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Old 04-29-2013, 03:17 AM   #1
sspolo
 
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Question Tips for buying a used car needed, please! 200k+ miles

Hello, Well I just recently got a job so now I can finally start saving some cash to buy a Camaro in around a year. In the mean time I need to buy a used car.
I've been looking around craigslist and I am interested on either a 92-95 Civic or a 95-98 Eclipse. My first choice would be a Civic since it has the 1.5 motor and the MPG estimates are really good(29-35 city 35-41 hwy).
The problem is that I'm wanting to spend around $1,500 at the most, so this leaves me with 200,000+ mile cars. So I'm wondering, what tips can you guys give me to look for on a car with these many miles?
I searched around and most people posting about a 200k mile car are bragging about reaching such number, so I didn't get much help.
The most I could find was:

1. Turn on the car and listen to how it starts.
2. Open the hood and listen to anything out of the ordinary.
3. Rev the car and listen to anything out of the ordinary.
4. White smoke = engine is about to die.

That's all I could find. Anyone else got any tips they'd like to share??

Also, I've read that there are better more reliable cars out there at that price (such as Nissan or Toyota) although those cars seem really boring and similar to me(the Toyota is basically the same from1990-2002 IMO). The Civic and the Eclipse seem a bit more stylish for that year.

I'm going to buy a V8 Camaro, so I'd like to keep the car I buy in the next few days for school or places I wouldn't trust. So I'd prefer that the car would run at least a few more years.

It would also be appreciated if anyone can share info they have on those cars in that year. Or if you know of a car (~$1,500) that is reliable at 200k+ miles.

Anyways... I just went on and on. My main point is, what should I check on a 200,000+ mile car?

Last edited by sspolo; 04-29-2013 at 03:31 AM.
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Old 04-29-2013, 04:56 AM   #2
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Unhook the fuel supply and crank the engine and listen for the starter the maintain a regular speed. If it speeds up and slows there is a dead cylinder. At least no compression in one for some reason or another. At 200k your looking cars almost ready for scrap. People that truly maintain cars and keep them going that long typically keep them forever. I'd save up or finance a small loan before wasting 1500 on a junk car with that many miles.
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Old 04-29-2013, 04:16 PM   #3
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I would try and find a Geo prizim cause its basically a Toyota corolla with geo badges and since its a geo it will cost less but be just as reliable. I would try and find something with maintence records and do a car fax or two to see if there were any reported accidents, I think parts on the eclipse are kinda expensive compared to Honda. If a car seems beat on then I doubt it will last awhile. Also since your in a state that prolly salts and treats the roads in winter prolly will find a lot of rust as well.
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Old 04-30-2013, 09:46 AM   #4
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Don't buy a car with 200k if your looking forreliabilty
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Old 04-30-2013, 02:46 PM   #5
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Some cars that are properly maintained can be reliable for way past 200k miles I had a Crx that was maintained very well and had all the receipts and records of everything done to the car. It had over 325k miles on and it only looked like it had 60k miles on it and I got for only 750 bucks it was a steal drove perfect no bad rust areas, engine ran great didn't burn or eat oil at all. There are cars out there like this just be paitient I got mine off a older gentleman who had more cars than he needed and wanted to part with it. It was one owner.
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Old 04-30-2013, 03:11 PM   #6
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My Maxima has over 190,000 miles and it still runs great. The thing is, if you take care of your car, it'll continue to run until the end.

Another must-do thing is to check the Car Fax.

A friend of mine purchased a '01 Honda Civic recently because it had only 66,000 miles on the odo. After he bought it, he realized there was a ton of problems with it so he bought a Car Fax and it turns out that the car really had 250,000 miles. The car was owned by members of the Russian Mafia. So he was scammed and had no way to get in contact with the owners.
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Old 04-30-2013, 05:47 PM   #7
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Shine a flashlight into the oil filler cap on the valve cover. If the aluminum head is clean with a golden sheen of oil buy it.
If it is full of dark sludge, walk away.
Open the radiator cap, look at the coolant. If it is discolored and stinks,walk away.
Look at the brake fluid, clean..buy it.dark, avoid it.
Trans fluid should be red and fresh, dark and burnt smelling, don't buy it.
Also remember every civic from that era has been stolen at least once.
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Old 04-30-2013, 06:39 PM   #8
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Considering that people can fine clean, high-mileage LS1 Camaros for $5k or less, I bet you'd be able to find a clean, high-mileage 3.8 V6 4th gen within your budget. Just something to think about...
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Old 04-30-2013, 08:35 PM   #9
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Thanks guys! I will be looking for used cars this week and your tips will definitely come in handy. I've been keeping an eye out and have found some cars with around 160k-180k miles so that's a bit better and just a few hundred more. I'm also trying not to finance since it would be less money for the down payment on the Camaro later on. Although I'm thinking of possibly keeping the car as a beater (if anyone has heard of Clark College in Vancouver, any car is bound to get hit at least once a day) A Camaro would be nice but I'd like to save as much as possible on gas and insurance to reach my down payment goal.
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Old 04-30-2013, 08:55 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Overflow View Post
My Maxima has over 190,000 miles and it still runs great. The thing is, if you take care of your car, it'll continue to run until the end.

Another must-do thing is to check the Car Fax.

A friend of mine purchased a '01 Honda Civic recently because it had only 66,000 miles on the odo. After he bought it, he realized there was a ton of problems with it so he bought a Car Fax and it turns out that the car really had 250,000 miles. The car was owned by members of the Russian Mafia. So he was scammed and had no way to get in contact with the owners.
Alot of times carfax is a huge waste of money. I have a truck that has never had a wreck but shows 2. Also shows rental history. I have had 2 other cars with clear body work and no carfax. Ill never waste money on another one.
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Old 05-11-2013, 08:28 PM   #11
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While the the purchase price of the cars the OP is contemplating is w/i his budget, the cost of ownership (repairs) will more than likely eat up his savings account.

I would save up enough for a down payment to finance reliable transportation and put the Camaro purchase on a realistic time schedule, and that may include a second job. Just my $.02,
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Old 05-13-2013, 12:32 AM   #12
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Do what i did. I have a few friends, who led me to my daily. I bought a 1994 Acura Integra GS-R. The car has 275,000 miles on it, but has been owned by 3 people, the first 2 being the father and daughter, who drove the vehicle pretty much like a family car, and had all service maintained at the dealership the vehicle was bought new, and had a carfax for the next owner. Anyway, The p/o then bought the car, and him being an ASE master technician at a Honda dealership(Acura is the same as Honda for anyone who doesn't know, which i'm sure most do), so he kept upkeep on the vehicle while his wife drove this car as a daily for 5 years. He gave me all the previous owners records and report, and knowing my buddy well he told me everything he had to do to the vehicle while in his ownership, and showed me every problem wrong with the vehicle. i bought the vehicle for 2,000 and have put 600 in it in mods, maintainence, and upkeep, and plan to drive the vehicle 275k more so my camaro can be babied like i want to. Long story short, with a vehicle with high mileage, check the background, and think the more information provided about vehicle history the better.
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Old 05-13-2013, 01:35 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SSeniorMoment View Post
While the the purchase price of the cars the OP is contemplating is w/i his budget, the cost of ownership (repairs) will more than likely eat up his savings account.

I would save up enough for a down payment to finance reliable transportation and put the Camaro purchase on a realistic time schedule, and that may include a second job. Just my $.02,
I've had old cars my whole life (I've only had 2 cars :p) but they have treated me good and I really haven't spent much money on them. My parents also bought used cars with high mileage and those cars also treated them good. So I really hope that the car I buy will treat me good. I did look at financing a better vehicle but I really just want to save as much as I can to buy a Camaro.

Quote:
Originally Posted by john_ View Post
So the first thing you do when you get a job is think about how soon you can get a Camaro. This tells me that 1) you are financially irresponsible 2) while you are doing something sensible like buying a used vehicle, thus avoiding new car depreciation, you are FUBAR by looking at any vehicle with 100,000 miles or more. You will end up sinking far too much money in the car which will then result in you paying triple or quadruple what the car is worth.

Source: I'm an actuary
I really don't have anything else to spend money on. I could just go ahead and save money to buy a house or invest or do something smarten than spending it on a car, but I want to enjoy my life while I'm young. At this point 30k+ might seem like a lot to me, but in reality it is not much. I doubt that once I'm older I will regret spending 30k on a car.
Old cars have treated my family and I good in the past so I hope that continues. However, I did start looking at other options and noticed some other cars (~130k miles) around my price range. They are not cars that I like the styling, but they will probably be better than a car with 200k miles.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JHart View Post
Do what i did. I have a few friends, who led me to my daily. I bought a 1994 Acura Integra GS-R. The car has 275,000 miles on it, but has been owned by 3 people, the first 2 being the father and daughter, who drove the vehicle pretty much like a family car, and had all service maintained at the dealership the vehicle was bought new, and had a carfax for the next owner. Anyway, The p/o then bought the car, and him being an ASE master technician at a Honda dealership(Acura is the same as Honda for anyone who doesn't know, which i'm sure most do), so he kept upkeep on the vehicle while his wife drove this car as a daily for 5 years. He gave me all the previous owners records and report, and knowing my buddy well he told me everything he had to do to the vehicle while in his ownership, and showed me every problem wrong with the vehicle. i bought the vehicle for 2,000 and have put 600 in it in mods, maintainence, and upkeep, and plan to drive the vehicle 275k more so my camaro can be babied like i want to. Long story short, with a vehicle with high mileage, check the background, and think the more information provided about vehicle history the better.
Exactly! As long as the car was treated good I am sure that it will do fine. The Honda or Eclipse are probably not good choices since those were probably abused. So now I'm looking at Saturns. I've read that those cars are pretty nice and reliable. They are also not usually owned by younger people so they should be ok (I hope!)
I haven't bought a car yet, but tomorrow will probably be the day! wish me luck!
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