Will you buy this car on Craigslist?

[sifan]

My 2000 Toyota Echo with about 12K miles only after owning for 3 years is declared structually unsafe to drive by a local mechanic due to severe rust on its underbody (I know I shouldn't have bought a car from Toronto, Canada but a 5-speed manual Echo is hard to come by). Not sure how the previous owner got it passed the MD inspection from a mechanic that he was acquainted with. I just replaced the clutch and 4 tires last year. It is now making metal mourning sounds during tight turns. It is killing me to let it go.

I like driving a stick shift car, so, I am looking for a cheap replacement. Then I came across a 1996 Subaru station wagon with 220K miles:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/4263932004.html

The owner claims the clutch and 4 tires were recently replaced and the asking price is just to cover the cost. I heard that Subaru engines have head gasket issues. If the engine were still good, is this a good buy for $2,400?

 

[dareo]

Looks pretty good. I wouldn't worry too much about the head gasket. It has probably been fixed once already. With prices that low you are really taking a gamble with anything, so check it out well and roll the dice.

 

[The_Jeff]

Points for vanity plates. If he pays an extra $30/ year for "nothing" he might treat his car other "treats" as well.

Hood looks repainted, not that there's a problem with that.

 

[KB2008X]

Any vehicle with 220,000 miles is likely to nickel and dime you to death. Or maybe not. Who knows, but it's best when buying a car like that to plan for the worse. If it was a Toyota Corolla with 220,000 miles I'd say maybe. Or a Crown Vic with 200,000 miles...another definite maybe. But a '96 AWD Subaru ?

Ask yourself why they are selling it. Assuming it's actually in good working condition I'd bet they're selling it before they begin to have trouble with it. You know, gittin' while the gittin's good.

Now if you had lots of experience owning and working on Subarus, which you clearly don't, then you could deal with those issues as they come up. And you'd probably know others who drove Subarus, too, that you could rely on for help.

I'm guessing money is tight so I'd be looking for another 2000-ish Echo and keep your old one for parts for awhile. At the least you should stick with a mainstream car for the lowest cost of ownership. Subarus are hardly an exotic car, but they're far from being a common car, at least around here. Would you want someone who's never worked on one to tackle any repairs that are needed ?

I'd pass on the Subaru.

 

[NHGUY]

And I thought the Toyota commercials claimed you could pass one down from generation to generation (showing a smiling toddler claiming that it will be her Corolla too)...like they lasted forever.In this case,its no better than an Escort that rusted around the front suspension mounts or a Subaru Legacy with rear subframe rust.

 

[skyactiv]

http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-head-gasket-problems-explained/

 

[99Saturn]

I'd have a hard time paying $2K for anything with 220K from '96. Nothing from the listing just that the age/mileage to me means there will be issues coming. Seems like KBB is around $2,400 for excellent, I'd have a hard time calling a '96 excellent, but I would also be looking for less than KBB as a buyer.

The two things I'd be asking myself are why someone is getting rid of a car they just put $2K into, and why it seems like the local mechanic that has been maintaining it is not doing the oil change (I see a Jiffy Lube sticker in the last pic).

 

[GreeCguy]

Originally Posted By: 99Saturn
The two things I'd be asking myself are why someone is getting rid of a car they just put $2K into, and why it seems like the local mechanic that has been maintaining it is not doing the oil change (I see a Jiffy Lube sticker in the last pic).


+1

Considering he just sank two grand in the car and is selling for 2400 means to me he is willing to sell his well maintained "baby" for four hundred bucks prior to repairs.

 

[HM12460]

Looks reasonably nice and clean. Have a professional check it out for you, if you can't. Depending on what a good inspection reveals would have a large impact on what the car should be worth. I'd proceed with caution.

 

[Jarlaxle]

In New England, that would be GONE the day the ad went up! That might be the second-cleanest 200,000+ mile car I have ever seen.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: 99Saturn
I'd have a hard time paying $2K for anything with 220K from '96. Nothing from the listing just that the age/mileage to me means there will be issues coming. Seems like KBB is around $2,400 for excellent, I'd have a hard time calling a '96 excellent, but I would also be looking for less than KBB as a buyer.


AMEN! At 220k you are well past the design lifespan for the drivetrain. So unless he put an entire new drivetrain in it, why on God's Green Earth would you pay $2k for a 18 year old, 220k mile car? Are there no other cars around? I'd say it's a $500 car at best.

 

[Wolf359]

I'd think you'd be out of your mind. Nadaguide lists it as $2825 retail which usually means it comes with some dealer warranty. Normally on craigslist you'd pay a little over clean trade in which is $1250, average trade in is $775 and rough trade in is $175. Just how much longer do you expect it to last? 2-3 years? I wouldn't spend that much money on a car that won't last that long.

I think a lot of people get sucked into thinking that foreign cars are somehow better than american cars, but you can get later model american cars that will probably last longer for the same amount of money. The price is only driven by supply and demand, it's not really what they're worth.

 

[DemoFly]

It's a Subaru older than 10 years. I'd typically pass.

Great cars, but expensive maintenance when they get long in the tooth.

That, and high-mileage, and the owner recently sinking 2 grand into it makes me say no.

 

[ClutchDisc]

Looks nice, I'd look at it. Definitely stay with the stick!

 

[JavierG]

I like it. If that was for sale in my area it would be gone in no time. I think the asking price is fair as well. And they have all of the maintenance records! Original owners. Go for it.

 

[RISUPERCREWMAN]

Nope I would pass!

 

[exranger06]

New tires and new clutch, but no mention of when the timing belt was last changed.

 

[UNC164]

My suggestion is that you eat peanut butter and/or tuna fish sandwiches every day for next 6 months and bank every penny you can so you can afford a lower mile newer $5-6k car. If all you can afford is $2400 on a car you are likely just going to end up with another [censored] out rust bucket that will soon fail completely or cost you more money to maintain than it cost to buy.

 

[dareo]

Forget any book values for a car that old. It is all about condition. A well maintained Subaru can easily hit 300k or more. A few grand for 80k miles of driving is cheap. Its age and manual trans will turn off most buyers, so there might be a lot of room to haggle. At the same time, if its still mint, its worth every single penny.

I would pass on a 6k car, it will be just as unpredictable as a good 2k car. A massive failure in a 6k car means you have to fix it or lose 6k, with a cheap car you are not out a ton of money if you sent it to car heaven.

 

[Bobbb]

Originally Posted By: sifan
My 2000 Toyota Echo with about 12K miles only after owning for 3 years is declared structually unsafe to drive by a local mechanic due to severe rust on its underbody (I know I shouldn't have bought a car from Toronto, Canada but a 5-speed manual Echo is hard to come by). Not sure how the previous owner got it passed the MD inspection from a mechanic that he was acquainted with. I just replaced the clutch and 4 tires last year. It is now making metal mourning sounds during tight turns. It is killing me to let it go.

I like driving a stick shift car, so, I am looking for a cheap replacement. Then I came across a 1996 Subaru station wagon with 220K miles:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/4263932004.html

The owner claims the clutch and 4 tires were recently replaced and the asking price is just to cover the cost. I heard that Subaru engines have head gasket issues. If the engine were still good, is this a good buy for $2,400?


Did you take the echo to a Toyota dealer and have them look at it? Toyota is buying back a lot of these vehicles and replacing the frames on newer ones.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/288265-2006-frame-rust-through.html

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-builds/296016-2004-frame-rust-opinions.html

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/263311-frame-rust-recall.html