« Communion Bread | Main | UCSF Finalist »
January 05, 2005
Antoun's Auto-buying Advice
A guy I know, Antoun, posted the following general guidelines for car-buying. I'm posting them here largely so I can find them years from now when I buy a car again, as well as for your edification. Thoughts?
Best generic advice I can offer, and most of these I've learned the hard way:- Buy cars from private sellers. Used car dealers come in two varieties: Sketchy, and egregiously high-margin. If you want something that has a car club that caters to it (Subarus, Acura Integras, Mitsubishi Eclipses, anything European), go find the club's classified ads listing and buy from someone who is nuts about the car.
- Get a mechanic *who knows the model and year you're buying* to do a pre-purchase inspection. It should cost $75-200 depending on who/where/what/why, etc.
- Assume any used car will require $1.5k of repairs/maintenance in the first six months no matter what. If it's nice, or if you're a perfectionist, budget $2-4k.
- Buy nothing American unless it's still under warranty, or made before 1974, or it's a full-size pickup truck.
- Buy nothing Japanese >5 years old or with >75k miles.
- Buy nothing German unless you're in love with it and have located the right marque-specific mechanic. Long-term there are some great buys out there if you know what's up.
- Anything Italian or English is strictly for people with multiple vehicles and a good sense of humor. The world is awash in suprisingly affordable and shiny Alfa Romeo Spiders and Range Rovers, and they're all a bad idea. On the other hand, they're a great choice for environmentalists, as they can be re-used as garden decoration while you ride the bus.
- No Saabs, no Fiats, no Oldsmobiles, no Ford Tauruses. No exceptions. These were all made with transmissions that are considered disposable wear items. Ahem.
- Non-turbo Volvos built between 1985 and and 1995, Dodge Colt Vistas of any vintage, and 1991-1997 Miatas are cheap, plentiful, and mechanically impervious to all but the most determined abuse.
Posted by Chris A at January 5, 2005 11:43 AM