OMFG its been a long time since I went used car shopping, and I forgot how fun it can be.

Background, my sisters 2002 Sentra was totaled by a red light runner and the insurance company just agreed on a price, now we need to find her another car...in a week. She is still in school and doesn't have a real job yet so she is broke, and used car prices are sky high. But come on how hard can it be to find a good used car?

For starters it seems like anything small and cheap new, that's fairly new is beat to hell, and the ones that are not they want nearly new money for. My dad and I looked at a bunch of Versa's, that were all auction special's or rebuilt cars. Everything out their for $8k or less is a POS that no one took care of, or wrecked ten times. People are freaken slobs, I can't get over how they trash what is an expensive piece of equipment. Than there was a slew of Civics with mods, that were rode hard and put away wet. Than you have the Subaru's with spaceship mileage on them. I'm sorry I just can't spend $6k on a 160k mile car.

So we were just about to give up and say heck with it, because driving around the state to look at supposedly mint cars that turn out to be beat to hell was getting old, and just buy her a new Versa. When a 2006 Corolla popped up for sale, and we were in luck! Its a one owner no BS car, slightly dirty because the guy never cleaned it, but that's fine, a detail will fix that.

I just can't get over how hard it is to find a used car that's not beat to death or plated in gold by how they are priced. We were looking at 2003 Altima's with 140k on them for $6k! Seriously? That car is used up, its done, for $3k sure, but for $6K?

Anyway that's the end of my rant, I'm so glad I don't have to shop used cars anymore. Next time she needs a car she will have a job and can just go and buy or lease something new, or nearly new.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Yep. Used car buying sucks ass! I thought it was just here but it seems to be a country wide symptom.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Same up here in Canada for the last while. If it is still any good the price is so high one may as well get a new car. Even the used car auctions have gone too high.

Don't know about Canada but down here you can thank the Cash for Clunkers program for driving the used car prices up like they are. You can find good, used cars around here but they are not cheap.

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Jim

Contact "vstech" he has a great 240D for sale..
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/325737-83-240d-hit-curb-suspension-damage.html#post3018178


.

Its not CC its the millions of new cars that were not sold from 2008 to now. The used car market was not getting replenished and the driving population is still going up, perfect storm of supply and demand. CC didn't help but it was a drop in the bucket.

For example I paid $7500 for my truck in early 2009 which was a pretty good deal at the time, but not a crazy deal. Today I'm pretty sure I could get that or more, and I have doubled the mileage on it from 52k to 104k. nuts.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Same basic programs in Canada.

It's disgusting to see what the "average" American does to their car in 3-4 years of owning it. Maintenance, interior, paint....all trashed.

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http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...-RESIZED-1.jpg
1991 300E - 212K and rising fast...

Generally related to the low entry costs of ownership, either as a second owner or the like.

I remember when my sister wrecked her '93 190E 2.6. She was desperate to get another car due to her logistics (work schedule was nighttime, and nobody can bring her around). I searched high and low for another 190E so I can transfer some parts over easily, but almost all had issues, neglected, or just simply downright abused (but looked good in the pics).

We were almost about to give up when my wife saw this ad on CL which was just put up. The guy was asking $1000. Called right away and inspected. It was parked for a while. Found a few issues but for $1000 and a low mileage car it was okay enough. Started in one click and had ice cold AC (R12). The registration was expired so he said just pay him $900. We waited for hours so the seller's wife can sign the papers, because it was in her name.

I told my sister, if you wreck this car again, you find your own car. So far she's heeded the warning and has taken much, much better care of this compared to the one she used to have.

If you want to buy a really good running car for cheap, get one that was abandoned at your nearest International airport's long term parking lot.

About every 2-3 months the authorities will make a "sweep" of these dusty runners and auction them off for cheap.

Every single one of them will run because they ran when parked.

You might need a key cut though.

This is something that is a pretty well guarded secret, because it's a bonanza for city and airport employees. I found out about this, by sheer accident in San Francisco, when I worked for a different department of the City, but my landlady's boyfriend worked as a plumber for the City of SF at San Francsco International Airport.

He knew. And told me. It's supposed to be public but it was kept secret from everyone, even OTHER city department employees (like me)!

Once i even saw a couple DOZEN of them. They were visible from the freeway, all separated from other cars, in a large lot.

Joe told me sometimes they got REALLY nice cars, Jaguars, Mercedes or even a Rolls Royce now and then!!!! That was because the owners got chased by the mafia, the IRS or whoever, and they had to leave the country RIGHT NOW!

So, they jumped in their car, raced to the Airport, parked it in long term, and fled the country immediately!


....Never came back.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

That, and nobody is buying new ones.

I bought a new Chevy pickup once '94, they didn't put any paint on it. Seriously, got it home, washed it, you could see the primer in a couple places. Slightest thing would scratch it, and the scratches showed.

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Remember, Safety Third!
'99 E300 Turbodiesel, '82 300TD, 1996 12V Cummins Turbo, '94 Neoplan - Detroit 6V92TA

I went through this with my sister recently. The deals are real bad right now. She paid the same price for a 2011 hyundai elantra with 30k that I paid for my Mazda new. The hyundai is a little nicer though

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1984 300SD Orient Red/ Palomino
1989 560SEC
2016 Mazda 6 6 speed manual
1995 Ford F-150 reg cab 4.9 5speed manual

Remember Hatt - you live in CT, much of the country doesnt see $4+/gallon fuel as often as you do

Also, with fuel prices going up, I believe that people are getting smarter and going for smaller cars. I see a lot of grandparents going for FITs and Versa's...where in the past they might have grabbed a minivan or Cadillac.

-John

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2009 Kia Sedona
2009 Honda Odyssey EX-L
12006 Jetta Pumpe Duse
(insert Mercedes here)

Husband, Father, sometimes friend =)

Yet I paid $2500 for a running 240D in good shape two years ago, put $1000 of work into it, and can likely sell it for $2000.

$1500 for a two year "lease", fuel economy well north of 30 mpg if driven carefully.