The transmission just burned out on my 1995 Ford
Despite putting $800.00 into it already this summer, I think it’s time to let it go, cuz a new transmission is $1800.00 or more.
So I’m in the market for a used car.
Any tips? Any leads? (PS: I’m in NYC)
Thanks!
Billy
Boost your neighbor’s.
Step one) Befriend an auto mechanic (or find a reliable shop)
Step two) Cruise craigslist, the classifieds, used auto dealerships, etc.
Step three) Take your potential purchase to said shop before offering the seller any money. Have the car inspected. You’ll likely have to pay $100ish (an hour’s labor) for the inspection, but $100 up front is much better than $1000s later on. Anyone who refuses the inspection has something to hide…
Step three point five (optional) ) Get a “Carfax” report on the vehicle. It’ll tell you if the car’s ever been in a wreck, if the odometer’s been tampered with, how many owners its had, etc.
Step four) Vroom!
Don’t buy a Ford.
If it’s within your budget (and area), give CarMax a try. They don’t dick you around; the price is on the car. Your trade-in, if any, is treated as an entirely separate transaction, not a way to fleece you on your car purchase. And the cars come with limited warranties.
If your budget is lower than what CarMax sells, look in the papers or online. Avoid used car dealers! Yuck. I remember telling one that I had a budget of X dollars. All they kept asking me was "what kind of monthly payment are you looking at? Finally I said “One payment, of X dollars. Is that going to work for you or what?”
If you’re not a car guy, bring someone with you who is. Pay them. Don’t buy a car without a background check also. You can look up information about whether it’s been in accidents or totaled, based on the VIN. If possible, get the repair records/paperwork with any car you buy.
My best “civilian” used car experience was buying a 1991 Dodge Caravan from a guy who was selling it in the newspaper. I liked the guy, and he gave me a stack of paperwork that followed it’s repair history. That car held up great.
I had an even better used-car buying experience in NY back in 1988 or so. Bill Jenack (Jr.) invited me to a dealer auction for used cars in Newburgh. He had a small business reselling classic & exotic cars so he was a dealer. I ended up buying a great Subaru wagon for slightly below wholesale! That car lasted until I moved to CA (though it ate up lots of brakes and clutches).
Thanks!
[Though my Ford lasted 12 reliable years… and there’s plenty of them on the road–that opinion may have to be revised in light of new findings…]
Any comments on the Kia Rio? New sells for $11,395. One year old with very low mileage sells for about half that price.
Billy
Darn. I can’t believe there’s no CarMax in NY. None in NYS at all.
Tha nearest is in CT.
and since I no longer have a car, it’s a bit difficult getting out there…
Toyota Corolla. New sells for $13,306. One year old sells for about 90% that price ($11,989; source: edmunds.com)
What do you think that says about product quality?
The local favorites here are late 80’s / early 90’s Subaru sedans and wagons. With TLC they’ll give >300k miles of service.
What do you have against Fords?
Our ranger had over 150,000 miles on it before the clutch went out.
We now own a brand spanking used f150, its a great truck (even though my mother HATES it (to big)).
Statistics.
But I’ll also offer a personal observation: As a kid growing up in Detroit, I remember driving across town to visit my grandparents. I remember a time around 1969 when the most common car on the roads was the Ford Galaxy (and maybe the VW Beetle). There were tons of these Ford Galaxies everywhere. Very common. Then I remember being in sixth grade or so, and wondering where they all went? There were none to be seen. That was about four or five years later.
Rio vs. Corolla: The Corolla, statistically is a more reliable, higher-rated car. I read Consumer Reports, where you get lots of unbiased product data. Toyota is one of the top brands. In fact we were recently shopping for Corollas at CarMax with Jacquie’s sister (she decided to keep her aging Caravan for now). The Rio has less of a track record, but so far the Korean cars, though cheaper, haven’t held up as well.
That said, if you follow the laptop discussion elsewhere, buying a cheaper car and selling it before it gets problematic can work. The big difference is in the car’s value. The Toyota will still be worth something and the Kia won’t.
I wonder why no CarMax in NY? Maybe they started in the West. I remember it took a long time before Long Island got its first Wal Mart (1992 or so)…
I tend to hang onto a car until it has little value anyway. It’s quite possible the half-off 1-year-old Kia is a BETTER VALUE than the few-dollars-off 1-year-old Toyota. Besides, $5500 is about my top price, not $11,000.
And i’m looking for low mileage.
Thanks again for all the comments!
Billy
Buy a used car from Enterprise… They take care of their cars. For example, if the car is due for an oil change, the system won’t let them rent it out (or so I’ve heard). And I don’t believe that most rental drivers beat up the rental cars. Three years ago, I bought my first used car. I got it from Enterprise. I somehow trust them more than your average “used car salesman”. Plus, they are friendly and there’s no haggling. They are likely to invite you into their kitchen for coffee (and food, if they have any).
Anyway, the bottom line is that you will get a good car. They sell the cream-of-the-crop themselves and sell the rest of their used cars to car dealers. If it’s been in an accident, they won’t be selling it to you. They are trustworthy, with good cars at good prices. At least, that was my experience.
It’s fine to hang on to a car till it has little value left…unless it’s a lemon car. All brands have their best as well as worst models. I used to buy used, fixed them & resell. At the parts stores I exchange notes w/ other mechanics on what’s wrong w/ this or that model. For 4-cylinders w/c is a good economy size for mileage reasons it is safest to go Japanese. Honda & Toyota are top cars but w/ top prices, so I’ll go w/ Nissan or Mazda. Plus like John suggested, look at the car reviews for particular points on particular models.
Plus, I suggest you pick one where small parts or major components will be affordable in case of future repairs. I make sure my brands have parts at the junk yards where you can change a whole engine or transmission or whatever for not a whole lot !! (Oh I almost forgot, I was wondering why the Kia has very small resale value & most of the older mechanics I know point out that it has a lot of persistent problems indeed…)
Buying a used rental car might work! I agree they are probably treated better, for the most part, than legend tells us. Some people will abuse them but most probably just drive them, and relatively carefully, unless they’re paying for that expensive day-rate insurance.
That said, you want to stay far, far away from used taxis or police cars. Those cars get used all day every day, and get the crap beat out of them. No price is reasonable for a used taxi or cop car.
For your price range, the Kia might turn out to be a great deal. They seem to be good cars, just not as solid as the top brands/models.
thanks for this lead!
the lowest priced car they have currently is this:
2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
SE Sedan 4D FWD $8,799 56,967 mileage White/Black --which is a possibility (!!!)
I still have time to put a new transmission in the 1995 Ford Taurus (75,000 miles), for $1800-2000.
Others (including the transmission guy 30 miles south of Syracuse where the transmission died) discouraged this.
Would you discourage doing this repair? As I see it, I get a running car with low mileage for $2,000.00. What’s the downside?
Why?
Billy
The downside would be the $2k investment in a car of questionable value. As a general rule, don’t do repairs that exceed the value of a car. What would the value of your Taurus be (assuming it were running)?
The Grand Prix sounds a little steep also, depending on your budget. The price doesn’t sound too bad in relation to the mileage though. If you’re serious about it, have somebody look at it who’s a car expert, to see if they spot any troublesome areas.
Hope that’s useful…
Yeah. My brother-in-law said the same thing. The Grand Prix isn’t my first choice, but the Enterprise site is very interesting, with lots of options in the NY/NJ area, and free delivery to the closest car lot within the tri-state area, just so I can check out the cars. They also have a good download about test driving a used car, with LOTS of details I would have never thought of, including when to just go on to the next car.
It’ll be a little while, and I also put feelers out with my co-workers at Wal-Mart. Obviously, we must have great resources and connections to get a job here, so I can depend on them fo rgood leads as well.
Thanks for your help here!
Billy