  removed Crisis Management Squad Premium,VIP join:2002-02-08 Houston, TX clubs: | reply to frankenfeet Re: Lumina Vs Taurus
It's a weird angle - the speed was actually closer to 101. |
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  dirtyjeffer Merry Christmas Premium join:2002-02-21 London, ON
·Rogers Hi-Speed
| reply to MJimLay i think you are best to just focus on one car working properly, and instead of throwing money away on 4 more vehicles, save for your retirement or a rainy day. -- Today's motto: Dearly beloved, We are gathered here today to bid farewell to personal responsibility and accountability. |
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  MJimLay aka FlexBaud Premium join:2004-10-06 Beach Haven clubs:
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| reply to dirtyjeffer said by dirtyjeffer :that is exactly what i was thinking you should get...while the car isn't your dream car, or perhaps in "pristine" condition, it will be cheap to insure, reasonable on gas, and affordable...there are lots of these types of cars up here too, and buying something like this is generally 100x times better than the overpriced cars you see on most of those buy here/pay here lots. I agree... I really like this car a lot and I think I am going to work on fixing it up and saving money instead of having a car payment. I think this will be a car worth fixing up as it's good on gas, cheap insurance, and drives nice. I think I am just save up for a 2nd vehicle (most likely a truck) to have as a backup to this one. I think I'd rather have 2 or 3 used vehicles that are paid off then have a car payment My dad does the exact same thing and it's always worked out for him. My dad has 5 vehicles right now, all of which are paid off and it works out fine for him. |
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  dirtyjeffer Merry Christmas Premium join:2002-02-21 London, ON | reply to M A R K hey MARK, that Volvo looks like it is still brand new...$450?...that's a steal...i want it.  |
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  dirtyjeffer Merry Christmas Premium join:2002-02-21 London, ON
·Rogers Hi-Speed
| reply to MJimLay that is exactly what i was thinking you should get...while the car isn't your dream car, or perhaps in "pristine" condition, it will be cheap to insure, reasonable on gas, and affordable...there are lots of these types of cars up here too, and buying something like this is generally 100x times better than the overpriced cars you see on most of those buy here/pay here lots. -- Today's motto: Dearly beloved, We are gathered here today to bid farewell to personal responsibility and accountability. |
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 Spensergig Threadkiller Supreme Premium,MVM join:2000-03-26 Bradenton, FL
| reply to MJimLay Just saw the update. Congrats on the new car.
It looks nice. You really got it for a flat $900 total? That's SOOOOOO much better than you were expecting.
Are you sure that it was a police car? I don't see the typical tiny hubcaps, holes for antennas and/or lights, loose wires under the dash, etc. If they fixed all that also, you got a steal.
Great news. Now enjoy it and get to work.  |
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  3SGTE ST215W Premium,MVM join:2000-11-23 there clubs:
| reply to frankenfeet said by frankenfeet :it could be something like a security company car that was only used in small area patrols. Yeah! It was only left idling for 9 years...  -- Striving for Parfection. |
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  frankenfeet Premium join:2001-10-14 Smiths Grove, KY
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| reply to removed removed I hope you didn't take that photo while 100mph.
As far as the mileage of the OP's car, it could be something like a security company car that was only used in small area patrols. -- ℜ λ η κ ε ℵ ∃ |
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  removed Crisis Management Squad Premium,VIP join:2002-02-08 Houston, TX clubs:
| reply to Hall said by Hall :Regarding the speedo and the "CERTIFIED" label, what is that for ? I've seen cop cars that have "CALIBRATED", meaning they can 'tail' another car and use their speedo to write a speeding ticket. Is that the same ? Same thing. The Crown Vics just have two words for some reason:

-- irc.removed.us - #dslr | DSLR Phishtracker | Email: removed@dslr.net |
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  M A R K Premium join:2001-06-15 Long Island clubs:
| reply to MJimLay Is it hard to find cars down there? here on Long Island you can get amazing deals. I'm and old school Volvo guy so when i found a 1985 Volvo 240, 5 speed with only 115,000 miles on it i know it got the deal of the year. Only $450, this car will go at least another 150K more miles. I know for a fact i could get $3K for this car on eBay too.
Good luck with your new ride, i have included a picture of the Volvo i bought last week. -- See you in Villains |
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  pcdebb RIP dadkins Premium join:2000-12-03 Tampa, FL clubs:  | reply to MJimLay not bad, looks almost just like my brothers lumina, yours is a few years newer. he's been all over florida in his. -- | map your city | |
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  MJimLay aka FlexBaud Premium join:2004-10-06 Beach Haven clubs:
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| reply to 3SGTE said by 3SGTE :One thing seems a little suspicious. A police car that only has 84 k miles after 10 years? Can that possibly be correct? Did you run Carfax? Also, are those vinyl seats? The miles are correct. Back in 2005 the car only had 43,000 miles on it. I'm not sure if they are vinyl or leather. I can never tell the difference. It could be vinyl as it does seem a little different than leather. It reminds me of old school bus seats. |
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  3SGTE ST215W Premium,MVM join:2000-11-23 there clubs: | reply to MJimLay One thing seems a little suspicious. A police car that only has 84 k miles after 10 years? Can that possibly be correct?
Did you run Carfax?
Also, are those vinyl seats? -- Striving for Parfection. |
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  MJimLay aka FlexBaud Premium join:2004-10-06 Beach Haven clubs:
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| reply to Hall said by Hall :Not bad .... now, since you were planning on having a car payment, you really should set aside some amount every month (even a fraction of the $250+ you were planning to spend) for repairs, should they arise. Regarding the speedo and the "CERTIFIED" label, what is that for ? I've seen cop cars that have "CALIBRATED", meaning they can 'tail' another car and use their speedo to write a speeding ticket. Is that the same ? Yes, it's the same thing. I was told this used to be a poice car/security car which is why the seats have been recovered and it is certified and has the bigger engine.
I'm planning on saving as much as possible (hopefully $1000 a month) to make repairs on this car and to buy a 2nd car (truck or SUV) to have as a backup. I was just going to keep this car for 4-6 months as a "beater" but the more I drive it around and everything the more I just want to fix it up and keep it due to the low miles and everything. It gets pretty decent gas milage as well. |
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  Hall Premium,MVM join:2000-04-28 Dayton, OH
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| reply to MJimLay Not bad .... now, since you were planning on having a car payment, you really should set aside some amount every month (even a fraction of the $250+ you were planning to spend) for repairs, should they arise.
Regarding the speedo and the "CERTIFIED" label, what is that for ? I've seen cop cars that have "CALIBRATED", meaning they can 'tail' another car and use their speedo to write a speeding ticket. Is that the same ? |
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  MJimLay aka FlexBaud Premium join:2004-10-06 Beach Haven clubs:
·Cox HSI
2 edits | reply to pcdebb I am now the proud owner of a:
1998 Chevy Lumina (Police Package) 84,500 Miles
It has the 3.8 L engine with dual exhaust. It has a few minor issues that need attention, but overall it's in pretty decent shape considering it's age and how much I paid for it It has plenty of power, idles very quite, and transmission shifts smoothly. I am currently using it as my daily driver 
I only gave $900 for the car which I think is a steal for the miles and condition. Some of the buy here pay here places had worse cars than this one... one of the ones I looked at even had a salvage title. That car would have been $1200 down, $300 a month, and $200 a month for insurance. OUCH!
This car.... $35 a month for insurance and it's paid off. |
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  pcdebb RIP dadkins Premium join:2000-12-03 Tampa, FL clubs: 
| reply to MJimLay that lumina could have had a sticky thermostat. my brother has a lumina, a 96 i believe, over 200k miles, best car he's had, and he loves to buy cars lol. the Altima could be a good buy. put the money into the shocks/struts, give it a tuneup, that one may make you happy. wish i could find one like that. what do the miles look like on that? -- | map your city | |
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  MrMoody But the Grinch ... did Not.
join:2002-09-03 Smithfield, NC
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| reply to MJimLay said by MJimLay :found a 1997 Nissan Altima with worn shocks/struts for $900. If it runs and looks good, fix them and then you've got a solid car for ~$1500, not a bad deal. -- The law of supply and demand: The fewer people controlling the supply, the more they can demand |
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  sailor Merry Whatever ..R.I.P. dadkins Premium join:2003-10-21 Long Island
| reply to MJimLay said by MJimLay :I also looked at a 1985 suburban today which had a disel engine for $1000, but it was complete trash inside and the dude never signed the title over to himself so it just seemed a little odd. Plus that would be a really bad gas hog. He is what they call free-lance individual wholesalers. Licensed dealers, especially the buy here - pay here lots in FL will buy at auctions and also will buy trades from connections they have with new car dealers.
Individual wholesalers are usually not licensed as car dealers. Many are one person operation doing it part-time. They will see a car for sale that they feel they can flip for a profit and then they will buy that car and they tell the seller of the vehicle to leave the 'title open' which means the seller will sign off on the title as the seller but the person buying the car will not enter his or her info as buyer on it...'Leave it open'...They ask that due to they have no intentions of keeping the car and don't want to pay for tags, registering the vehicle, insurance etc.......
If you purchased this Suburban from him he would give you the title and it would already have been signed by the person he got the car from...You then would just have to fill in the buyer section ( you )......And when this is all presented to the FL DMV, the guy you bought the Suburban from doesn't exist....
I would strongly suggest to protect yourself to make sure the person you are buying a used vehicle from is listed as the owner on the title and to make sure there are no current liens on the vehicle. |
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  MJimLay aka FlexBaud Premium join:2004-10-06 Beach Haven clubs:
·Cox HSI
| reply to dirtyjeffer said by dirtyjeffer :blechh...those cars look horrible...and $3700 for an almost 20 year old caddie with that atrocious red interior??...that car should be $500 at most...there are tons of places around here where you can get "beaters" for under $1000...it looks like the places down there use those beaters as "bait" for people with bad credit and try and unload them for $950 down and $300/month for 2 years...that should be a crime. I agree. It's hard to find anything here that is somewhat decent under $1000. However, I have found a few possibles. I have found a 1981 Ford F150 with new transmission, engine, and tires for $850. I found a 1992 Van (with some rear end body damage but drives fine) for $900, and found a 1997 Nissan Altima with worn shocks/struts for $900.
I still have a full week of looking so I am just going to take my time and get the best I can. I do not want to deal with these buy here pay here places and the way I look at it, if I can pay cash for a "beater" just to get me back for 4-6 months, I can save my money and I'd have $4000+ for a better/2nd car. I think that is the wise thing to do instead of going to a buy here pay here place.
I drove a 1997 Chevy Lumina today which had 114,000 miles and was in decent shape for $1200... I liked it a lot, but on the test drive the tempature went all the way up for a minute or two, then went back down to normal levels. I figure it's just a bad thermostat, but not worth the risk in case it was about to blow a head gasket or crack a block. It's shame because it was such a nice car other that.
I also looked at a 1985 suburban today which had a disel engine for $1000, but it was complete trash inside and the dude never signed the title over to himself so it just seemed a little odd. Plus that would be a really bad gas hog.
I'm sure I'll find something... I'm not about to deal with these buy here pay here places unless it's completely last resort. |
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