MrH's Great Car Shuffle of 2010

[MrH]

Do you actually have to sell the Taco before you buy a new car?

Mother has been hinting they'll just pay for the new Miata before anything is actually sold.

In the process of getting everything prepped for selling.  Might go look at the Miata in question today.  I'll be ripping into the Protege this weekend to strip out parts to sell to Adam.

Question for everyone:  This Miata I'm looking at was repossessed from the original owner.  Should this throw up a red flag?  I don't want to completely discount the car, because it's probably the closest I'm going to find to exactly what I want (and trust me, I've about searched the entire country), it's only 15 minutes away, and has a great price.  Things such as oil changes, what if there are no records?  Should I get the thing compression checked, and see if the motor is still strong?

[BimmerM3]

Getting it checked out by a mechanic is never a bad idea, and I don't think it's very expensive either.

[Raza]

Just throw it in a lake.  If it sinks, it's a witch. 

[Secret Chimp]

I think he was exaggerating a bit. Most dudes Mr H's age in good relationships are looking forward to the future.

Plus there's a good bit of "women are insane and awful except for sticking your penis in" around these forums.

[Rupert]

How many miles on the Miata in question?

[MrH]

How many miles on the Miata in question?

17,000 miles.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Plus there's a good bit of "women are insane and awful except for sticking your penis in" around these forums.

Words of wisdom.

[GoCougs]

Mother has been hinting they'll just pay for the new Miata before anything is actually sold.

In the process of getting everything prepped for selling.  Might go look at the Miata in question today.  I'll be ripping into the Protege this weekend to strip out parts to sell to Adam.

Question for everyone:  This Miata I'm looking at was repossessed from the original owner.  Should this throw up a red flag?  I don't want to completely discount the car, because it's probably the closest I'm going to find to exactly what I want (and trust me, I've about searched the entire country), it's only 15 minutes away, and has a great price.  Things such as oil changes, what if there are no records?  Should I get the thing compression checked, and see if the motor is still strong?

I wouldn't let advertised price sway a decision. It's merely a suggestion - chances are you should be paying less than any advertised price.

If it were me, I'd stay clear of a repossessed car. Not only will you have to make doubly sure the title is clear but just as when people know they'll lose their house at best they neglect maintenance and worse the hell out of it because of spite. Also, what if the original owner sees the car and is and decides to take it out on you or the car?

[MrH]

I wouldn't let advertised price sway a decision. It's merely a suggestion - chances are you should be paying less than any advertised price.

If it were me, I'd stay clear of a repossessed car. Not only will you have to make doubly sure the title is clear but just as when people know they'll lose their house at best they neglect maintenance and worse the hell out of it because of spite. Also, what if the original owner sees the car and is and decides to take it out on you or the car?

I highly doubt I'd run into the original owner again.  They're over 200 miles away.  You're a little cooky, you know that?

I'm thinking I'll do a compression test and see if I can get a Mazda dealership to go over everything they do for a CPO.  I think it'll be worth it.

[GoCougs]

I highly doubt I'd run into the original owner again.  They're over 200 miles away.  You're a little cooky, you know that?

I'm thinking I'll do a compression test and see if I can get a Mazda dealership to go over everything they do for a CPO.  I think it'll be worth it.

You had originally stated 15 miles, and no it's not kooky if you've ever known anyone who has had a house or car repossessed and how bitter and angry they can be. Being a Miata, the former owner was probably either gay or a woman, so admittedly the chances are slim anything bad would happen.

My hunch is that when you see the car in person it'll be obvious that it was a repo. Even if not, you can virtually guarantee maintenance was neglected (something a compression check wouldn't catch especially at 17k). IMO it's only worth it if you bargain significantly under book value.

[Tave]

Maintenance to 17K is going to consist solely of oil changes or anything under warranty. I don't think you can guarantee that the previous owner neglected simple stuff like that. Hell, given the packages dealers offer today, I wouldn't be surprised if the oil changes were also covered.

[GoCougs]

Maintenance to 17K is going to consist solely of oil changes or anything under warranty. I don't think you can guarantee that the previous owner neglected simple stuff like that. Hell, given the packages dealers offer today, I wouldn't be surprised if the oil changes were also covered.

Uh, he ain't making the payments he certainly ain't taking it to the dealer for free oil changes, let alone paying for oil changes.

[MrH]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9emGaCi304

That's what I thought of when you said they'd come back for their car.

I'll check with the dealer if they have any service records for it, but it doesn't show any on car fax.

[GoCougs]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9emGaCi304

That's what I thought of when you said they'd come back for their car.

I'll check with the dealer if they have any service records for it, but it doesn't show any on car fax.

Hey, people pick and poke but I'm not without some measure of reality (even the Simpon's kind).

If it's being sold by a new dealer lot that helps somewhat - at least if there's a problem you'd have a wee bit better chance of getting a response than if buying from a used-only lot or private party.

Either way, no matter where you buy it I'd hammer home the repo title history as a major negotiating point (unknown service history, greater likelihood of abuse).

[MrH]

Yeah, if it ends up being the one, I'm going to work down the price as much as I can, THEN drop the repo title bomb on them.  Hopefully get it pretty cheap.

Let's say it has gone pretty long without an oil change.  If the compression still checks out, what's the issue?

[Tave]

Uh, he ain't making the payments he certainly ain't taking it to the dealer for free oil changes, let alone paying for oil changes.

Obviously he wasn't after he stopped payments, but surely he might have gotten one or two before.

I'm not saying it's a good sign, I'm just saying it could be worse. If the car had 50,000 miles on it, I'd be a lot more scared, but it only has 17K. If the guy managed to get 2-3 oil changes before his finances fell apart, it's not so bad.

Aren't you always talking about how 3,000 mile intervals are such a scam?

[MX793]

Yeah, if it ends up being the one, I'm going to work down the price as much as I can, THEN drop the repo title bomb on them.  Hopefully get it pretty cheap.

Let's say it has gone pretty long without an oil change.  If the compression still checks out, what's the issue?

I'd be more concerned about bearings being damaged by old/dirty oil than the compression.  If the oil has sludged, it can even starve the top end of oil and cause valvetrain damage.

[MrH]

I'd be more concerned about bearings being damaged by old/dirty oil than the compression.  If the oil has sludged, it can even starve the top end of oil and cause valvetrain damage.

But there's no real way of checking for that, is there?

[GoCougs]

Obviously he wasn't after he stopped payments, but surely he might have gotten one or two before.

I'm not saying it's a good sign, I'm just saying it could be worse. If the car had 50,000 miles on it, I'd be a lot more scared, but it only has 17K. If the guy managed to get 2-3 oil changes before his finances fell apart, it's not so bad.

Aren't you always talking about how 3,000 mile intervals are such a scam?

A repo usually doesn't happen within a week or two of a missed payment - betcha in this day and age it takes many months.

In reality with oil and engines being so good these days I would not be surprised that as long as the engine wasn't starved of oil that one might be able to get away with a 17,000 mile oil change interval; certainly so with just a single oil change in between. But then again, such a car is worth less than the same car that has had proper maintenance even if there is no outward signs of damage.

3,000 mile intervals are indeed a scam but that's not relevant here.

[GoCougs]

But there's no real way of checking for that, is there?

For damaged bearings, no, save for taking apart the engine and measuring the internals (unless one can obvious hear a bad bearing). For sludge/coaked oil, maybe you'll see indications on the underside of a valve cover, but that doesn't tell you the story inside all the oil passages, pump, etc.

Chances are everything's fine but there is risk in the unknown.

[Tave]

A repo usually doesn't happen within a week or two of a missed payment - betcha in this day and age it takes many months.

As does racking up thousands of miles (on average).

[MrH]

Ugh, replaced the half shaft on the Tacoma.  Still didn't completely get rid of the noise.  Thread on it later.

[Rupert]

I would have it examined by a private shop. Tell them that it's a repo, and pay for the full inspection. Talk over with them what the problems could be, etc. Also, if there are other issues, such as cosmetic stuff, then there are likely to be other, less obvious issues underneath. My guess is that it's all good, and you can get a better deal because it is a repo. 17 kmiles isn't much, and it would take pretty severe abuse to do permanent large-scale damage. I don't think a compression check will be of any help.

[MrH]

Test drove a very nice 2.0 A4 with a 6-speed.  Meh.  I think I liked the GTI better.

Right now:

1. Miata
2. GTI
3. A4

Unknown:  3-series, RX-8

Mini Coopers no longer in the running.

Any other ideas?

[nickdrinkwater]

How about a TT?  Or Z4?

[2o6]

How about a TT?  Or Z4?

Both are too expensive to buy, own and insure.

[Raza]

First gen TTs are in the under 10K range now (I looked into buying a TT 225 when looking for my Jetta), but the A5 GTI is a better car overall.  More fun to drive, sharper chassis, more practical.  I love the TT, though.  If he wants to save a lot of money, it's a viable and stylish alternative, but it won't give him back what the GTI or MX-5 would in driving experience.  Mk2 TTs might still be too expensive, unless you can find an early 2.0T FronTrak. 

Z4s are in the 15K range as well, even for the 3.0s.  The 2.5s are an easy 15K or less, though I'd rather have an older vintage Boxster; better to drive, better looking, and more practical, and most likely cheaper to insure.  I'm not aware of the Z4 being particularly expensive, but even if it's in line with a comparable 3 series, the Boxster will be cheaper by a noticeable amount. 

[Minpin]

A repo usually doesn't happen within a week or two of a missed payment - betcha in this day and age it takes many months.

In reality with oil and engines being so good these days I would not be surprised that as long as the engine wasn't starved of oil that one might be able to get away with a 17,000 mile oil change interval; certainly so with just a single oil change in between. But then again, such a car is worth less than the same car that has had proper maintenance even if there is no outward signs of damage.

3,000 mile intervals are indeed a scam but that's not relevant here.

They obviously had the cash to pay for 17k miles of gas. By your line of thinking, it sat in a garage for a few months. The owner wasn't making the payments, therefore he couldn't pay for gas either. 1 fill up is almost as much as an oil change these days....


ZOMG LERGICS

[MrH]

Ok.  Update time.

Test drove the Miata in question.  Everything checked out pretty good on the test drive.  No signs of water drains being clogged, which is an issue for NC Miatas.  The paint is swirled to hell though.  I'll need to polish the shit out of it and really detail it to get it to look good.  The trunk button seems to be broken too.  I'm going to bring it to a Mazda service department if I decide to go through on it, and have them check everything out and give me an estimate on replacing the trunk button to fix the issue.

Guy didn't seem to want to budge on the price, and claimed he was only making $125 on it as is .  I'm going to let him sit with it for awhile longer and let him call me.  He knows I'm serious.  It's been on that lot for awhile, and hasn't dropped in price.  He's not stupid enough to buy that car at auction and originally list it for only $125 worth of profit.  When he comes calling, I'll hit him with all of that.

Protege5 is in the shop being fixed.  Tacoma is my daily driver right now.  I'll be making a thread in the garage about getting that ready for sale.


90% sure I'm going with a Miata.  Whether it'll be that exact one I mentioned before or not, I'm not sure.  I'm having carmax transfer in an RX-8 for me to test drive.  Unless I fall in love with the RX-8, I should have a miata here relatively soon.

[Raza]

You'll probably like the MX-5 more than the RX-8.  The RX-8 is very good, mind you, and very impressive when viewed as a sedan, but for pure thrills (and better gas mileage), the MX-5 is better.