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I've never found what I wanted on the lot yet. I had to custom order them. I'm also a mechanic and want a specific rear-end gear, limited slip, biggest engine, extra alternator, trans cooler, rubber floor, specific color and various other options.
I'll never find that off the lot. So yes, I am very picky and need to order mine special. I also know I have excellent taste. The last two trucks drew all kinds of attention when they drove them up from the back to the showroom for me to sign off on them.
I LIKE picky car shoppers - they will not buy cars/trucks which have defects like a broken windshield, broken side mirror, stereo hanging out by the wires and not working, etc.
And they will not buy cars which have things not working like heater/AC fan not working, power window not working, etc.
I can get these cars real cheap because no one wants them, then go to the wrecking yard and get cheap replacement parts - and presto! Car/truck in good shape for a couple of hundred dollars (me doing the work of course).
(I've had several windshields replaced for $200 or $300 - older cars/trucks.)
I have a list that I work from. I bought a "new to me" truck last week. I design a sheet similiar to the below:
Make/Model of vehicles I like: (all must be crew cab. No long wheel base)
Ford F-150 (5.4L only) or F-250 (diesel only)
GMC Sierra 1500 (6.0L only) or 2500 (diesel only)
Dodge Ram 2500 (diesel only)
Color: White, Silver, or Maroon
Price range - $12k-$16k
Mileage: Less than 150k miles
Must haves:
Leather (prefer gray or black but will consider any)
Automatic transmission
Center console shifter (no column shifter)
Good (matching) tires
Maintenance up to date
Premium sound
Receiver hitch
Wants:
Navigation
Bed cover
Towing package
tinted windows
heated seats
Then I go down the list and check items off. If something that I require is missing I pass. If it's on the wants list, I will add it later if the price is right. I found a 2006 F150 Lariat that met every requirement I had last week. It even had a towing package and bedcover from my wants list. I added nav this weekend (already had a head unit).
This is how I typically do it. You might as well get as close to what you want as possible if you are spending this much money.
Very picky. And I should be.
Given the fact that I would be purchasing/leasing a $xx,xxx valued machine that I will be driving for the next 2-3 yrs (lease) or 5-10 years (buy), I think I should be.
There is nothing wrong with being picky I know I am. you are paying a lot of money so you should get what you want if possible. It used to drive me nuts when I sold cars and a customer would come in looking for say a bright red car with a second choice of blue and the manager would get mad at me because I couldn't sell that same buyer the brown car.
If you want red you should get red.
Be picky but be realistic too, it is good to be a bit flexible.
Good luck
It would be dumb not to be picky about something you are spending tens of thousands of dollars on. But mileage of 0-160k doesn't sound picky to me. There is no way I'd consider a car with 160k on it, or even 100k. Price range goes without saying.
My next vehicle has to be an SUV. I made a mistake buying a crossover in 2013 and I regret it. I also HATE those block colors that they are putting in some cars. To me it is ugly. It will have something like tan and charcoal gray. Those two colors should not be together! And then they will have reddish interior or something like that with it; either that or light tan or black. BLECH!
I spent about 1.5 years searching for my last car. I was a little flexible on ext color (Silver, black, or blue were acceptable) but interior color HAD to be black, I also wanted the full carbon fiber interior package, navigation/Bose, and white faced gauges. Mileage couldn't be over 50k, no accidents, and wanted the "X50 package", a performance package that cost 17k new from the factory.
Long story short... I simply had to give up on most of what I wanted and upgrade it myself. I did get the ext and interior color I wanted, did get the "half" carbon fiber package, had to add the additional pieces myself, under 50k, and the navigation/Bose sound system. But I had to switch the gauge cluster out, and upgrade the turbos and intercoolers myself.
It would be dumb not to be picky about something you are spending tens of thousands of dollars on. But mileage of 0-160k doesn't sound picky to me. There is no way I'd consider a car with 160k on it, or even 100k. Price range goes without saying.
My next vehicle has to be an SUV. I made a mistake buying a crossover in 2013 and I regret it. I also HATE those block colors that they are putting in some cars. To me it is ugly. It will have something like tan and charcoal gray. Those two colors should not be together! And then they will have reddish interior or something like that with it; either that or light tan or black. BLECH!
100k miles is barely broken in on vehicles nowadays......
100k miles is barely broken in on vehicles nowadays......
With 100k worth of someone else's farts in the seat cushions.
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