The clock is ticking on a car deal...

[nodressrehersal]

Surly youth has been driving the old Mazda Tribute since I got my new car a few months back. Unfortunately, the Tribute needs a $1,600 repair in order to pass inspection at the end of this month, and it's not worth repairing. It's got more than a few issues and at 134,000 miles, well - the old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be

Comments

[joebanks]

Used car prices are ridiculous. You get to the point that you wonder if you should by a new one. Consumer reports has ratings for cars; find the April edition at the library; but then again you see all the problems and you wonder why we don't have better public transportation.

[nodressrehersal]

I have an online subscription to Consumer Reports - we've done a ton of research. We went to look at this car - everything about the situation was hinky. The car seemed really good, but things didn't add up. The guy told us he was the second owner. He wouldn't negotiate any on the price, and he would only accept cash, not even a bank check. We left to go to the bank and then I ran a carfax on the VIN # and it said it's a one owner car. I called him and told him the carfax says one owner, but his ad and he himself said he was the second owner. He said, "That's good, good for you - one owner is better, yes?" No, no it's not better if the records don't agree with your story. He met us on the street in front of a big apartment building and never showed us the title...I texted him and said we changed our mind. He never answered me.

[kabuldur]

That Nissan would have been a good deal. Oh, well.

The Subaru - after what you have said below, no way!

[patrick_vecchio]

Buy him a pickup truck, I say.

[nodressrehersal]

He's not a truck kinda guy, but we did buy a car yesterday. He's a smart cookie. He set parameters within which he was willing to buy - price, year, mileage - and wouldn't waiver. We found a really nice Ford Focus yesterday, wine red, 2007 with 72,000 miles. No rust anywhere. It should provide him a few years of safe driving and affordable payments - he only financed $5,000 and will probably pay it off early. It's a lot like the mazda protege he was driving before I traded it in for the Subaru I got, but in much, much better shape.

[patrick_vecchio]

You never know how badly you need a pickup truck until you buy one.