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100,000 mile vehicle ok?



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 8th 04, 07:55 PM
scott and barb
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Default 100,000 mile vehicle ok?

Which one? the kid or the car?
"James C. Reeves" > wrote in message
...
> If well maintained...sure.
>
>



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  #2  
Old December 11th 04, 11:59 PM
Bruce_Nolte_N3LSY&
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wrote:

> I am needing to replace my 89 f-150 with something I can carry family
> in only once in a while. (We are expecting our second child in a few
> weeks). The wife's car is the "primary family vehicle".
>
> I would really like a 4x4 and was thinking a used suv but cost is a
> major issues as well as a reasonably reliable vehicle. I am fairly
> capable of making most repairs though.
> Any advice on a 90's or newer suv with 100,000 plus miles on it?
>

For a vehicle that will not be run very hard, a 100,000 mile vehicle may
be quite appropriate. I have done a lot of driving over the years
(~30K/yr) and 3 out of the 4 vehicles I have purchased in the last 20
years are still going. The one I think is probably gone, an '85 Nissan
Pickup which I brought new had 208,000 miles on it when I sold it 12
years ago and still ran okay. A '91 Honda Civic was sold to a friend 4
years ago. He is still driving it to work every day and it has nearly
300,000 miles on it. I currently own a '93 F-150 with 175,000 miles on
it, and a 2000 Honda Accord with 124,000 miles on it, both of which I
brought new, and both run well, though the truck has some rust problems
underneath.


If you have the choice between a newer high mileage vehicle and one with
somewhat less miles but several years older, all things being equal you
will probably be better off with the newer vehicle, as long as the
mechanicals are sound. Modern drivetrains are good for 200,000 miles or
more as long as they receive decent maintenance and are not abused. A 5
year old vehicle with 100,000 miles on it could last you another 10
years if you only plan on driving it 10,000 miles per year.


One problem I do tend to have with used vehicles is that you are taking
a chance on getting a lemon, and I feel that a used vehicle with a lot
of miles on it should be priced appropriately to reflect this fact.
Sadly, I find lots of 5 year old Camries and Accords that have 100,000
miles or more on them on the lots and in the classifieds selling for
$10K+, when you can buy brand new for less than 20K. Even if you assume
that a Camry or Accord is good for 200,000 miles, you will definitely
pay more for repairs in its second 100,000 miles than the first. You
also run the risk of getting hit with a major repair, such as a
transmission or engine failure that could set you back $2k or more. $5k
is a more appropriate price for a vehicle like that, and is probably
about what the previous owner got in trade for it.

Finding a good deal on a used car can be difficult, given the amount of
cars that are just traded, minimally reconditioned, and resold at a high
markup on retail used car lots. Many of these cars still have plenty of
life in them, but at retail they are priced accordingly. Unfortunately,
mixed in with basically okay cars are the lemons. Lemons come in
different flavors, here are a few of the most popular:

First ones are the collision victims that were never quite the same
after the insurance company and the body shop conspired to avoid
totaling a seriously damaged fairly new vehicle. That little ripple in
the body work is nothing compared to the clunks, rattles, squeaks, and
chronic steering pull you will put up with if you purchase this bruised
peach of a deal.

Another popular flavor smells of Antifreeze and Motor Oil. On these,
the owner's husband/wife/son/daughter sadly informs the morally
challenged but mechanically savvy owner that the engine overheated. They
add proudly that they avoided a tow by driving 5 miles with the hot
light on, stopped at a gas station to fill the radiator with water, and
drove home. A week later, the owner notices that there are a few drops
of oil in the radiator. A quick engine wash with a can of Gunk, radiator
flush and oil change is performed before trading it in a couple days
later on some new wheels. Nobody else will know about the head gasket
that is about to blow, except the new owner a few days after the
warranty expires.

There is also the flooded out special, with the low price and a rearview
mirror air freshener to cover up the musty smell. Currently it is
especially popular in Florida and the Gulf Coast this fall, courtesy of
Ivan, Jeanne, and Charlie. If you take this one home I hope you are good
with a schematic when the corrosion starts to bloom on many of the
hundreds of electrical parts that got soaked when the water reached the
door top when the storm surge came up.

To get at least a shot at a good deal on a used car, you need to look
outside the normal retail channels. Neighbors, friends, and family are
one obvious choice, but beware of damage to relationships should the
vehicle break down prematurely. Don't take Aunt Ethel's word about the
condition of her old Buick, have it checked out by a mechanic before you
commit. She might not even know about the CV axle boots that are shot,
or the exhaust system that is starting to rust through.

Another good place to find good deals on a vehicle might be where you
work. Many companies offer their old salesman's, executive, and field
service vehicles to employees, either at the lease residual, wholesale,
or sealed bid price. Most companies also perform regular maintenance on
their vehicles. Throughout the late '70s and the '80s, my dad was able
to get our family some pretty good deals on company vehicles in this
manner. I was able to get a good deal on a high mileage (170K)'91 Honda
Civic from my own company for $1200, plus about $2,000 in repairs (much
of it for an engine swap at 225,000 miles) over 3 years and 90,000
miles. The car ran better when I sold it to a friend at 260,000 miles
than it did when I got it. I sometimes kick myself for not fixing it up
a bit more and driving it another year or two.

While you might not get a warranty, your fellow coworkers are likely to
be honest about the car's history and condition. In my experience, they
will probably warn you away from anything that has serious problems. The
disadvantage is that you may have a very limited choice of vehicles. You
might have your heart set on a late model minivan or SUV, but all the
company has is a Ranger 2WD Pickup with a dented door and the company's
logo and phone # on the tailgate and sides, a very sound but very boring
white Taurus driven by a heavy smoker, or the Boss's Town Car which has
a transmission problem. Even allowing for repairs, all 3 cars might be
good buys, but you would have to compromise your desires to get a good
deal.

SUV s should have about the same reliability as their pickup truck
cousins, as far as the mechanicals go, but keep in mind that 4 wheel
drive models can be very expensive to fix the drivelines on, should they
fail. While many SUV's see no rougher service than delivering a load of
kids and drinks to soccer practice and hauling a couple of shopping
carts full of groceries from Sam's on the way home, there are a minority
of Sport Utes that see serious on and off-road abuse. Evidence of
possible abuse includes lift kits that are or were once installed,
heavy-duty trailer hitches that have seen a lot of use, mud splattered
under the hood, and evidence that a snow plow was once installed.

Ford SUV's from the early 90's suffered from some bad press due to
problems rolling over when a rear tire blew out. This was a problem not
unique to Ford SUV s, but the bad press killed their resale value. One
problem they do have that my F-150 shares is vulnerability to rust on
the underbody components. The local postmaster who drove a '93 Explorer
shared the same lament with me. Check the brake lines, gas tank(s),
exhaust system, and suspension components for corrosion/rust, even if
the outer body looks good. Ford's truck mechanicals shouldn't be a
disaster, but any older vehicle should be checked out thoroughly.


GM's compact Blazers from the late '80s/ early '90s also suffered rust
problems, mostly on the sheet metal though. Suburbans/Full Full sized
Blazers/Yukons are based on their full-sized pickup cousins, which have
pretty good mechanicals, but watch for rust on models prior to the mid-'90s.

Toyotas small SUVs and pickups (4runner) tend to have the image of
playtoys in the mud. While Toyota's mechanicals are bulletproof, watch
for signs of abuse and rust. I don't know about their full-sized
offerings though.

Nissan: I have heard good and bad about Nissan. Not quite as refined or
reliable as the Toyotas.

Isuzu: No severe problems, but my boss had a Rodeo, and reported
problems with engine controls, and other miscellaneous problems. Traded
it for a late model BMW SUV. Loves his Bimmer, but has had problems with
it as well.
 




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