Are these cars good deals?

[TBR]

I am not ready to buy yet, but I want to get a feel for the market, so tell me what you guys think of these prices:

`99 Mercury Mystique 4-door w/air, good body, new tune up-brakes, 140,000 miles -- clean $2,000./offer

`95 Mazda 626 LX 4-door $1,400.

`92 Chevy Lumina 4-door w/V6, all power and cruise, 30 mpg -- cranks, needs head work $200.

`95 Pontiac Grand Am 4-door w/V6, pl, cruise, new water pump, 25 mpg -- runs good $900./offer

91 Toyota Corolla 4-door w/28,000 miles on `95 motor -- moving & must sell $500.  (I might check this one out)

'90 Buick Regal GS 4-door, runs good, needs minor body work $1,200.

`95 Saturn SL2 4-door w/good motor -- needs trans work $1,000./offer (cell)

`90 Dodge Spirit 4-door w/great mpg $1,000.

`91 Honda Accord 4-door, runs great $1,500./offer (might check this one too)

`99 red Kia Sephia 4-door w/rims $1,300

`89 Ford Escort 4-door w/good motor-trans $300

`95 Plymouth Acclaim 4-door w/clean interior -- runs good $800

`93 Honda Accord 4-door, needs minor work $1,500.

`91 Mazda Proteg? 4-door w/5-speed, 30+ mpg $1,200. (might check this one also)

I'll post some more later. How smart is it to buy a car that already needs repair?

[Tom]

Check out the Acclaim.  I wouldn't buy one that needs work.  Did you check autotrader or cars.com?

[Tom]

"`99 red Kia Sephia 4-door w/rims $1,300"

Pimpin'  

[TBR]

Check out the Acclaim.  I wouldn't buy one that needs work.  Did you check autotrader or cars.com?

I have in the past, but I figure that cheaper cars will most likely be listed in the classifieds. Perhaps I will make some calls this afternoon, but I don't know if I can get my dad to let me buy this far in advance.

[ifcar]

Buying a car that needs work can be a great deal if you can do the work yourself, as it needs to sell for less, and the cost of parts rarely makes up the price difference.

[ifcar]

Check out the Acclaim.  I wouldn't buy one that needs work.  Did you check autotrader or cars.com?

I have in the past, but I figure that cheaper cars will most likely be listed in the classifieds. Perhaps I will make some calls this afternoon, but I don't know if I can get my dad to let me buy this far in advance.

You might as well be patient, unless you see a one-of-a-kind offer.  

[R33 GT-R]

So your price range is no more than 1500?

[mazda6er]

Mileage is infinitely more important than the age of the car in my opinion. Your first priority should be to find a car with as low mileage as possible. The Mystique with 140,000 is probably about ready to fall apart. Check up on cars that depreciate quickly. Your best bet may be an older Century/Regal,  or a somewhat newer Korean car.

[93JC]

I am not ready to buy yet, but I want to get a feel for the market, so tell me what you guys think of these prices:

*** `99 Mercury Mystique 4-door w/air, good body, new tune up-brakes, 140,000 miles -- clean $2,000./offer ***

`95 Mazda 626 LX 4-door $1,400.

`92 Chevy Lumina 4-door w/V6, all power and cruise, 30 mpg -- cranks, needs head work $200.

*** `95 Pontiac Grand Am 4-door w/V6, pl, cruise, new water pump, 25 mpg -- runs good $900./offer ***

*** 91 Toyota Corolla 4-door w/28,000 miles on `95 motor -- moving & must sell $500.  (I might check this one out) ***

*** '90 Buick Regal GS 4-door, runs good, needs minor body work $1,200. ***

`95 Saturn SL2 4-door w/good motor -- needs trans work $1,000./offer (cell)

`90 Dodge Spirit 4-door w/great mpg $1,000.

`91 Honda Accord 4-door, runs great $1,500./offer (might check this one too)

`99 red Kia Sephia 4-door w/rims $1,300

*** `89 Ford Escort 4-door w/good motor-trans $300 ***

`95 Plymouth Acclaim 4-door w/clean interior -- runs good $800

*** `93 Honda Accord 4-door, needs minor work $1,500. ***

`91 Mazda Proteg? 4-door w/5-speed, 30+ mpg $1,200. (might check this one also)

I'll post some more later. How smart is it to buy a car that already needs repair?

Avoid the ones in red, and be particularly critical of the ones marked with asterisks.

[Secret Chimp]

Get a Beetle =P

[TBR]

I think I might check on the Acclaim, but other than that I think I will be patient.  

[BMWDave]

I think I might check on the Acclaim, but other than that I think I will be patient.

Are you still considering FBC's car or is that out of the game?

[TBR]

Too expensive and too long of a drive.  

[ifcar]

I wouldn't count on the Accords being a good choice. There's no mileage listed, and at those prices, they will either going to have something wrong with them or have very high mileage (or in the case of the 93, both).

The Acclaim does seem like a good choice, anything that runs well at $800 is hard to ignore, even if it has high mileage. That's probably what I would go with personally from those choices, unless there's nothing seriously wrong with the $500 Corolla. I'd also look at the 626, Grand Am, and Protege, and maybe the Kia.

[Raghavan]

i would give teh accords a look and see how minor the minor work is.

[Run Away]

'95 626 and '91 Accord look pretty decent to me.
Others are probably good too (reliability-wise) but those are my personal choises.
If you check out the Accord and it's an auto, be sure to ask if he's ever replaced the VSS (or ask him if the speedometer ever stopped working). Common problem, and a new replacement isn't that cheap (a junkyard unit will be cheaper, but you don't know how long it'll last either).

As for cars that need work, they're usually good deals if you can do the work yourself.
For example, the $200 Lumina would be an awesome car to buy if you were handy with cars as a good running used engine would probably run you $300 at most.

[TBR]

I am going to call the Acclaim guy later and see what drivetrain combo the car has (probably I4 and 3-spd auto), whether or not the A/C works, and what shape the body is in. If all of that turns out good I might talk to my dad tonight.  

[Raghavan]

I am going to call the Acclaim guy later and see what drivetrain combo the car has (probably I4 and 3-spd auto), whether or not the A/C works, and what shape the body is in. If all of that turns out good I might talk to my dad tonight.

do you want a manual or auto?

[TBR]

I think an auto would probably be better for my first car, but if it is an I4 (and I suspect it is) the manual would definitely be better since the auto only has 3 speeds (93JC, what do you have to say on that powertrain combination?)

[BMWDave]

I think an auto would probably be better for my first car, but if it is an I4 (and I suspect it is) the manual would definitely be better since the auto only has 3 speeds (93JC, what do you have to say on that powertrain combination?)

And one tip, dont let this guy charge you any more just because youre a teenager...you a car enthusiast, so you know the prices better than he does  

[TBR]

Unless the car is in horrible condition his price is on the lower end, so there probably won't be much haggling, if I do go for it of course.  

[TBR]

Also, I will pay a fair price. After watching my brother pay $1000 too much for his truck and then get bit after only a couple of months by a $400 brake repair job and a $700 A/C repair job I am not likely to repeat that same mistake.

[Raghavan]

are acclaim's reliable? do they have a good record?

[TBR]

From what I've seen, yes. But, at these prices the record doesn't mean that much, the condition of the vehicles will determine how reliable they are.  

[Raghavan]

you should get the car in your sig.

[Laconian]

Make sure the 626 has a manual transmission. The 626's automatic transmissions have a reputation for catastrophic failure.

I would look at the Accords in that price range. Generally speaking, they will probably be the most mechanically sound for a given mileage.

[BMWDave]

Make sure the 626 has a manual transmission. The 626's automatic transmissions have a reputation for catastrophic failure.

I would look at the Accords in that price range. Generally speaking, they will probably be the most mechanically sound for a given mileage.

Yup, I just remembered that.  My friend had a Mazda 323 of that same era with a automatic which was a horror...so make sure you get the manual in this car.

[Tom]

As long as you don't mind driving one, look into a Hyundai.  You'll be surprised how new you can get for 1500.

[93JC]

I think an auto would probably be better for my first car, but if it is an I4 (and I suspect it is) the manual would definitely be better since the auto only has 3 speeds (93JC, what do you have to say on that powertrain combination?)

Slow as molasses, but durable. Both the 5-speed and 3-speed are reputable. The 3.0L V6 w/ 4-speed is the only powertrain combo I'd be weary about right off the bat.  

[R33 GT-R]

Save up a little more shallom and upgrade a bit.