Am I nuts for wanting a high mileage car?

[k24a4]

Glad you passed; guy sounds too slick for his own good. At least you didn't waste time travelling to see it.

BTW, keep an eye out for that gen TSX. Love the looks and size of that car. Every time I see one it looks well maintained, clean, and without dings. Don't know why that is. 6-manual would be great.

I saw one on Craigslist recently, and I'm rarely on Craigslist, an Auto; the guy was getting a company car and selling it with 140k hwy miles for $5ooo. Yes, that's right, $5k. Looked great in the pictures.

Anyway, good luck and keep us posted. Patience is your friend...

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
Originally Posted By: morris
many many many years ago i found a report from Oklahoma U. that to get 500,000. miles from a gasoline car engine you have to filter the oil to 2-3 microns. fram DID make a filter that would filter to 2 microns. F3-p. i think it is no longer made. but i do have a new one. even though i havent used it yet. NOT for sale.


I don't think that's necessarily true. I know someone with over 500k on their Honda Accord and they just used Supertech oil in it and an inexpensive oil filter.


I watched an F-550 wind up 900,000+ miles with regular store-brand oil & Motorcraft filters. I saw multiple Panther cars and Dodge vans wind up 400-600K on whatever oil that was the cheapest by the drum and whoever got the best price on a pallet of filters that week!

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: wallyuwl
Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe


I contacted the seller about the car and after I told him/her I wanted to take the car to a Honda dealership to have them inspect it to make sure everything's okay, they said the car is uninsured and has expired tabs/registration, so I can't really take it for a decent drive. They also said they wouldn't take $3,500. Should I just pass?


That is a BIG red flag that they won't let you take it out to get inspected by a mechanic. Keeping the registration active is common sense, and it seems pretty convenient they let the registration expire and are using it as the reason for prospective buyers to not be able to take it for a decent test drive or get it checked out by a mechanic.

RUN AWAY!


I wouldn't let someone drive an unregistered car, either...and if I'm selling it, the tags may have expired, or simply been transferred to another car. (I did just that 2 weeks before I sold my Cherokee.)

 

[jimbrewer]

Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
I ended up passing on the 2005. It was an LX, with what appeared to be aftermarket alloys. It was claimed to be in "near perfect" condition, but it was far from it. There was a scrape on the side of the car, the front and rear bumpers were oxidized from the sun eating away the clear coat, as were the mirrors. The headlights were yellowed and full of condensation. The cruise control did not work, and some of the stitching on the headliner was coming undone. The flap that covers the change tray wouldn't stay down. Also, he claimed it was "well kept and maintained" but had zero records to show for it. The carfax showed nothing aside from a couple of repairs, but zero maintenance. Also, he wasn't the original owner. He simply bought it to flip it and just rubbed me the wrong way, so I passed. Oh, and he wouldn't budge on the price. He was asking $500 more than blue book for "excellent" condition, which it clearly was not.


Yeah, but you know what? He's probably pretty experienced in this and I suppose his tactic works. The motivated buyer will overlook a lot of things when he has stars in his eyes. I guess the key thing is: Don't be a motivated buyer when you are looking for a used car. Shopping new, its not so bad if you are willing to consider several different brands.

Notice that most of the things you mentioned were cosmetic? A lesson I learned the hard way is that it pays to consistently maintain the appearance on your vehicle even if you aren't a neatnik. Its more important than obsessing about the brand of oil to use, that's for sure.

 

[KitaCam]

Originally Posted By: jimbrewer

Yeah, but you know what? He's probably pretty experienced in this and I suppose his tactic works. The motivated buyer will overlook a lot of things when he has stars in his eyes.


The very reason to take the car to an indie mechanic to confirm condition when lust gets in your eyes...

 

[ThirdeYe]

I ended up buying a 1999 Firebird with 76000 original miles for a good price. Glad that search is over... Car shopping is quite stressful. He already had the car inspected when he last changed the oil at a Buick dealership a thousand miles ago or so and showed me what it needed, which is nice. It has all the maintenance records and appears to be pretty well kept, especially for a 15 year old car. He changed the oil at least once or twice a year (with only around 1000-2000 miles on the oil, kinda overkill?) The interior is like new, everything works, and the exterior is in very good shape, just a few minor flaws that I could overlook for the price I paid (about half of what the other cars I was looking at cost). Never driven in the winter, so no rust and it has a Flowmaster exhaust.

 

[HM12460]

Sounds like a nice car thirdeye, keep an eye on the intake manifold gaskets.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Will do. I'm very familiar with the issue as we have gone through it a few times on my parents' Malibu so I kind of know the warning signs. Even with the potential repair cost I'm still coming out ahead compared to the cost of a 2003-2007 Accord that I initially wanted

 

[daves87rs]

Cool...hoping for pics....

 

[ThirdeYe]

It needs a wash pretty bad, along with some new muffler tips (these ones are getting rusty), but here it is:

The oil only has about 1000-1500 miles on it right now, last changed at a GM dealership but it's been in there for almost a year now, so I'll be changing it sometime soon. Already bought some Mobil 1 10W-30 and a M1-201 filter to use.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Is it a V6?

 

[ThirdeYe]

Yes, it has the 3800 Series II.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Beautiful car Derek!! I love it!!