Bought first used car

[Pandora]

So I bought my first used car. It was a 2002 Ford Explorer for $740. I thought I could cheat the system. But I couldn't. All in all I am probably going to spend 5K getting it reliable. Luckily its not my primary car. So I guess no matter what you cant really get a reliable car under 4-5k. Lesson learned. Hey its cheaper than a car note. New cars are just too expensive these days.

 

[Snag87]

I bought a 2000 Ford Expedition 2 years ago for 1K. 22,000 miles and 3 cross-country trips later and I've only had to do oil changes.

 

[Pandora]

I bought a 2000 Ford Expedition 2 years ago for 1K. 22,000 miles and 3 cross-country trips later and I've only had to do oil changes.

you got lucky broski...and it way fairly new when you bought it.

 

[SW15]

I am thinking about buying some sort of used car to replace my current car. My current car has 130,000 miles and is 15+ years old. I think my current car has life but I don't want to hold it too long.

 

[Pandora]

I am thinking about buying some sort of used car to replace my current car. My current car has 130,000 miles and is 15+ years old. I think my current car has life but I don't want to hold it too long.

You probably already know this but do your research lol. Take your time. My mechanic says that any vehicle you get expect to spend 3k on top of that to get it totally reliable. Is your current vehicle Japanese?

 

[Snag87]

you got lucky broski...and it way fairly new when you bought it.

I know I got lucky. However, the vehicle was 20 years old and has 256K miles at the time of purchase. It was far from fairly new.

 

[Lookatu]

I've been working on cars since HS and have always wrenched on my own cars and for family/friends since then. I've never taken any of my cars to a mechanic before. I'm not a professional mechanic but I'll be happy to answer any questions I might know for SS bros if they have any.

 

[Romanemp22]

It really depends on how the car was taken cared of before it got to you.

You can buy a brend new car but if you don't operate it good, and don't service it in time, you will eventually fvck it up.

When you're buying used car, it's really a lottery :you can get really good car or it can be a completely nightmare.

 

[DEEZEDBRAH]

So I bought my first used car. It was a 2002 Ford Explorer for $740. I thought I could cheat the system. But I couldn't. All in all I am probably going to spend 5K getting it reliable. Luckily its not my primary car. So I guess no matter what you cant really get a reliable car under 4-5k. Lesson learned. Hey its cheaper than a car note. New cars are just too expensive these days.

Agreed. I would have gone with a Asian import.

 

[Pandora]

So this is what I learned after buying my first used car ( which was a mistake).

1.) Look up the common issues of the model you want to buy. Are you willing to fix every one of those issues? If yes then buy.

2.) Buy a cheap aftermarket extended warrenty through a reliable company. These can be a lifesaver. For under $100 a month you can have drive train protection etc.

3.) Dont be too cheap and go Japanese. There is a reason that the resale value is high on these car.

4.) Have a mechanic look it over first

Anymore you guys want to add to the list.

 

[Zontyy]

I'm a sucker for number 3. I was just on a trip and a ford focus ran a red light and totaled my Prius on the way home. Luckily my GF and the 3 kids were fine, all 7 airbags went off and I'm sure once the claims adjuster sees it, he is going to cut me a check. My GF wants me to get a bigger family car because we have 3 kids (only 1 is biologically mine). To be fair we aren't married and relationship is too new to commit to a bigger car, she pushing for me to get some sort of minivan.

I'm a big fan of toyota's, honda's mainly because they hold their value and it's better to wait on getting a japanese or korean car then most american cars these days.

My first car was a ford explorer that would stall out at stop lights unless you rev the engine. American cars are good learner/starter cars to figure out basic skills, like hooking up a OBD scanner to identify codes, changing a tire, changing oil and brakes, wipers etc etc. Of course challengers and mustangs still attract women aswell.

 

[Lookatu]

2.) Buy a cheap aftermarket extended warrenty through a reliable company. These can be a lifesaver. For under $100 a month you can have drive train protection etc.

3.) Dont be too cheap and go Japanese. There is a reason that the resale value is high on these car.

4.) Have a mechanic look it over first

Anymore you guys want to add to the list.

Unless you are buying a total $hit car, if you buy a decent used Japanese car like Honda or Toyota and get it checked out via PPI(pre purchase inspection), you are probably wasting money on an extended warranty as the car will most likely only need wear and maintenance items replaced, which these warranties do not cover. Even better if you can find a used Japanese car that has service records.

As a datapoint, I've had quite a few Honda's that's had over 200k on the original motor/trans without any issues. Friends have had Toyota's passed the 250k mile marks without any issues.

Also you are buying the owner and not the car necessarily. Look to see how the owner takes care of themselves, how they present themselves, how they take care of their house, etc. This can reflect in their car ownership as well.

 

[Kotaix]

Unless you're buying the car from a family member and you know the history of it's care, you should never buy a car for less than $1000, or $2000 if we're being honest. In the UK you can get used cars for peanuts, but in the US you're going to have the experience you just had.

I have never bought a new car and it's unlikely that i ever will. Might as well flush 10% of that purchase cost right down the toilet in taxes.

 

[Bible_Belt]

I just passed 220,000 miles on my 05 ford ranger. I traded a broken motorcycle for it, 60,000 miles ago.

 

[Pandora]

I just passed 220,000 miles on my 05 ford ranger. I traded a broken motorcycle for it, 60,000 miles ago.

damn thats awesome man. Yeh the 05 models of Fords are better than the 01-02 gens. You also prob got lucky too.

 

[Pandora]

Unless you are buying a total $hit car, if you buy a decent used Japanese car like Honda or Toyota and get it checked out via PPI(pre purchase inspection), you are probably wasting money on an extended warranty as the car will most likely only need wear and maintenance items replaced, which these warranties do not cover. Even better if you can find a used Japanese car that has service records.

As a datapoint, I've had quite a few Honda's that's had over 200k on the original motor/trans without any issues. Friends have had Toyota's passed the 250k mile marks without any issues.

Also you are buying the owner and not the car necessarily. Look to see how the owner takes care of themselves, how they present themselves, how they take care of their house, etc. This can reflect in their car ownership as well.

Ahhh great advice man

 

[Pandora]

Unless you're buying the car from a family member and you know the history of it's care, you should never buy a car for less than $1000, or $2000 if we're being honest. In the UK you can get used cars for peanuts, but in the US you're going to have the experience you just had.

I have never bought a new car and it's unlikely that i ever will. Might as well flush 10% of that purchase cost right down the toilet in taxes.

Yes I agree bro lol. I was planning a trip overseas with the money I will spend on repairing this car. Ima let it go the next big repair. Hey btw why are used cares so cheap in the UK?

 

[Kotaix]

Yes I agree bro lol. I was planning a trip overseas with the money I will spend on repairing this car. Ima let it go the next big repair. Hey btw why are used cares so cheap in the UK?

There are a bunch of issues at play in this, but here are some that I know about:

• Kelly Blue Book started as a data collator by an average guy with good intentions, but it got bought out by corporate interests and it's now it's just propaganda they use to inflate the value of cars instead of leaving it in the hands of the market.
• You can't live without a car in the US because public transportation sucks and doesn't go anywhere.
• If you're in the US and you don't have a car, you're considered to be a loser. (inflates the value of cars)
• Public transportation in the US is mostly full of smelly bums and doesn't run often enough to be worth taking unless you live in a huge city like NYC where owning a car is stupid.
• People in europe live in tiny countries that are highly urbanized (no wild open spaces) and cars just aren't that necessary.
• Gas in europe is WAY more expensive than in the US and I think insurance is also more expensive.

My bulgarian roommate in germany once traded a Honda civic hatchback for two cases of beer.

 

[Pandora]

My bulgarian roommate in germany once traded a Honda civic hatchback for two cases of beer.

lolol wow

 

[SW15]

You probably already know this but do your research lol. Take your time. My mechanic says that any vehicle you get expect to spend 3k on top of that to get it totally reliable. Is your current vehicle Japanese?

My current vehicle is Japanese.