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$12K, what car

ms244

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Also, not to sound like a jerk or anything, but be extra careful if the seller is Russian. Not to kind of take down a nation of people, but in my area they are notorious for rebuilding totaled cars, although anyone of any background can do the same. Some can be rather severely wrecked autos that should not be road worthy even with a fair amount of repair. If they are extra shady they will not even get it inspected or tell you that it was a minor wreck but was fixed. I helped a friend find a car this summer and 90% of cars in her price range were "in a minor wreck, but fixed." Most of these cars looked great on the outside but on closer inspection you could find bondo spots under the paint, twisted or missalligned seams on the unibody (some even patched up with Caulking to keep water from getting in the car) or other hidden damage.
In the Russian action flick Brat 2 (Brother 2) the protagonist has to go to Chicago to avenge his friends death. Knowing that his enemies will be looking for him there at the airport, he is advised to go to NY, buy a car at Brighton Beach (Brooklyn part where all the Russians live) and drive to Chicago.

So he gets to NY, goes to Brighton Beach and meets with an old guy who tells him "we are Russians, we won't screw each other over" and proceeds to sell him a 1975ish Cadillac boa...er coupe.

Next you see the protagonist drive through America, lots of open space, scenery, etc. Then you see a sigh, Welcome to PA, and the car is dead on the side of the road.

But yea, don't buy a car from them. I've seen some very questionable practices from them. One of my good, Russian, friends showed explained to me once his theory of how to change the millage on a Chrysler minivan, without "rolling" back anything. He figured it out by looking in the electrical schematics in the repair manual.

I would recommend the following inspection procedure:

Carfax, see the title history, this will not reveal everything but if a car was wrecked it usually shows up. Avoid flooded cars.

Visually inspect the car, listen for any creeks, rattles etc. Everything should be tight. Also, note the condition of the interior, if its a one owner car with a beat interior, I would pass.

Check for maintenance history- if the car was serviced at the dealer, then the owner should be able to get a print out of all work done on this car. BMW dealers used to give the records out on request, but they quit doing that a few years ago but if you call and be nice to the service manager they will look up their records and tell it to you on the phone. For BMW, you need to call the dealer where the work was done, I think Lexus is nationwide database. Not sure about any other brands.

Check to see what maintenance is required. For example, at 80K you might need a timing belt replacement, this could run upwards of a grand if you have someone else do it. Lots of slightly older higher end cars get dumped a 2-3K miles before a major expensive service. If thats the case, use it to bargain on the price.

Take your finger, and wipe the grit from the inside of the tailpipe after a test drive and the PIPE HAS COOLED DOWN. You should see dry soot, if there is some oily deposit, then the inside of your engine MIGHT have some issues. Usually the oil doesn't come out till after maybe 150K or so.

If you are committed to buy call a dealer or a good indy mechanic and have them go over the car, shouldn't run more then $100.

I would recommend looking at a previous generation 5 series. I have a 528i and they are now in your price range.
 

jakejake

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What do you guys think of the older Lexus SC300? My g/f likes those. I'm probably going to look for one with under 80K miles. Anyone in here own this car? What should I look for when I inspect this car?
 

Connemara

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Originally Posted by jakejake
What do you guys think of the older Lexus SC300? My g/f likes those. I'm probably going to look for one with under 80K miles. Anyone in here own this car? What should I look for when I inspect this car?

Maintenance on a Lexus isn't all that cheap. Unless you have a steady job (I assume you're in your early 20's or something), I'd go for an easily-repaired car like a Civic or Accord.
 

ms244

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If you can work on a car (space and skill wise) the maintenance costs go way down.

Example, change pads and rotors on a BMW, is over a grand at the dealer. If you do it yourself, its $250 in parts and maybe two hours of work. You need a jack, stands, and a couple of metric sockets and a wrench.
 

jakejake

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Originally Posted by Connemara
Maintenance on a Lexus isn't all that cheap. Unless you have a steady job (I assume you're in your early 20's or something), I'd go for an easily-repaired car like a Civic or Accord.

I heard that the Lexus SC line share the same engine as the Camry (not sure if that's even true). So how does it cost extra to maintain this car vs. a Camry? I'm trying to understand..
 

ms244

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Lexus SC actually shares a base with the last generation supra.

If you are taking a car to a regular dealership, figure $70/hr for labor and a slight markup on parts. If you take it to a luxury car dealer, figure $100-120/hr for labor and a larger markup on parts. Also, the cars are generally more complicated and may require some more work.

However, some of the work you might see is not needed. Example, (since I know a little about bimmers). Service intervals go oil change, inspection I, inspection II, oil change... etc.

Oil change is maybe $120, Inspection I is $300, Inspection II is $600 and up, depending on the dealer. In reality, the two inspections are a glorified oil change. Inspection II covers an airfiler for the AC, plugs, and maybe a rear diff change. Hardly $600 worth of work. I would greatetly recommend learning how to do things like this yourself. This way you can drive a nice car without having to spend an awful lot of money. A service manual should run less then $100, and would help you out with a lot of stuff.

I don't have any direct experience with an Accord, but I did use to own a 1st gen (1996) Acura TL 2.5. I would not say this car was easier (or significantly cheaper) to maintain then a BMW (I suppose with the exception of a 750).
 

ratboycom

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the ES Lexus shares the platform with the Camry. The SC is like a non turbo coupe (not fast back) version of the Supra, altough it was offered as a 6spd twin turbo for nearly every version of the Soarer in Japan. The SC being RWD is easier to service at home. The ES is a ***** and a half to do spark plugs on (thank god they are 60-100k plugs). General maintainence is pretty easy and its a good thing to know. That way when something big does come up you know how bad you are getting raped at teh dealer
 

dkzzzz

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Originally Posted by jakejake
What do you guys think of the older Lexus SC300? My g/f likes those. I'm probably going to look for one with under 80K miles. Anyone in here own this car? What should I look for when I inspect this car?

To buy 10 years old, used sports car with 2-3 previous owners is the worst idea financially.
But if your GF likes it and wants to sink another 5-6K into bringing that used Lexus up to speed then go for it.
Any mechanic or dealer would see you pull up in that Lexus SC and smile, anticipating a good chunk of change coming to his pocket.

Good advise about Russians from Ratboy. I would like to add don't buy used cars from people with weird accents or if the have a mole on their face (it's true, cross my heart). Also avoid crossed-eyed Indians and Pakistani, but don't be afraid to by from Sri-Lankans.
 

skalogre

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Originally Posted by dkzzzz
To buy 10 years old, used sports car with 2-3 previous owners is the worst idea financially.
But if your GF likes it and wants to sink another 5-6K into bringing that used Lexus up to speed then go for it.
Any mechanic or dealer would see you pull up in that Lexus SC and smile, anticipating a good chunk of change coming to his pocket.

Good advise about Russians from Ratboy. I would like to add don't buy used cars from people with weird accents or if the have a mole on their face (it's true, cross my heart). Also avoid crossed-eyed Indians and Pakistani, but don't be afraid to by from Sri-Lankans.


Naah. Greeks are the worst; frappe drinking football obsessed bastards - especially Cypriots.

Anyway, nice generalisations here people
sarcasm.gif
.


Now back to the car issue; if you do get a Lexus be aware of course that they are lower volume vehicles so they will be more expensive as far as maintenance and parts are concerned than a Toyota. Personally I would avoid them. I mean I am sure they are more reliable than a BMW or a (modern) Benz but still...
 

kakemono

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If I had 12k to spend on a car, it would be a used Subaru Imperza WRX. For 12k, you can grab one with around 60k miles on it.

Its the car I wanted, but I got in a pinch when my last car unexpectingly died and the repair would be more than it was worth, so I bought a Prelude and I love it.



That said, like someone else said... buying used sportscars is a risky business.

Invest $25 in a carfax account and run all the VIN numbers through it. It saved me from buying a flood car.
 

Cavalier

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I just picked up a second car to put highway miles on, '99 Civic SI w/ 40k miles, black, no spoiler, stock and mint for $9000. I know she's not interested in Civics, but I'd really give them a look. They aren't going to make a statement about how grandoise your lifestyle is, but bottom line they are the most practical cars out there.

This car is quick off the line, a little slower then my 330Xi and handles great for what it is... gets good gas mileage, but the best part is the reliability. I don't have to worry about repairs and I don't have to worry about depreciation. I can put 60-70k miles on it, and still sell it for $5000+ in two years. All I plan on doing as far as maintenance goes is a timing belt some where down the line for a couple hundred bucks.

I'd try to find an SI if I were looking at Civics though, but would consider an EX too.

DO NOT even consider a used Bimmer unless you have the money to pay for maintenance. Things won't "break" (a transmission can cost $8000 alone), but things WILL need to be replaced. Since mine has come out of warranty, I have put another $5,000 in to it, and it's a 2004 with 85k miles.
 

matadorpoeta

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your girlfriend should choose her car based on looks. if it is japanese and worth $12k it will be reliable.
 

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