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Used cars are expensive these days! I have an opportunity to buy a decade-old Pontiac Grand Am with only 75,000 miles for 2500. It runs good, body is fine, etc Safety ratings and crash test ratings are not so great but I'm not sure they were on most vehicles at that time. I drive a lot of highway miles. Does this sound like a good deal or am I crazy to even be considering it?
i dont buy cars based on safety ratings, horsepower, or what ever else. my standard is, do i like the car? can i afford the car? is the car in good condition? if the answer to these questions is yes, then i buy the car. if i get a no in there, then i pass.
I base a lot of my decision on the safety ratings today... I always watch the applicable IIHS crash videos before I choose a car as well. There are plenty of newer and "cheaper" cars out there that score very high, they may cost more than $2k but I would rather spend that now vs. wish I had while in the ICU. I realize that even a safe car can't protect you from everything, but it can protect you from a lot of the situations other idiots on the road can put you in.
If you get smacked by a semi going 55 mph no car with a great safety record is going to save your but. So buy what you can afford.
Disagree with this.
If you go into the BACK of a US semi that has the **** poor underside gaurds most US semis have than your rating wont matter. Safety of the vehicle definitely matters in pretty much any other collision where the car has a chance to do its work.
Most people buy a car with a budget in mind. I doubt if when looking for a used car they look at safety ratings. Most of the people I have seen buy with miles and condition in mind. Rarely do they mention safety ratings unless they are buying NEW.
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