(no subject)

[danaeris]

It's only 8 p.m. I've done none of the work I was supposed to do; instead, I've gotten myself a KBB private party sale pricelist for all the honda hatchbacks 90-97. In Fair condition, they range from 1980 - 4205 and in excellent condition they range from 2710 - 5250.

I basically have decided I want a honda hatchback automatic, with air conditioning, with a preference for good condition cars. The older it gets the better condition it has to be in.

I'm going to be buying private party or police auction, simply because after a short visit to a used car dealership, I discovered that most of them don't come with warranty! They look shiny, like new, but who knows if they are really fully refurbished? They're basically As Is. In that situation, buying from a dealer at their inflated prices seems like a losing proposition.

I've also thought about whether or not I want a car, and the more I think about it the more I think I do. Owning a car will give me the independence and social freedom I would prefer to have. Too many of my friends and dear ones live outside of the city. Sure, Unseelie has a car, but he's getting rid of it and besides, relying on him for a car is not really functional.

Comments

[rightsock.livejournal.com]

85ish still used a lot of carburetors. fragile little critters that work well until they break, and then are expensive to fix, and sometimes don't fix well. Can't always get refurb, so they have to be rebuilt. Hard to find a place that can do a good rebuild. I know someone down in SJ that was an old factory tech that will happily rebuild one. He rebuilt mine back when I had it.

85-87ish they started fuel injection, and it took awhile before they got it right.

So 1990 and newer seems like the right place to start.

sorry I don't have much more specifics about it.

[auros]

Huh. My used Saturn came with 3-year warranty. (And my new one has a 5-year.)

[emmett-the-sane.livejournal.com]

Well the advantage of buying a used car from a dealer is that they've completely cleaned it for you. And the disadvantage of buying a used car from a dealer is that they've completely cleaned it for you. You can't easily tell if there are oil leaks or what have you.

That said, if you DID choose to go to a dealer, here's some advice to get the best price: Take a friend along (probably a butch male friend is best, for sexist, but very practical, reasons), and talk about what you're going to do beforehand. When you find the car you want, tell your friend w/o the salesperson knowing. Then say something like, "Well it's kind of okay, and it's better than any of your other cars, but really the blah blah is kind of cruddy." Your friend should now try to talk you into getting it. Go back and forth, you insulting things like the paint and what have you, arguing not with the salesperson but with your friend about it.

Play the next part by ear. When I myself did this, I walked off the lot, and my friend negotiated with the salesperson while I walked down the block. I heard a shout of my name, and turned around to see the friend waving. When I got back to the lot, they were offering the car to me at about 40% off their advertised price (it was originally something in the $4500-5000 range, and dropped to around $2800 I believe).

Good luck, whatever you decide to do!