Just glanced at its CarFax... Definitely inspect for rust... If miraculously it has none, or very little, then may still be a good buy.
Just glanced at its CarFax... Definitely inspect for rust... If miraculously it has none, or very little, then may still be a good buy.
It’s a five hour drive for me. I’ll need to see a photo of the underside with it on a rack before I decide to go. Rocker rust doesn’t bother me but structural rot is (obviously) a deal breaker.Just glanced at its CarFax... Definitely inspect for rust... If miraculously it has none, or very little, then may still be a good buy.
Yunno, after looking at all of the ones for sale nationwide - that price doesn't look that bad... Maybe fly there and drive back? Could even camp inside it, to save on hotels I know I would...This is the one I really want but it’s a good 10 hours away and at least $1000 overpriced.
Before I made the drive I would ask for a photo of the underside with it on a rack.
Hawaii is the only state I haven’t visited. Maybe I could rent a ferry from UHaul to bring it home?Yunno, after looking at all of the ones for sale nationwide - that price doesn't look that bad... Maybe fly there and drive back? Could even camp inside it, to save on hotels I know I would...
BONUS: here is a cute one from Hawaii.
Don’t you have a lot of road salt in MD?Not very far. I'd stay in my metro area(s). Too likely to be disappointed.
No. Possibly in a couple of counties in the westernmost parts of MD, but the rest of the state no. Not enough to cause rust issues even if you keep a car for 25 years and never do anything rust preventative, or even wash it in the winter.Don’t you have a lot of road salt in MD?
Yes, but LSMFT!I'd walk a mile for a camel. I bet @Jdeere562 thought I was not old enough to be familiar with that line. To see a car I'm really interested in I'd be willing to drive a few hundred miles.
Wow, that’s a lot of psychoanalysis there, Dr. Freud!I'd do about an hour and a half, though I've done more.
I shop a different kind of seller-- I don't like dealers that offer "as-is" because it means a professional already looked the car over and decided it was a hopeless case. Plus they want to get more money from the public than they could from auction, so they won't offer a reasonable deal. That said I did buy an as-is Saturn from a dealer for $350 and it was exactly as advertised-- they gave a list of what it needed for state inspection, I did exactly that list and passed and had a good car.
That said, I'm also concerned about OPs secrecy that he eventually broke on page two-- he found a car some distance away that appeared to be that magical unicorn, underpriced, and he wanted to grab it before anyone else in the world knew about it. He's got a combo of "paralysis of analysis", trying to decide if he wants the car before looking at the car, and of trying to "research" using only web tools like carfax to do what he should be doing on-site, on his hands and knees, with the actual car in question. He wants the world to freeze while he hems and haws.
So this goes back to his stated thesis, how far is too far to drive to look at something in person? I keep a little car buying cash liquid so I'm not delayed when something in my budget crosses my radar. I try to be "always looking" and "a car ahead" so I have the next one in hand before the one I'm thinking of leaving behind dies or otherwise finds its way out of my fleet. And I need to be ready to wing it, call out of a day of work, grab the cash, scan tool, jack, flashlight etc and have a fun road trip day when "the one" catches my interest. But when that happens I don't need permission from BITOG or anywhere else-- I'm gone.
For OP then there seems to be some hesistation, a sixth sense saying don't get this one. Some people (not necessarily OP) get into a sunken cost fallacy where they drive many hours to look at something and either buy it because they're emotionally invested or get incredibly mad at the seller for "false advertising" when it's not as dreamed. If this is you, be honest with yourself and know this fault before going in... it's your money.
My father years ago needed a car that didn't cost a lot. He and I both seen one add in the classifieds (yes, I am dating myself) which seemed to be a good candidate. Drove maybe 50 or 60 miles, found the house and observed the car in the driveway. The poor condition was so bad that we only pulled over on the side of the road for a few seconds before we realized it was a wasted trip.I did this very thing about a month ago. Found something fairly rare and at a price that was reasonable. All 15 pics I saw online were good, and didn't show anything alarming. The wife and I drove an hour and 20 minutes to find a vehicle with a flat tire, and body work with shoddy paint on every panel. I spoke to the dealer the night before, so they knew were were coming. Still arrived to the flat, and a dirty vehicle. The sales lady acted shocked when I told her not to bother getting the tire inflated, and I ran through what I saw on a cursory inspection. We just walked away and went home. Be prepared for disappointment.
Wow, that’s a lot of psychoanalysis there, Dr. Freud!
I just wanted to know how far people were willing to go for a mundane car. That’s why I took the vehicle out of the equation.
Sometimes a banana is just a banana.