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slyphoxj
join:2002-06-23
united state

slyphoxj

Member

Decent, lowish mileage used vehicle for $5000 or less?

My niece's 1997 Honda Accord Special Edition with 176k was totalled a couple or so weeks back, so we're looking for a replacement.

Last Sunday and Monday, we looked at a 2006 Chevy Cobalt LS with 85k miles listed for $5700 in the Sunday Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Carfax checked out OK (except for some minor rear end damage back in 2006). Body looked almost perfect, interior was in good shape, drove fine except for some noises from the front end. We took it in for a body and mechanical inspection. The guy who looked at it said it needed lower control arms and was concerned about some rust beginning to develop. He suggested offering $4500-$4700. My niece offered $4500. The seller refused, so we're still looking. I didn't push her to go forward with it... I just feel a bit uneasy about the Cobalt and feel more comfortable with sticking to Hondas and Toyotas, especially if we have to go with something 10+ years old.

We also looked at an '07 2 door Cobalt LS with 75k miles listed for $5500 at a local Buick dealer. But the interior was dirty, the hood was scratched up and it needed tires and an O2 sensor (we looked at it in the dealer service bay just before the dealer had a chance to do their reconditioning and replace the tires and O2 sensor). We decided to pass on this Cobalt.

I also sent her a link to an ad for an '06 Ford Focus ZX4 with about 93,000 miles for $4500 that looked nice, but she's going to pass on it and suggested some Civics (don't blame her). One was an '02 Civic 2 door with 67k miles for $5000 but the seller won't give us the VIN to run the Carfax. The other '02 Civic has 127k miles and is only $3600 but needs brakes soon. And she also mentioned on 07 Civic with 96k miles for $6500, but I don't have a good feeling about that one.

We've been scouring Craigslist (private party mostly), cars.com and autotrader.com. Initially, my niece didn't want anything with over 90k miles, but I don't think that'll be possible with a $5000 budget in the Cleveland area? We'd like to stay '02 or newer if possible. We just may have to wind up settling for something with 150k+ miles . (Me personally, I have an 05 Accord LX with 148k miles that's been trouble free (except for a $351 coolant temp sensor about 5 years ago and two recalls) and plan on hanging on to it for a few more years, but I got it new and have maintained it well.... and it cost me about 20 grand).

It just seems like a decent sub-100k mile well-maintained ride with no real issues for $5000 just doesn't exist anymore? My sister managed to snag a nice 2000 Corolla with 89k for $2500 from an estate sale... wish my niece and I could have that kind of luck.

Doctor Olds
I Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.
Premium Member
join:2001-04-19
1970 442 W30

Doctor Olds

Premium Member

Go with another Honda. Get the Consumer Reports Used Car Buying Guide to see what Years and Models to skip that had higher than normal repair issues.

Consumer Reports: Used Car Buying Guide Best & Worst Used Cars
»www.amazon.com/Consumer- ··· 33524162
quote:
this book will provide everything needed including:

Unbiased reviews of every major model from 2000 – 2007
Exclusive Reliability Ratings based on over 1 million vehicles
Lists of the best and worst used vehicles and how to avoid a lemon
A checklist of what to look for when inspecting a used car
Best used cars for gas mileage
Tips on negotiating the best price
Recalls and crash test information
Making sense of safety information
How to get the most money when trading in your current car
PLUS profiles of more than 260 cars, trucks, and SUVs, presenting all major 2000-2007 models

Beezel
join:2008-12-15
Las Vegas, NV

Beezel to slyphoxj

Member

to slyphoxj
Also use the Kelly Blue Book for finding out what the cars are worth before overpaying. »www.kbb.com

CylonRed
MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County
·Metronet

CylonRed to slyphoxj

MVM

to slyphoxj
quote:
It just seems like a decent sub-100k mile well-maintained ride with no real issues for $5000 just doesn't exist anymore? My sister managed to snag a nice 2000 Corolla with 89k for $2500 from an estate sale... wish my niece and I could have that kind of luck.
You have to get real lucky to get what your sister got - it takes time to find them and be able to get them OR you have to be plugged into the Estate Sales (know someone to get leads)...

More folks are buying used than years before inflating the prices as well as disasters that can limit the supply.

I have never been that lucky unfortunately.

slyphoxj
join:2002-06-23
united state

1 edit

slyphoxj

Member

I've been reading stuff online that used car prices have really shot up lately (last 2 years or so?) thanks to Cash For Clunkers, people holding on to their cars for a decade or more and more and more folks just going for 3-4 year old used cars instead of buying new.

Seems that's the case, especially with the 8-10 year old Civics I've been seeing... just seems like they're overpriced for the mileage they have.

Used car shopping can be a real PITA... have to constantly keep going back to Edmund's site to look up MPG, trouble spots, safety, pricing, then another tab on the KBB site to look up the book value to make sure that what I'm looking at isn't overpriced, then another tab on the NADA site to compare to Edmund's and KBB values (NADA doesn't give private party price).

My niece and I have been scouring Craigslist and other sites for about 2-3 weeks now... we're getting frustrated.
slyphoxj

slyphoxj

Member

It seems as though, for a given vehicle, that Edmund's TMV is way lower than the Kelly Blue Book value? For example, for a 2006 Chevy Cobalt LS 4 door with an automatic, 85,000 miles, clean condition, the KBB is $5991, but the Edmund's TMV is $4711. When haggling on a price, should I go with the Edmund's TMV or the KBB price?

EDIT: Fixed KBB price, I entered the wrong info.

Cho Baka
MVM
join:2000-11-23
there

Cho Baka

MVM

The actual condition of the vehicle is the most important variable in my opinion - arbitrary values in a book - less so.

CylonRed
MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County
·Metronet

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Honda's and Toyota's have a very good reputation and hence are generally in more demand which means higher priced. As soon as I post this I know the 'any car but Honda/Toyota' naysayers will post but overall - I have found them to be far better than the average car and in general - light years better than the vast majority of 'domestic' cars.

All manufacturers have years that are not as good as others but overall - I think Honda's are better overall. Just like I did not really worry about buying a BMW with 149K+ miles on it - I really don't worry about a Honda with 100K miles on it. I figure it is good for another 100K miles easy with basic maintenance (especially with a manual).

Car shopping sucks in general - I hate it as much as shopping for cloths with my wife....

I spent months looking for the BMW I got. If you are really interested in a car - get an inspection from a trusted garage and they should be able to give you a very good idea on price.

brhalltx
Premium Member
join:2002-12-09
Cypress, TX

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said by slyphoxj:

I've been reading stuff online that used car prices have really shot up lately (last 2 years or so?) thanks to Cash For Clunkers, people holding on to their cars for a decade or more and more and more folks just going for 3-4 year old used cars instead of buying new.

There's also a lot more competition at car auctions, with a lot of cars getting shipped out of the country.

slyphoxj
join:2002-06-23
united state

slyphoxj

Member

said by brhalltx:

said by slyphoxj:

I've been reading stuff online that used car prices have really shot up lately (last 2 years or so?) thanks to Cash For Clunkers, people holding on to their cars for a decade or more and more and more folks just going for 3-4 year old used cars instead of buying new.

There's also a lot more competition at car auctions, with a lot of cars getting shipped out of the country.

My '97 Corolla that I traded in for my '05 Accord that I'm driving now was shipped off to Puerto Rico (I pulled a Carfax on it afterwards), but that was almost 8 years ago.
slyphoxj

slyphoxj

Member

What do y'all think of the 2001-2006 Ford Escapes? My niece and I are starting to look at those. We looked at one today at an auto detailing place that resells cars. The one we looked at was a 2003 for $4995 with the V6 and 4x4, around 120k miles. Tires were almost bald, Check Engine light was on with 3 codes (P1131, P1151, P0303) and we heard some unusual noises from underneath... we passed on that one.

We then went down to a Kia dealership where I saw a 2004 Madza6 i with 122k-ish miles for about $5700, but the also had a black Escape (2002?) for $4995 that was nonexistent when we got there . The Mazda6 is really over budget anyways, so we left.

My big concern with the early 2000's Escapes is that big recall about the throttle cable / stuck accelerator that caused a fatal accident.

The Scion xB looks good, but might be out of budget.
slyphoxj

slyphoxj

Member

I found an interesting site:

CarComplaints.com

Looks like the 2004 Escape isn't too bad.

But this site doesn't seem to take into account the number of units sold of a particular year/make/model. It shows a lot of complaints for the Accord, but there were tons and tons of Accords sold.

Grumpy4
Premium Member
join:2001-07-28
NW CT

Grumpy4 to slyphoxj

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to slyphoxj
If the ego can stand them - Buicks are often a great value.

Faster56
Premium Member
join:2013-03-09

Faster56 to slyphoxj

Premium Member

to slyphoxj
said by slyphoxj:

Last Sunday and Monday, we looked at a 2006 Chevy Cobalt LS with 85k miles listed for $5700 in the Sunday Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Carfax checked out OK (except for some minor rear end damage back in 2006). Body looked almost perfect, interior was in good shape, drove fine except for some noises from the front end. We took it in for a body and mechanical inspection. The guy who looked at it said it needed lower control arms and was concerned about some rust beginning to develop. He suggested offering $4500-$4700. My niece offered $4500. The seller refused, so we're still looking.

It's just speculation by me but personally I would look at the discovered problems with the car as simply the tip of the iceberg and the beginning stage of an avalanche so to speak, especially given the weather in the Midwest.

One nice things about California and why it's residents has a love affair with the car is because of the year around weather in most of the state and good roads if you take care of a car it lasts a long time. If you buy a new good car and take care of it the thing runs well all most forever.

Good luck in your search.
itguy05
join:2005-06-17
Carlisle, PA

itguy05 to slyphoxj

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said by slyphoxj:

What do y'all think of the 2001-2006 Ford Escapes? My niece and I are starting to look at those.

My big concern with the early 2000's Escapes is that big recall about the throttle cable / stuck accelerator that caused a fatal accident.

Wife's got an 03 Escape, V6 4x4 and at 128k it's been reliable. Only major issue is it has the famous 3.0 Timing Chain leak that I'll have to fix some day.

Hers was also part of the recall. Had it done over the winter. Never an issue and you can always have a Ford dealer pull an OASIS report (with the VIN) and see if it's been done.

slyphoxj
join:2002-06-23
united state

slyphoxj

Member

Well, the car hunt has ended (actually ended a week ago). My niece got a 2005 Ford Escape XLT (Sport?) with about 97k miles... and her first issue yesterday . One of the brake lines blew.

I've read online that the Escapes all the way up to 2010 are plagued with rear windows that like to randomly explode (2005 and 2010 especially) and ECM (Engine Control Module) failures (2005). I just hope that these gremlins don't bite... my niece has been through enough already . Anything that can be done to lessen the likelihood of these happening to my niece's Escape?

And, oh man, the recalls on the 2013's thus far .

Oh_No
Trogglus normalus
join:2011-05-21
Chicago, IL

2 edits

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Go with a corolla.
Nothing wrong with getting one with over 100K miles or even around 120K. They last forever.
Now because toyotas and hondas last so long people dont get rid of them so the used prices are higher.
You can get focus's and cobalt's cheaper, but they wont last as long.
Sometimes you just gotta buy what you can afford and upgrade later. That is what the sellers of the focus's and cobalts did.

I have a 2004 now with 160K miles on it. I got it with 65K miles in 2006. I drive it pedal to the floor constantly causing high revs for basically 6 years straight. Never had 1 problem with it.
At 110K I changed the spark plugs and the old ones were fully intact and had no damage or oil. They were still in spec.
I also bought this car on ebay for $8,500 in 2006, but the price was low as no one was bidding as it was right after katrina and everyone was paranoid about flood cars being on ebay.
I flew to the car in person and did not give the sellers money until I had it inspected at the toyota dealer.

They are rock solid.
I would not worry about the changing the brakes as you will most likely need to do that with any used car. It would be less than $150 if you do it yourself, but could be several hundred if you pay a shop to do it.

Just whatever you want to buy, pay a mechanic to look at it first. Never buy a car blind, no matter how great the deal is, unless you are willing to risk loosing your money.
Anyone that refuses to let you test drive it to a mechanic or to give you vin is hiding something.
Oh_No

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Cars.com search
»www.cars.com/go/search/d ··· stType=1
2002 Toyota Corolla
$5,000
113,061 mi.
Silver, 4 door , FWD, Sedan, Automatic, 1.8L I4 16V MPFI DOHC, Stock# M30967A.
Dealer: Liberty Ford (Maple Heights, OH ~ 14 mi. away)
888-237-3702

Talk them down to 4K to 4.5K.
KBB value
Excellent
$4,513
Very Good
$4,213
Verify Condition
Good
$4,113
Fair
$3,463
Oh_No

Oh_No to slyphoxj

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said by slyphoxj:

Well, the car hunt has ended (actually ended a week ago). My niece got a 2005 Ford Escape XLT (Sport?) with about 97k miles... and her first issue yesterday . One of the brake lines blew.

I've read online that the Escapes all the way up to 2010 are plagued with rear windows that like to randomly explode (2005 and 2010 especially) and ECM (Engine Control Module) failures (2005). I just hope that these gremlins don't bite... my niece has been through enough already . Anything that can be done to lessen the likelihood of these happening to my niece's Escape?

And, oh man, the recalls on the 2013's thus far .

I see you bought something.

Anyways what did the mechanic tell you that inspected it before you bought it?

Faster56
Premium Member
join:2013-03-09

Faster56 to slyphoxj

Premium Member

to slyphoxj
If there is a Car Max near you that would IMO far and away considering all factors involved be your best bet and certainly the easiest.

»www.carmax.com/enus/carm ··· /oh.html

pmohr
Premium Member
join:2002-09-22
Maryville, TN

pmohr

Premium Member

said by Faster56:

If there is a Car Max near you that would IMO far and away considering all factors involved be your best bet and certainly the easiest.

»www.carmax.com/enus/carm ··· /oh.html

The cheapest vehicle you're going to find on a Carmax lot is going to be ~$8k (the lowest I've seen), and likely an '03 or '04 model with closer to 120k miles (the outer limits for a Valumax).
itguy05
join:2005-06-17
Carlisle, PA

itguy05 to slyphoxj

Member

to slyphoxj
said by slyphoxj:

Well, the car hunt has ended (actually ended a week ago). My niece got a 2005 Ford Escape XLT (Sport?) with about 97k miles... and her first issue yesterday . One of the brake lines blew.

I've read online that the Escapes all the way up to 2010 are plagued with rear windows that like to randomly explode (2005 and 2010 especially) and ECM (Engine Control Module) failures (2005). I just hope that these gremlins don't bite... my niece has been through enough already . Anything that can be done to lessen the likelihood of these happening to my niece's Escape?

And, oh man, the recalls on the 2013's thus far .

That must ahve been a fluke - the Escape's brake lines are pretty well protected and unless you are in the salt belt should be OK. I'd check the rest just to be safe.

I've found the Internet tends to amplify things way out of proportion. Sure there are common issues (like the 3.0 oil pan and timing gaskets that like to leak) but those are the same with any car. Ask a Toyota owner about sludge (might not be an issue now) or a Honda owner about their automatic transmission (still an issue on V6 models).

Really not sure about the 2013 recalls - from what I remember it was for a bum cooling systme plug and a software reprogram. I've been keeping an eye on them as the wife really likes them and when hers hits 150k we may start looking at new cars. I wouldn't trust any 12-13 year old car with 150k+ on it and at that age things may start going (like transmissions).