Battle of the "Budget" USED SEDANS - you vote

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Originally Posted By: Miller88
The Taurus only really have heater core and cooling system problems on the Vulcan 3.0. It's a cast iron engine and has cooling system corrosion issues if the coolant isn't changed.

If the coolant is full of crud, walk away from it.


Thank you all today for your comments! Some really really helpful ones.

I will be sure to check on the intake gasket on the LeSabre. And view/ask about the coolant on the Taurus.
 
Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
Didn't you get like 12 grand for the Corolla - look at nicer cars.
Good point. ..Sadly the payoff ate a fair amount of the check. I could squeeze $7k but as others mentioned, it seems that in my regional car buying market that staying under $5k gets you cars that have had the work already done and if not not done... you have a little cash for the first $1k surprise. Whereas a $7k typically is just new enough but old enough to be "on the verge" of the whole struts/front end/gaskets" issues and you have paid your wad to get to that "verge".

Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
I think the fender has been replaced on the civic by the looks of the Gap, which isn't of itself bad, but why the gap and what other damage? I still like it best.


Great catch!
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump


So i almost bought a $1k taurus wagon


yeah i knew i had you pegged with that other thread in the maintenance section. scraping the bottom of the barrel is only going to end in tears for you friend.
 
Take $7k, drive to your nearest Toyota dealer and plunk it down on a 2016 Corolla.

Right now in my area Toyota is offering 0% financing for 60 months.
 
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Taurus or LeSabre. Plain as dry toast, but they get the job done- my FIL has been driving a beat-on 2005 Taurus for years now without a hiccup.
 
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Taurus or LeSabre. Plain as dry toast, but they get the job done- my FIL has been driving a beat-on 2005 Taurus for years now without a hiccup.



Should note that 02+ are going to have the better AX4N transmission, not the one that would self destruct every 30K miles.
 
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Take $7k, drive to your nearest Toyota dealer and plunk it down on a 2016 Corolla.

Right now in my area Toyota is offering 0% financing for 60 months.




Almost everyone is trying to clear out 2015's too... with 7K down, you should be in decent shape. Unless you're able to do most repairs yourself, 150K cars are going to get expensive at some point in the not very distant future unless you are quite lucky.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Corolla-L-/272051098300?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3f578252bc:g:jg0AAOSwFGNWTl-R&item=272051098300

Here you go $17k OTD or less, finance $10k @ 60 months for 0% is $167 a month.

Cheaper than fixing a 12 year old Buick!

Or local Toyota dealer also offers free oil changes for as long as you own it, making it an even better deal.
 
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Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Take $7k, drive to your nearest Toyota dealer and plunk it down on a 2016 Corolla.

Right now in my area Toyota is offering 0% financing for 60 months.




Almost everyone is trying to clear out 2015's too... with 7K down, you should be in decent shape. Unless you're able to do most repairs yourself, 150K cars are going to get expensive at some point in the not very distant future unless you are quite lucky.


Unfortunately, with the way people are striking deer like pinballs around here and the fact that I drive like 8 miles at 25mph to work everyday of the week... I don't need a new car. Sad but true.

Also, I can't afford to buy a new and then be underwater or have to fool with "gaps" when the next clown hits my new car by running a stop sign. I'm basically done with the "Pay new prices for the nice smell" and then drive off the lot with a $3k loss the instant it gets struck.

I've come to realize that cars are throw away and that all people are doing when they buy a new one is "prespending" their repair money.

Gosh I used to love new cars.
 
OP, any reason you narrowed it down to your original choices? What made you choose those?

Some additional ones to consider from a quick search:
http://lacrosse.craigslist.org/cto/5387100676.html
http://lacrosse.craigslist.org/cto/5384456954.html
http://lacrosse.craigslist.org/cto/5360870632.html

I'll admit I know little about these cars, but this sure seems like a lot of car for the money when compared to your other choices. $4900 but only 62k miles:
http://lacrosse.craigslist.org/cto/5385053400.html
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Unfortunately, with the way people are striking deer like pinballs around here and the fact that I drive like 8 miles at 25mph to work everyday of the week... I don't need a new car. Sad but true.

Also, I can't afford to buy a new and then be underwater or have to fool with "gaps" when the next clown hits my new car by running a stop sign. I'm basically done with the "Pay new prices for the nice smell" and then drive off the lot with a $3k loss the instant it gets struck.

I've come to realize that cars are throw away and that all people are doing when they buy a new one is "prespending" their repair money.

Gosh I used to love new cars.


Sometimes being cheap costs the most money.
 
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Corolla-L-/272051098300?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3f578252bc:g:jg0AAOSwFGNWTl-R&item=272051098300

Here you go $17k OTD or less, finance $10k @ 60 months for 0% is $167 a month.

Cheaper than fixing a 12 year old Buick!

Or local Toyota dealer also offers free oil changes for as long as you own it, making it an even better deal.


The Buick would be $14,000 to fix????

Wait.... reading further...
WOW! Oklahoma is the PLACE to buy a corolla!
Not that I'm going to take a 4 day work break to drive there.
wink.gif

That Corolla up here with a MANUAL is no less that $2k MORE out the door.
 
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
OP, any reason you narrowed it down to your original choices? What made you choose those?

Some additional ones to consider from a quick search:
http://lacrosse.craigslist.org/cto/5387100676.html
http://lacrosse.craigslist.org/cto/5384456954.html
http://lacrosse.craigslist.org/cto/5360870632.html

I'll admit I know little about these cars, but this sure seems like a lot of car for the money when compared to your other choices. $4900 but only 62k miles:
http://lacrosse.craigslist.org/cto/5385053400.html



A combination of salvage titles and heads that had been taken off by shade tree mechanincs with no paperwork proof on those
frown.gif
Thus I excluded them.
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Originally Posted By: Inspecktor
LeSabre. My parents just gave my youngest daughter a 2001 Limited with 255,000 miles, this car is rock solid with no rust. I have no doubt it has another 100,000 miles in it.


Nothing uniquely particular to listen for or feel for on the Buick drivetrain? The 3800 doesnt have any notoriously weak gaskets or vacuum line leak "maze of death"?
EDIT: i see now via web search that the early 3800 series II to about 1999 had plastic intake warping and coolant burning. That was likely fixed later by 2003?
My folks bought the 2001 with 67,000 miles on it. Dad is a retired heavy equipment mechanic, so he does a lot of his own upkeep. No major issues with this car, serviced with Havoline conventional and ACDelco filters. I changed oil to M1 0W-40 and Fram Ultra. My daughter has accumulated about 1100 miles since, showing no appreciable oil usage. This is our first 3800, and so far I am impressed.
 
Well folks, sadly the Lesabre... which has been ranked highly by members I do trust...

2003 buick le sabre custom - $3500 145k.
http://lacrosse.craigslist.org/cto/5376640548.html

.... Is becoming a bit of a "too good to be true" situation. The guy I called is "selling it for another old (70y/o) guy who is the title holder but not the original owner, and he likes to scoop up really good used cars to sell on the side but he isnt internet saavy" and thus this guy (50's) "used to be a car dealer" and he still keeps his dealer status active on the side. And he doesn't know all the history because the car was traded in to a local dealer he used to work with but it had too high of miles just barely for their "criteria", so thus he and this older benefactor buy them to resell perhaps once every year.
He has no service history or paperwork. But he DOES know that it is super clean super clean no squeaks and it has the better generation III of the famous 3800 motor. And despite not having any service history, the car would still come with an official "state inspection" list just like from ON a used car lot assuring all is in working order.

I called GM and they swear that the gen III 3800 only came out in the 2004 year and not in 2003.

I got the heebee jeebies but maybe this is just the way used car buying goes. "A guy who knows a guy who doesn't know but does know a guy who used to work for IBM"

So I am deciding whether to still check it out or run or sprint away LOL.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Curbstoner! Run. How about the XB?


Going to see it in the next days as time affords. (no car, LOL)
I called and one of the first things they mentioned was "It's has always had its oil changes and been kept topped off on everything". Yeesh, "kept topped off" kept bounced echoes in my head of the piston oil eating issues. Darn it. Although it could simply have meant it was well cared for. But on newer cars you'd think owners would not be mentioning "kept topped off" and one of the first parts of a conversation.
 
Crown Victoria. I paid $4500 for a 2011 P7B just out of service. Only knock against it is 119K miles & 2 bad tires.
 
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Crown Victoria. I paid $4500 for a 2011 P7B just out of service. Only knock against it is 119K miles & 2 bad tires.


Was it in an "idled for the equivalent of 500k miles" situation or did you get lucky and get a Chief's or department head's car?
 
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