used car info

I'm in the market for a used car, looking for a sedan or coupe around 8 years old. I don't care about style or performance, just reliability.

I know Consumer Reports has listings of used car evaluations, are there any other sources? Mostly I want to avoid a lemon... the usual buyer's lament...

Reply to
RichD
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Buy the car that has been best maintained.

The Consumer Reports evaluations aren't really all that well-done, but to be honest today most cars are pretty well-built and most cars are pretty badly maintained. So the quality of the maintenance that the first owner did has more to do with your experience as a second owner.

Ask local mechanics if they know of anything that they _know_ has been properly maintained and that someone is looking to sell.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

The magic car was nthe 1977 Toyota Corrolla ( or other similar cars). It showed that cars could be trusted to start every day and get you to where you were going. It changed the US car market. ( drobe mine for 240k miles with few problems.

Now, every car is just as good. Yes, upkeep is the key.

Right now, I'm in the marketb for a lat 1970s Civic - I need the space such a small car allows.

Reply to
Support our troops, O5 and below. SeaWoe

RichD wrote in news:67822380-cac4-42e6-b0df- snipped-for-privacy@j8g2000yql.googlegroups.com:

After eight years, the CR reports are mostly meaningless. At that point previous owners' treatment is much more relevant. That's what makes used cars such a dangerous minefield.

You want to buy a car that's suffered eight years of previous owners? Better be pretty savvy with cars to begin with. You can, without even trying, find 3-year-old wrecks and ten-year-old cream-puffs.

As a very rough partial guideline, avoid any '99-'02 V6 Honda with an automatic transmission, or any Toyota with the 1MZ-FE V6 engine.

More good tips from an experienced used-car buyer: Buy private (only if VERY savvy!) or from a new-car dealer. Stay very far away from used car lots.

Reply to
Tegger

But you can't judge a book by its cover...

That's the type of I need.

I'm going to get any candidate inspected by a professional mechanic.

What is the checklist of items to expect?

Reply to
RichD

RichD wrote in news:2ce6a783-67c1-4003-bdb0- snipped-for-privacy@j39g2000yqn.googlegroups.com:

That was /exactly/ my point.

Pretty much all I can offer, sorry. But I can also say: that any car with rear disc brakes will be troublesome to deal with, that mid-'70s Chryslers can suffer ballast resistor failure, that late-'50s Dodges rust like crazy, that 1995 Ford Escort wagons do not hold up well when rear-ended by dump trucks, that GM 3800 V6's have big trouble with intake manifold gasket failure, and that it's best not to use leaded gas in mid-'70s rotary-engined Mazdas. Also that Toyota T-50 trannies tend to lose the rear bearing at 100,000 miles. Outside of those uselessly random observations, you'll need to wait for others to chime in, or get educated yourself.

If you're savvy, you'll know what to look for. If you're not, well... get educated. How do you get educated? Reading books helps. So does hanging out here for a year or so, just lurking. These days the second might even be even more educational than the first. Stick around, kid.

Reply to
Tegger

my 2 cents - narrow down the field a bit first. Are you looking at Dodge trucks or Dodge Neons? Civic or Ridgeline? Once you've got it narrowed down to a couple of model years and nameplates, you can do some homework on them.

I'd suggest a Camaro, but if you wanted one, you'd have bought one. :) (I own three GM F-Bodies (Camaro/Firebird))

Ray

Reply to
ray

If I wanted something that was inexpensive, and probably reliable, I might look into an Oldsmobile AFTER the nasty Generation II 3800 engine. Those engines caused problems. (I think they were phased out in 2003)

Since Olds is defunct as a brand name, you might find a nice late model one at a very cheap price. You should able to get parts fairly easily.

This is a detour from my normal position on GM products. It is a niche situation, certainly.

Reply to
HLS

If you're looking at a GM with the 3100/3400, stay away from the cars without a surge tank in the cooling system.

Reply to
Steve Austin

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