranty is a big plus for them and should increase their sales of vehicles. But with a major styling change, they could really make some big gains in fans, like me.
I used to be a big Toyota fan. I had a 2000 Solara SLE V6, 2003 Avalon XL, and a 2006 Avalon XLS.... I just can't warm up to them any longer.

I really feel like they are completely over-styled and the front ends are all pretty bad. I want to like the Avalon, but can't get by the front end. The Camry depending on the trim has a decent side profile, but again the font and rear have lots of issues. A dark color certainly helps tone it a bit.

Many Lexus’/Toyota’s are boring & can be butt ugly. Styling to me, can be HIGHLY personal. So, to each their own. Are most L/T’s reliable & durable YES! The consumables could use more durability!

But at the same time, for me it doesn’t have any problems Twin Turbo V6/V8 diesel engines with/hybrid (better engine/drive train options) won’t cure. 369 # ft of torque to 516 # ft of torque can mask a whole lot of boring & ugly? 😎👍

jipster · April 2019

Think $8,500 out the door would take this Fusion? A bit more than I'm wanting to spend. Higher mileage.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/768497279/overview/

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