Posted on 07/10/2011 10:03:54 AM PDT by CGASMIA68
Never purchased a used car. Looking at an 07 accord exl, 57000 for 12000 private owner at a garage Price looks in line with vehicle. I know about car fax and will pay to have a Honda dealer look at it but before I get that far; How can a novice tell if the engine is the original and what else should I keep an eye out for? Thanks in advance
You are an idiot and I the fool for playing with an idiot.
Note to anyone else reading this: A car that was owned or operated by a smoker is likely, based on many personal observations, to have been used abusively.
That is why I am very shy of buying any car, no matter how good the deal may seem, where it is obvious the driver was a heavy smoker. In my experience it was always a mistake, because the damage smokers do to cars through abuse and negligence is expensive to repair.
Maybe if they were smoking crack, yeah then, but I don't see any correlation otherwise.
Dizzy Lube IS not too quallefied. We ‘uns at Jiffy Lube is ex-spurts! As you ‘uns knows!! Ah wood not take my ol’ jalopie to Dizzy Lube!
Twinkie the Jiffy Lube Girl
Check your local Credit Union and/or banks. Repo’s offer some good deals. Some people turn them in b/c thay can no longer make the payments. Have them checked by mechanic.
We bid/paid $2010 for 2003 Mercury Marquis LS Ultimate, leather interior, V8. By the way, the Kelley Blue Book value of that 2003 Mercury Marquis was: $6,875 - $8,000. The CR told us they took a loss on the car.
Also, look around inside the car, under the hood, and in the trunk for accumulations of dried mud in places you wouldn’t expect it to be that might indicate flood damage. Ideally, you would want to lift the carpet to see what’s underneath, especially if you detect a musty smell anywhere. A musty smell can also indicate leakage around windows or doors, or a plugged drain in the AC system.
I have had several cars that did that. In 1995 they went to OBD. Helps but can be a pain.
1) I did not disagree with the rest of your list. Several good, smart points there. I'd listen to most of your advice as written in your original post.
2) I am obviously a smoker. No "smoking out" required.
3) If I were not a smoker, I would not want to buy a car from a smoker simply because of the smell. It lingers for years. The smell of mildew would overpower the smell of smoke before I could ever get rid of it.
4) I've owned and driven nothing but new cars (first owner) since 1995, and I have never, ever smoked in any of them.
I need to go offline for a while, so I'll check in later....
Well, how much experience do you have buying used cars?
I got fed up with it, and took it to a mechanic. He asked me if it had A/C and I said yes. He didn't want to do it.
PS: No Twinkie, it wasn't Jiffy Lube.
I’m not looking to shaft smokers. I’m just speaking to the observations I’ve made while buying and looking to buy used cars. Smokers drive cars harder than non-smokers, as a general observation, and they don’t keep on top of some maintenance items like oil leaks, they are more willing to live with them.
I'm simply curious as to what you base you claim on. Is it people you know? If so, we can draw the conclusion that everybody who knows bvw is a lousy driver. See? Since people choose friends on similarities, we'll extrapolate and deem you a lousy driver.
If I’m an heavy ex-smoker does that mean I take better care of my truck now?
Good thing I quit drinking beer.
The difference between the car companies quality is very small. Toyotas and Hondas are good cars I agree. They do not cut corners on wear out items like brakes struts belts .etc. I am just saying that the others are just as good and used they are A LOT CHEAPER. If I were to buy new car then yes I would buy Honda or Toyota, I own a Honda myself. Used cars are different, the prices I see for used Hondas and Toyos are stupid IMO. You can get a used Ford,Nissan or Mazda, put new brakes and struts and you are rolling pretty for a lot less.
Or a new Pope.
Jiffy Lube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBNXsDYLIco
Smokers abuse cars. I wonder how many used cars you have looked at, how many you’ve bought or others bought on your direct sayso? In my case a few dozen. And I’ve looked at well over a hundred cars in that process.
Private buyers, auctions, used car lots, etc. The more signs a car (or truck) has of a smoker, the more trouble that car has. The first thing I look at is the ash-tray, and the spots smokers leave their half-finished butts.
I can’t disagree with any of that. Really. I am not an idiot, nor are you a fool.
I saw a logical fallacy, and I jumped on it because, well, I guess I was in the mood. As a smoker, I am getting tired of getting the shaft from smoking Nazis.
The fallacy is “Correlation <> Causation.” I may very well be an outlier, and I confess I’ve been called a lot worse in the decades I’ve darkened the Earth.
Peace.
Okay. I fully support your right to have an opinion.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.