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I've been patient for probably about two years (that's when I started hitting up CL and Autotrader for used Mustang GTs), seeing some great deals come and go, but not really being financially ready to pull the trigger. But in those years, I've been able to better decipher between what is a good deal and what isn't. So, the thought process is once I'm ready to buy another car, it should be simple (should be).
I've been patient for probably about two years (that's when I started hitting up CL and Autotrader for used Mustang GTs), seeing some great deals come and go, but not really being financially ready to pull the trigger. But in those years, I've been able to better decipher between what is a good deal and what isn't. So, the thought process is once I'm ready to buy another car, it should be simple (should be).
Do you look nationwide?
I have found some good deals on specialty cars but sometimes you may have to drive or flay a thousand miles (or get it shipped). Even with that expense it is still a good deal. However I am generally looking for a very specific car with a specific set of options, which is more important to me than a bargain. If I get a car that is less than what I want to save a few hundred dollars, and then spend the next fifteen years annoyed about my compromise, it is not worth it.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldjensens
Do you look nationwide?
...I am generally looking for a very specific car with a specific set of options, which is more important to me than a bargain. ...
yes... good idea to do a rss feed on a nationwide CL search. I actually EXCLUDE rust belt in my search. So many yrs ago (pre Y2K) before the dealers bought Autotrader, they had a great search excluding rustbelt!
Now I have to screen by region / state.
I buy most my vehicles via web. Usually 'fly-Drive' to bring home (~$200 for ticket + fuel), or use uShip to find an empty hotshotter.
I have a 'phone-walk-around' procedure and checklist for inspecting the car. Higher end stuff, I hire a shop, or enlist the help of a 'usersgroup' to physically look it over.
I find many sellers are not very good at screening for 'non-smoker / non-pet' vehicle
Those cars I consider grocery getters. The Accord V6 coupe is probably the closest to being a sports/luxury car, especially if you get the EX-L package. As others have alluded to in the thread, one having $10k and not wanting to purchase a family car, but yet a cool, sporty car that turns heads. For instance, one of my good friends in Roanoke, VA last year purchased a '97 (I think it was that year, or either it was a '98) BMW Z3. It had somewhere around 75k+ miles on it, and I think he got it for around $7k. Beautiful car! One of those vehicles in which its looks stands the test of time. It still looks impressive 20 years later and it still turns heads. I was actually a bit jealous when I saw it!
Sorry, I misunderstood the question. I didn't know what is meant by a "non-appliance" vehicle.
For a cool car I guess I would buy an old Benz and would "lump" the maintenance costs, that is, just pay them outside the initial $10K price.
I don't know much about sports cars or American cars.
I have found some good deals on specialty cars but sometimes you may have to drive or flay a thousand miles (or get it shipped). Even with that expense it is still a good deal. However I am generally looking for a very specific car with a specific set of options, which is more important to me than a bargain. If I get a car that is less than what I want to save a few hundred dollars, and then spend the next fifteen years annoyed about my compromise, it is not worth it.
I'm starting to, because I realize that keeping my search within a driving distance is eliminating a lot of options. I'd just hate to have to fly out across the country to look for a car and then decide it's not as advertised. That could get expensive.
I'm starting to, because I realize that keeping my search within a driving distance is eliminating a lot of options. I'd just hate to have to fly out across the country to look for a car and then decide it's not as advertised. That could get expensive.
That's when you have someone local check it out and take pictures and give it a walk around. I have done that for someone just off of a Lightning forum I was on. Unless you want to spend the money to fly around its easier to ask or pay someone just for the time and gas to go for you.
I have found some good deals on specialty cars but sometimes you may have to drive or flay a thousand miles (or get it shipped). Even with that expense it is still a good deal. However I am generally looking for a very specific car with a specific set of options, which is more important to me than a bargain. If I get a car that is less than what I want to save a few hundred dollars, and then spend the next fifteen years annoyed about my compromise, it is not worth it.
Why would you look nationwide for a Mustang GT? I could see it for something more rare but not a Mustang. Maybe a Corvette even though there's thousands of Corvettes, but then I have more faith in a Corvette being owned by fat accountant named Bob who doesn't hoon it and actually gets maintenance done.
I'm sort of watching the 996 market at the moment. It's tempting given the absurd prices of used P-cars, but then the 996 is awful. I don't really mind the looks. They look great from three sides and I don't really mind the fried eggs it has going on on the ugly side. It's just that they're money pits even if you either get one that's already had the user paid recall done so the engine doesn't blow up or do it yourself, they still are money pits. Up front price is nice but they're sort of the E55 AMG of the Porsche world. Yes, it's cheap to buy but you'll probably spend just as much money over the course of ownership as you would on an E63 or 997. Not the best example as E63s are money pits too and old enough they're not really much more expensive than an E55 nowadays.
Life's too short to buy boring cars, even if you're on a budget. I voted with my wallet and bought a $7500 luxury sport sedan for myself and an $8500 luxury sport convertible for my wife and I:
The 740i Sport is my daily driver and has a couple grand in modifications to make it a bit more unique and a bit more sporty. The 330ci ZHP convertible is almost perfect out of the box and only has a few convenience mods (Bluetooth module for streaming audio). We take it out for weekend road trips, and my wife uses it to go places for her business.
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