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Old 08-20-2016, 10:53 AM
 
Location: Rochester NY
1,962 posts, read 1,797,493 times
Reputation: 3542

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Hey everyone. My wife and I have shared a 2012 Ford Escape (awesome vehicle btw) since buying it brand new in Nov. 2012. But she has since gone back to work full time and it has finally come time to buy another vehicle. The Ford will still be our main driver since we still have 3 kids that are still in car seats/booster seats so the used car will be strictly a commuter.

We had a budget of $4000 and it seemed like everything in that range was either very high mileage or a lot of rust, rattles, shakes, smells, etc. After looking at and driving nearly a dozen cars we were pretty frustrated. We were going to look at a pretty clean 2004 Focus for $3995 from a very reputable dealer here in Rochester NY, but they unfortunately had just sold it. They then offered us a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am GT with a little over a 100K miles for the same price that they hadn't even has time to list yet. At first I was hesitant because they aren't exactly know for being great cars. However, after going through it and driving it I couldn't believe how well maintained and clean this thing was compared to everything else we looked at in our price range. No rust, smells, rattles, or shakes. Drove and shifted very smooth.

So we went ahead and bought it after getting $100 knocked off the asking price. We also negotiated with them to install all new brakes, wipers, and full detail. We pick it up tomorrow. We didn't have enough cash to buy it outright so we put $1500 down and financed the remaining balance. We also got what I think is pretty decent interest rate of 3.5%. We financed for 36 months but will have it paid off within 12. Checked with the bank to make sure there weren't any earlier payment penalties or fees, there weren't. I'm overall pretty happy with this deal. What do you guys think?
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Old 08-20-2016, 11:40 AM
 
33,387 posts, read 34,683,351 times
Reputation: 20028
sounds like a deal. you got any pics?
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Old 08-20-2016, 12:09 PM
 
Location: Riverside Ca
22,146 posts, read 33,300,678 times
Reputation: 35433
Actually Grand Ams were supposedly pretty decent builds. I believe they are the Pontiac version of the Buick Century
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Old 08-20-2016, 12:28 PM
 
Location: Rochester NY
1,962 posts, read 1,797,493 times
Reputation: 3542
Here are a few quick pics I snapped on my phone after I drove it. The pics don't really show how good of condition this car is in for being over 12 years old. I figure it was a southern car because you just don't find used cars at this price in Rochester, NY in this good of condition. I'll take some better pics on my DSLR when I get it home. Try to include some of the undercarriage and engine bay as well.
Attached Thumbnails
Just purchased my first cheap used car, what do you guys think?-grand-am-1.jpg   Just purchased my first cheap used car, what do you guys think?-grand-am-2.jpg   Just purchased my first cheap used car, what do you guys think?-grand-am-3.jpg   Just purchased my first cheap used car, what do you guys think?-grand-am-4.jpg   Just purchased my first cheap used car, what do you guys think?-grand-am-5.jpg  

Just purchased my first cheap used car, what do you guys think?-grand-am-6.jpg  
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Old 08-20-2016, 01:03 PM
 
33,387 posts, read 34,683,351 times
Reputation: 20028
i like it.
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Old 08-20-2016, 02:40 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
4,473 posts, read 3,667,455 times
Reputation: 5215
Wow, that looks nice for a 2004. Looks to be in great shape -you did well! Even more than the exterior, you can see how well a car was taken care of these days with its interior. Look at your car's interior, now that's nice!

People practically "live" in their cars for half the work day, are moving offices for people, tons of eating/drinking and trash -and still nobody cares to clean/vacuum.
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Old 08-20-2016, 03:00 PM
 
Location: Riverside Ca
22,146 posts, read 33,300,678 times
Reputation: 35433
That's clean. I would snap it up. It's definitely in cherry condition.
Ps you really need to pick up that Chevelle in the background too. The SS Camaro would work too. Tell the wife she looks good in it.
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Old 08-20-2016, 03:00 PM
 
Location: Floribama
18,939 posts, read 43,327,442 times
Reputation: 18732
It's a nice looking ride! Those seats are comfy too.

The most common problem with those 3100/3400 engines were leaking intake manifold gaskets, but I believe an improved gasket started being used in the 2004 and newer models. Just make it a habit to check the coolant level when you check the oil, if it ever gets low that's the first place to inspect. I do recommend doing a drain and fill on the transmission fluid (not a flush), at 100k miles the additive packs in the original fluid are likely depleted.
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Old 08-20-2016, 03:10 PM
 
844 posts, read 1,428,836 times
Reputation: 671
Quote:
Originally Posted by southernnaturelover View Post
It's a nice looking ride! Those seats are comfy too.

The most common problem with those 3100/3400 engines were leaking intake manifold gaskets, but I believe an improved gasket started being used in the 2004 and newer models. Just make it a habit to check the coolant level when you check the oil, if it ever gets low that's the first place to inspect. I do recommend doing a drain and fill on the transmission fluid (not a flush), at 100k miles the additive packs in the original fluid are likely depleted.
Whats the difference between a drain and fill, and a tranny flush?
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Old 08-20-2016, 03:37 PM
 
2,762 posts, read 3,170,348 times
Reputation: 5407
4000 for anything clean with only 100k miles is a deal.
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