I am looking into getting a cheap fixer upper Subaru,does this one look like a good deal?

[trainergames]

Sorry i worked yesterday,and have been busy all day.

 

The biggest i wanted to get a car at a dealership,instead of fixing mine,or getting a cheap cash car,is because i to have a decent running car sooner rather than later,my mom is in a nursing home 75 miles away,i normally visit once a month but because of the car problems i have not been able visit her in almost 2 months,i do understand that it will cost a lot more in the long run,but i need something soon.

 

I was looking at some more from the same dealership here they are.

 

http://www.autoshopper.biz/2005_Saab_93_Houston_TX_259300914.veh

 

http://www.autoshopper.biz/2003_Audi_A6_Houston_TX_258960538.veh

 

These are both turbo,which would up the fun,but i have no idea how their reliability is.

 

here are some more.

 

http://www.autoshopper.biz/2005_Mazda_MAZDA3_Houston_TX_258496369.veh

 

http://www.autoshopper.biz/2003_Infiniti_G35_Houston_TX_258829492.veh

 

http://www.autoshopper.biz/2008_Mitsubishi_Lancer_Houston_TX_259275558.veh

 

http://www.autoshopper.biz/1995_MercedesBenz_SClass_Houston_TX_258134536.veh

 

I don't know much about the reliability of these cars either.

 

Now here are 2 cars my sister(i currently live with her) wants me to get.

 

http://www.autoshopper.biz/2005_GMC_Yukon%20XL_Houston_TX_258496076.veh

 

http://www.autoshopper.biz/2005_Honda_Odyssey_Houston_TX_258960940.veh

 

Which of these do you think i should i look at if the subaru is not good? 

Edited October 29, 2015 by trainergames

[Rooster2]

I don't recommend a turbo model. They are fun to drive zoom.........zoom, but are prone to need repair at high millage.

[trainergames]

I don't recommend a turbo model. They are fun to drive zoom.........zoom, but are prone to need repair at high millage.

What do you think of the others?

[Bushwick]

Yeah, stay away from the Saab. It looks nice and mileage is great, but they might as well be Porsches as they are very expensive to fix and maintain vs. say a Subaru.

 

Avoid VW/Audi at all costs. They run interference engines and belts like to snap between 50k-60k miles (ruining the engine) and have water pump issues (plastic impeller breaks prematurely; aftermarket has metal impellers as upgrade) and need the water pump replaced basically when timing belt needs done. Did I mention you need to pull the front bumper and motor mount and allocate a good 10 hours just to do the belt? 

 

Yukon sold.

 

Odessy is high mileage and will be very boring to drive (your call on that). They do run forever but the V6 in a van isn't fun to work on and figure wheel bearings, steering components, etc. are probably worn and won't be cheap to replace. Plus side is it's doubtful it was driven hard.

 

 

Mercedes and Inifiniti- avoid. When you start getting into niche cars, they'll be more expensive to maintain, especially when foreign. Both have really high mileage too so expect regular wear items to need replaced.

 

Lancer has really high mileage for an 08' which means it probably saw a ton of highway driving and might have been beat on with no pics. Not sure how good their CVT trans is. Highway mileage is often preferred as it probably saw a constant speed in OD so maybe a 2.5k RPM, meaning less stress, but the motor probably broke-in like that. Good news is Lancer forums are just as strong as the Legacy and Impreza. I'd google the year/model along with keywords like "broken" "trouble" "not starting" "issue" etc. and do some homework on it. If a bunch of people are having issues with the CVT trans, timing belt issues, etc. you can make a better educated guess if it's up your alley. I'd say at that mileage if it's running an actual timing belt, it's had several by now but you can't be sure, so you'd be strongly advised to put a new one in. How hard that is on those I haven't a clue. If it has an actual timing chain, it's most definitely stretched by now, but might not be an issue. This is a question you'd want to ask in the Lancer forums. I wouldn't link the actual car in their forums, but would state you are looking to buy an 08' with the CVT and 2.0L (dunno if it's turbo) with 174k miles. What are "known' issues to look for; does it have a timing belt or chain and how hard are they to replace/ how long can the chain go; how trouble-free is the CVT, are there known mechanical issues with the engine, suspension, etc. etc. It might be a good buy, it might not.

 

 

Mazda should have the same following in a forum. I'd ask basically the same questions as the Lancer (minus the CVT questions). If it has a turbo, it might be at it's limit as often turbos start getting towards their rebuild age between 150k to 180k miles. Can go longer depending on how hard the PO was with it and brand matters here as well. Some turbos just inherently last longer. It should be a good car though for what you need and judging by appearance, seems like a good price for it.

 

The red Subaru. I'd actually try and talk them down a little bit on this as it doesn't appear to be as nice as the Lancer or Mazda which are newer. But since you aren't going in with car's cash price in-hand, they probably won't budge. If you are looking for a dependable, inexpensive car to drive and maintain, this is the one you want. With just some basic hand tools you fix almost anything, and the forum these is fairly mature and very knowledgeable. I'm guessing your mechanical knowledge is limited, so whatever car you get you MUST try and get a warranty of at LEAST a year factored in to the loan. No ifs ands or buts about it. I've worked at used car lots before. I know the behind the scenes scoops of plenty used car lots. They go to auction, bid on one of these cars that were traded in at another lot (and sometimes often shuffled to numerous other lots as it won't sell) and unless it has a blatant issue will NOT put money into it, and often put the cheapest tire they can find on a corner if bald w/o doing any alignment. This also means no oil change, no "real' inspection, etc. Other than a detail to make exterior, interior, and engine shiny, nothing else is done. If they get a REALLY nice, low-mileage car in, they might put a couple hundred into it to make it more appealing but that's rare. Basically whatever condition it was in when traded-in is the condition it'll be in when you buy it. Hence why I'm not a big fan of used lots unless it's a hard to find car I know everything about to catch any issues or getting a car loan makes more sense.

 

 

Forgot to mention, you need an accident report history. I remember a 40k mile Chevy Corsica coming in once. It was as clean as you'll possibly ever see. Interior and exterior were near perfect. Wanna know it's history? It had been cut in half after an accident totaled the original rear and a complete new rear section of car (unibody and all) was fitted back in. Why? Because at the time it occurred the insurance valued the repair cheaper than totaling it. It ran/drove fine, but yeah, that's a serious repair. If a car had an accident at 10k miles and it now has 150K+, chances are it's an actual good car. Look for signs of mis-matched shades of paint, over spray on weather stripping, lights, trim, plastic, etc. Run finger under lip of fenders (especially in the rear as those can't be replaced like fenders; you want finger to be on top of the inner lip and should end up with road grime on it; any holes or odd surfaces need looked at by eye) and feel for clumps of bondo, poor weld jobs, etc.

 

BTW, put your Honda for sale on CL and you'll have more cash in hand

Edited October 29, 2015 by Bushwick

[OLsubedrivr]

OPTIONS: 1) Go to a local library, get a copy of consumers report auto issue and look through the used car ratings, the best ratings are usually, Honda, Toyota, Lexus and our beloved Subaru shows up too. (very few American cars unfortunately). You likely won't be able to research the older models of those cars unless the library has access to the online archives but the history is fairly consistent with those mfgs. 2) expand your search area beyond local, if the deal seems worth it don't be afraid to get out of town. 3) When I am hunting for a car, I keep the $ with me, if I see a for sale sign on a car on my list and the driver is in it, I say hello and start talking, or get the number & call ASAP. Frequently the owners are nearby and can show the vehicle. 4) I also keep a blank "receipt/ invoice" with me, so if I luck out we can get the deal on paper, which very few if any sellers have ready to do. Make it easy to sell you the car, you've got the cash, you're ready to commit and you're ready NOW. Offer the seller a few extra bucks to drive it to your location and you will drive him back to theirs. A serious seller will usually comply. I have bought nothing but used cars since 2001, (not by choice) & with one exception all sellers have gladly driven the cars to my home with the cash in their pockets. 5) if you do end up @ a dealer, 1st ask for the mechanics inspection report & give it a full look over, if you make an offer make it an "out the door" price, that means, this is all I have, I can't afford all the add-ons, tell them you will go to the MV & register it etc. If your offer is close to the asking price, you have a better chance. 6) if you are a man of faith, pray! 7) tell EVERYBODY you know, that you're looking for a used car, EVERYBODY, GOOD LUCK

[roadsubiedog]

try not to rush it. you'll make a mistake that you'll regret for years. i know , easier said than done.

 

for reliability i would go toyota. a senior owned camry or corolla. almost any toyota is rated tops in reliability with Consumer Reports.  seniors usually keep all maintenance records and baby their cars. i wont buy a car from a young person. when i was young i beat the crap out of my cars.

 

you can find a real good deal if you have patience. put email alerts on craigslist for the type of car you are looking for and you can beat the rush.

 

i found a real good used subaru back in 2005 that was 3000 less then market value. at first i was suspicious but when talking to the owner the reason he was having problems selling it was because it had a salvage title on it due to a minor rear end collision that was repaired properly.

 

so i bought it and it is still my daily driver. driven it 180,000 plus miles and has 0ver 289,000 miles on the clock. 

[Bushwick]

try not to rush it. you'll make a mistake that you'll regret for years. i know , easier said than done.

 

for reliability i would go toyota. a senior owned camry or corolla. almost any toyota is rated tops in reliability with Consumer Reports.  seniors usually keep all maintenance records and baby their cars. i wont buy a car from a young person. when i was young i beat the crap out of my cars.

Not all Toyota's are great deal. They had BAD oil coking in some engines that can't be ignored. Only way you'll for sure is to pull valve cover and inspect. I've seen BAD oil cooking before on 36k mile engines that ran ultra quiet and gave no warnings there was 1/4" of sludge building up around the rockers and valve springs. Need to google "Toyota engine oil coking" to get an idea of bad years.

Edited October 29, 2015 by Bushwick

[roadsubiedog]

Not all Toyota's are great deal. They had BAD oil coking in some engines that can't be ignored. Only way you'll for sure is to pull valve cover and inspect. I've seen BAD oil cooking before on 36k mile engines that ran ultra quiet and gave no warnings there was 1/4" of sludge building up around the rockers and valve springs. Need to google "Toyota engine oil coking" to get an idea.

just trying to help. i'm going by 40 years experience with all kinds of cars and research i have done and what consumer reports says.

 

do what you want.

[Bushwick]

just trying to help. i'm going by 40 years experience with all kinds of cars and research i have done and what consumer reports says.

 

do what you want.

Don't take it personally. It wasn't an attack on you. Toyota does make really good engines, but some were problematic. The years/price range the OP might be looking at would cross into some of the questionable years.