Back story: Being in the repair business, I occasionally have the ability to buy cars that customers no longer feel are worth repairing. I wouldn't say it's a common occurrence, as most of those vehicles really ARE past their usable life, however there are times when the stars align and I find a diamond in the rough.
Currently, my roommate is limping along a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica that's pushing 200k+ miles and it shows. The trans hasn't had reverse in years, the dash is lit up like Christmas, the AC compressor recently smoked it's clutch, and the front suspension makes the kind of noise you'd expect to hear from a senior citizen trying to get out of bed in time to catch The Price is Right. She's also going through chemo to fight cervical cancer and desperately needs a car that can at the very least allow her to park in a regular space without having to worry about whether she can pull back out when she returns.
After months of having no luck, said Lexus came in to my shop a couple months ago for a general check over. At 284k, it was tired. Used up? Not at all. But tired. That being said, it was obvious that it had not only been well cared for but by all appearances was a highway queen. The interior shows the type of wear I'd expect to see in a 100-150k mile truck, not something with double that. It had a few battle scars on the exterior, needed a couple tires, and the (likely original) struts were showing their age, but overall it showed promise. The customer declined the repairs, but I left a note for my service writer to ask the owner if he was interested in selling.
A couple weeks went by and I didn't hear back, so I forgot all about it. Then, one afternoon, I was told I had a phone call. Low and behold, it was Lexus guy. He was interested in selling, however he wanted (what I felt) was an unreasonable $2,300. After weighing the options and knowing I could spruce it up for about $500, I recommended my roomie take the leap and purchase it regardless. Everything was set, until the customer called and said he couldn't find the title... of course. I told him we were happy to wait for a duplicate, which he applied for.
Fast forward a month, and I get a call. The customer tells me that the title came in, however while the truck was sitting in front of his house the cat con was stolen. Normally, this would be a deal breaker. For someone like me, it was the perfect bargaining chip. I just went and inspected things today, and I'll easily be able to replace the cat with a piece of pipe and a couple welds. There's no emission testing here in MN, so no issue (other than moral). I offered the seller $1k given the circumstances which he immediately accepted.
To sum up: it's a 280k mile Lexus hybrid SUV, in fair condition, needing ~$500 in parts and elbow grease for $1k. Even if my roommate gets 2 years out of it, I see it as a win. It is a Toyota, after all! Taking everything into consideration, I think we all did fairly well. What say the great BITOG minds? Am I nuts?
Currently, my roommate is limping along a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica that's pushing 200k+ miles and it shows. The trans hasn't had reverse in years, the dash is lit up like Christmas, the AC compressor recently smoked it's clutch, and the front suspension makes the kind of noise you'd expect to hear from a senior citizen trying to get out of bed in time to catch The Price is Right. She's also going through chemo to fight cervical cancer and desperately needs a car that can at the very least allow her to park in a regular space without having to worry about whether she can pull back out when she returns.
After months of having no luck, said Lexus came in to my shop a couple months ago for a general check over. At 284k, it was tired. Used up? Not at all. But tired. That being said, it was obvious that it had not only been well cared for but by all appearances was a highway queen. The interior shows the type of wear I'd expect to see in a 100-150k mile truck, not something with double that. It had a few battle scars on the exterior, needed a couple tires, and the (likely original) struts were showing their age, but overall it showed promise. The customer declined the repairs, but I left a note for my service writer to ask the owner if he was interested in selling.
A couple weeks went by and I didn't hear back, so I forgot all about it. Then, one afternoon, I was told I had a phone call. Low and behold, it was Lexus guy. He was interested in selling, however he wanted (what I felt) was an unreasonable $2,300. After weighing the options and knowing I could spruce it up for about $500, I recommended my roomie take the leap and purchase it regardless. Everything was set, until the customer called and said he couldn't find the title... of course. I told him we were happy to wait for a duplicate, which he applied for.
Fast forward a month, and I get a call. The customer tells me that the title came in, however while the truck was sitting in front of his house the cat con was stolen. Normally, this would be a deal breaker. For someone like me, it was the perfect bargaining chip. I just went and inspected things today, and I'll easily be able to replace the cat with a piece of pipe and a couple welds. There's no emission testing here in MN, so no issue (other than moral). I offered the seller $1k given the circumstances which he immediately accepted.
To sum up: it's a 280k mile Lexus hybrid SUV, in fair condition, needing ~$500 in parts and elbow grease for $1k. Even if my roommate gets 2 years out of it, I see it as a win. It is a Toyota, after all! Taking everything into consideration, I think we all did fairly well. What say the great BITOG minds? Am I nuts?
