OT: Suggestions and tips on looking for a used car

[sportdan30]

After doing a little more reading on the internet, I'm going to check out the Mitsubishi Galant. It's priced reasonably well and consumer guide gives it high marks in terms of reliability.

Kias worry me because they were near bankruptcy before Hyundai bought them. I'm guessing the Optima is similar to the Sonata.

[Dave]

I think newer Kias are made by Hyundai.

One of the knocks against Mitsubishi is that they have extended credit to just about anyone with a social security number. Probably a lot of re-po's out on the used car lots.

[dbdynsty25]

One of the knocks against Mitsubishi is that they have extended credit to just about anyone with a social security number. Probably a lot of re-po's out on the used car lots.

That doesn't make them bad cars...it's just bad business.

[sportdan30]

One of the knocks against Mitsubishi is that they have extended credit to just about anyone with a social security number. Probably a lot of re-po's out on the used car lots.

That doesn't make them bad cars...it's just bad business.

I was going to say the same thing as Db. I think what they're trying to do is get as many of these cars on the road so they get noticed. When you have umpteen thousand Camry's, Accords, and Altimas on the road, you tend to forget there's other cars in the same class. Perhaps not as well known, but reliable none the less.

[anchester]

don't listen to the american cars suck and are unreliable based on one persons experience 10-15 years ago. Americans have an infatuation w/ japanese cars that grows every year. I agree american cars used to be terrible. Like any company fighting for survival, they have really tried to put out good products over the last 3 years. Since people blindly love honda/toyota/nissan, their are not a good value as a used car b/c they don't depreciate.

Look at current JD powers. Buick/caddy were number 2 only behind lexus.

B/c people tend to blindly hate american cars, they are basically being given away at thousands under invoice. Thus the used car prices for them are soft as hell. Take advantage.

[dbdynsty25]

Look at current JD powers. Buick/caddy were number 2 only behind lexus.

Uhhh...I'll take a Buick or a Caddy...when I'm 60.

[bkrich83]

don't listen to the american cars suck and are unreliable based on one persons experience 10-15 years ago. Americans have an infatuation w/ japanese cars that grows every year. I agree american cars used to be terrible. Like any company fighting for survival, they have really tried to put out good products over the last 3 years. Since people blindly love honda/toyota/nissan, their are not a good value as a used car b/c they don't depreciate.

Look at current JD powers. Buick/caddy were number 2 only behind lexus.

B/c people tend to blindly hate american cars, they are basically being given away at thousands under invoice. Thus the used car prices for them are soft as hell. Take advantage.

Having owned a couple of Mustangs, a Navigator, and an Expedition in recent years, I can attest to the American cars don't stack up. Every single American car I have owned has had at least one recall, iffy reliability, and poor fit/finish in the interior. Having several friends who have had very similiar experience with other domestic brands I know it's not isolated to Ford.

Since moving on to Nissan ('05 Xterra and '05 350z) I will never go domestic when it comes to a car again.

[dbdynsty25]

I probably never will either BK. My Mustang has been pretty good, but I'm about 1,500 into it this week...but I'm driving my Dad's 2000 Vette right now while he's on vacation so it's all good. But even that has had a bunch of electrical issues. For 45 g's you'd think you'd get a reliable car. Either he got a lemon or it's just not very good.

Regardless...I've had an '83 Celica GT (250k before she died), an '88 Firebird (140k till I sold it) and my current '95 Mustang GT (145k going strong). I say I won't go domestic but looking at the damn Charger SRT makes me drool. When I start looking for a car next summer it's going to be hard to pass that up...I freakin' love that car. 425 hp...holy crap.

[Dave]

I was going to say the same thing as Db. I think what they're trying to do is get as many of these cars on the road so they get noticed. When you have umpteen thousand Camry's, Accords, and Altimas on the road, you tend to forget there's other cars in the same class. Perhaps not as well known, but reliable none the less.

Somewhere, and I could be making this up, talked about how the re-po'd cars were often not cared for as well as you'd like.

But if Kia almost going going bankrupt worries you, then Mitsubishi might worry you in a few years.

Anchester, I know what you're trying to say, but my "crappy domestic car" story comes from 02-04, so they've lost me. And as BK said, once you get in one of the (insert favorite imported car brand) cars and notice how much better everything fits and looks, it is hard to seriously consider another domestic.

And the "value" argument doesn't really hold up. Yes, you might pay more for a used car, but if you sell the car within 5 years or so, you'll get back more in return. I bought a Protege at the same time my parents bought a Cavalier--we traded them in at about the same time. I got $9.5K, they got $5K on the trade.

JD Power results are incredibly flawed. H2 owners complained about gas mileage, so that truck didn't do well. Some other car had a number of complaints about the cup holders, knocking it below its competitors. It's the old Roddy Piper bit, just when you think you know the answers, they change the questions.

[matthewk]

don't listen to the american cars suck and are unreliable based on one persons experience 10-15 years ago. Americans have an infatuation w/ japanese cars that grows every year. I agree american cars used to be terrible. Like any company fighting for survival, they have really tried to put out good products over the last 3 years. Since people blindly love honda/toyota/nissan, their are not a good value as a used car b/c they don't depreciate.

Look at current JD powers. Buick/caddy were number 2 only behind lexus.

B/c people tend to blindly hate american cars, they are basically being given away at thousands under invoice. Thus the used car prices for them are soft as hell. Take advantage.

There are just as many people who blindly love American cars.

The fact is, a lot of "American" cars have lots of pieces made outside of the US, and lots of "Japanese" cars have lots of parts made in the US.

From personal experience, the 3 most reliable cars my wife and I have owned have been a Toyota Celica, Mistsubishi Eclipse, and our current Olds Intrigue. The worst have been a Chrysler LeBaron and my Chevy Blazer. It just seems like the domestic brands have more quirky problems than the imports. Bizarre stuff like the digital speedo going in and out or the fuel gauge wildly fluctating.

I already figure our next car will likely be either a Honda or Toyota. Thye have a great reputation, and they run forever without all the strange (and usually expensive) problems.

I have the same thinking when it comes to bikes. When a US company builds a bike that I like and can trust, then I will buy it. Until then, you can stuff all that buy American crap.

[anchester]

i am a car nut, and all my cars have been european or japanese. My last cars owned are a 95 maxima, 99 Audi a4, 01 bmw z3, 03 saab 9-3, and now an 04 Pontiac gto.

the pontiac is made by gm's holden division in australia. the gto is the best car i have ever owned. it cost me 18k brand new b/c nobody wanted it at the time I bought it (everybody wants the new mustang). That is 45% off retail price.

The car has a corvette engine, great interior, and european road manners.

This is an example of how, if you look, you can find screaming deals on a domestic owned cars. I have had no problems and the car is solid as a rock.

[dbdynsty25]

The car has a corvette engine, great interior, and european road manners.

And the GTO is arguably the most bland muscle car that this country has every produced. Nothing like putting a monster engine and great performance in something that looks like a freakin Pontiac Grand Prix. But then again, for 18g's I'd have bought it too (even though I swore I would NEVER buy a Pontiac again).

[bkrich83]

The car has a corvette engine, great interior, and european road manners.

And the GTO is arguably the most bland muscle car that this country has every produced. Nothing like putting a monster engine and great performance in something that looks like a freakin Pontiac Grand Prix. But then again, for 18g's I'd have bought it too (even though I swore I would NEVER buy a Pontiac again).

Agreed. I'll just stick with my Z.

[dbdynsty25]

The car has a corvette engine, great interior, and european road manners.

And the GTO is arguably the most bland muscle car that this country has every produced. Nothing like putting a monster engine and great performance in something that looks like a freakin Pontiac Grand Prix. But then again, for 18g's I'd have bought it too (even though I swore I would NEVER buy a Pontiac again).

Agreed. I'll just stick with my Z.

And I'll wait till I can afford the Charger SRT...holy crap! A smooth 425hp.

[XXXIV]

All 3 of My cars were from Dodge.
The first two were steaming piles of crap but I got em the I know a guy way...Nice deals?...You do get what you pay for.

I took a shot on My own the 3rd time. Why?I liked how the car looked.
A black 2001 Intrepid with the bigger engine and everything in it. 4 plus years and only a thermostat last summer.
I hope I didnt just jinx myself.

[anchester]

you guys are talking about bland and buicks are geezer mobiles, but this guys choices are galant/camry/accord. How can anything be more bland than these cars. Plus they make hundreds of thousands of them.

Again, it just seems like you guys will find any reason to rip on GM cars.

btw i agree that the gto is bland. Most cars are with few exceptions. But the gto isn't faddish or outrageous where itl will look out of date or horrible in a few years. And a grand prix is not a bad looking car. The old grand prixs and grandams didn't look bad, but they did suck as cars.

[sportdan30]

Gonna go check out a car from a private seller on Sunday. Sounds like a pretty good deal on a Mazda 626. It's got 35,000 miles and she has it priced at $8500.

She purchased it from her former employer, Enterprise when it had 9,000 miles on it. Her husband just got a new job with a company car (lucky S.O.B.) so they don't need three cars.

I'm going to run a carfax on the car this evening. I have a right to ask to have it looked at an auto shop of my choosing, correct?

The other thing I'm concerned about is the warranty. When dealing with a private seller, is there an issue with transfer?

Here's a pic of the car if it works:

http://privatelabel.carsoup.com/used/de ... D=4&Page=1

[sportdan30]

Just got ANOTHER call from a prospective seller of a Mazda 626. This one is also a 2002, but it's a V6 with 28,000 miles on it. The other one is a 4 cylinder. She's got it priced at $9400 which also looks like a nice deal.

Gonna check this one out this evening. Pic attached:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?c ... cardist=14

[jLp vAkEr0]

Dan,

did you buy the 626?


I ended up buying a 2006 Suzuki Aerio Sedan with a bumper 2 bumper warrant of 7yrs or 100k miles.

I'm loving it.

Same one here but black.

[dbdynsty25]

Is that a go cart? Did you get the gas powered one or do you have to plug it in?

All jokes aside...congrats. That thing should last you forever if you want it to.

[sportdan30]

Very nice car Javi. Looks quite slick.

Well, we were to have bought the 626 today, but the damn check won't clear for 24 hours. Thus, we have to wait until tomorrow.

I did end up getting a 2002 Mazda 626. It's got 28,000 miles on it. Thought I got a pretty good deal on it. It was advertised through a private seller for $9400 and we settled on $8900. It's got a couple little dings, but other than that it looks and drives beautifully. I'm glad I got the V6 as it makes a world of difference.

The only downside is that the car is out of warranty. It has a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty, but the title has a date of June of 2002.

The positive that I can take out of this search for a used car is that I got to meet the seller and they are an extremely nice couple. They definitely take care of their cars. Buying from a dealer, you have no idea who drove the car and how they took care of it.

[dbdynsty25]

The positive that I can take out of this search for a used car is that I got to meet the seller and they are an extremely nice couple. They definitely take care of their cars. Buying from a dealer, you have no idea who drove the car and how they took care of it.

Then you can egg their house if it turns out to be a piece of crap.

[jLp vAkEr0]

Is that a go cart? Did you get the gas powered one or do you have to plug it in?

I'll post some pics of it in a couple of days.

All jokes aside...congrats. That thing should last you forever if you want it to.

Thanx.

[fatheadX]

The positive that I can take out of this search for a used car is that I got to meet the seller and they are an extremely nice couple. They definitely take care of their cars. Buying from a dealer, you have no idea who drove the car and how they took care of it.

Then you can egg their house if it turns out to be a piece of crap.

That's what I like to do: buy from private sellers who seem to take care of their cars. You can never be sure of the full history because anyone can lie, but I also like to ask for the service receipts. It shows that they really did own the car, serviced it regularly, and the receipts often turn up little details that the owners forgot. I think you did very well, I believe the Mazda will be a good car for you. Have fun!

[ImDaIcon]

Anyone had any experiences with Galants or Kia Optimas?

Thanks.

My wife rented one and I was laughing about her getting stuck with a Kia. The I drove it and was really impressed with it. 6 months later my 200 SX got totalled and the Optima was what I ended up buying. I looked at Nissans & Hondas and just couldnt justify spending the extra money on them for comparable features.

I got the V6 so the gas mileage(20 mpg) is my only complaint. I've been a Nissan guy up until the Kia. My biggest fear is the Kia name was damaged so much early on that people may not trust them thus killing the value of it whenever I decide to get rid of it. If you can get over the fact that owning a Kia may not impress your friends, I'd go test drive one.

I've had it for 2 years and only had a power window problem that Kia fixed for free. The car itself is a steal for what you'll end up paying for it. If you liked the Sonata you'll like the Optima as they are essential the same car.