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Perhaps if you are speaking of something in the range of 75+ years old, but that type of reference would be irrelevant for the vintage OP is referring to.
I have an old car that was low mileage though not as extreme (14 year old and 74k miles). Problems I have had from what I can remember:
1) Leaky axle
2) Rear half of the exhaust system soon got rusted and needed to replaced including muffler. Front half is holding up though rather rusted
3) What holds the brake rotors for several brakes needed to be replaced, mainly due to rust.
4) O2 Sensor
Then there were some other minor things. On the plus side, the car runs great but the age is not a minor factor.
Skipped over this when I posted earlier. Exactly my point. In MA the salt used to melt the icy roads causes a lot of rust damage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lux Hauler
Perhaps if you are speaking of something in the range of 75+ years old, but that type of reference would be irrelevant for the vintage OP is referring to.
Perhaps if you are speaking of something in the range of 75+ years old, but that type of reference would be irrelevant for the vintage OP is referring to.
I'm confused what you're trying to say. A 20 year old low mileage car is liable to have problems unless lucky.
I have a couple of '89 Nissan trucks and had a '95 Pathfinder. Rust is a problem on older Nissans. A 2000 isn't that old though. On older vehicles the problem areas could be: brakes, cv boots, brake lines (rust), brake master cylinder, radiator and hoses, fuel tank leaks due to rust. I tend to encounter fuel gauge issues on older cars and sometimes speedometer/tach issues. Other: tire rot, door locks, mirrors, electric windows, cruise control and the AC may fail. Brake bleeder screws get rusted in place. Vacuum lines will rot. Sometimes there are electrical issues due to corroded connectors. There may be valve cover gasket leaks or oil pan leaks. Have had transmission fluid leaks and trouble with hoses lines carrying transmission fluid to the cooling at the bottom of the radiator. May need a new fuel filter. The good part is that all of these things generally do not happen at the same time. I wouldn't worry about a 2000 as long as the body isn't rusty.
I don't know, but I think certain makes ARE more rust prone than other makes. For example Honda's corrosion warranty only covers 5 years. It's no coincidence that my catalytic converter heat shields started rattling and fell off at 6-7 years old on 2 different Hondas I've owned. Also in year 7 I had several brake parts replaced on my Ridgeline due to rust and in year 8 the mount for my trailer brake plug fell off due to rust. On the other hand, Audi has a 12 year corrosion warranty, presumably due to higher quality materials that don't rust as easily.
Location: Approximately 50 miles from Missoula MT/38 yrs full time after 4 yrs part time
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I am just getting ready to sell "my Sunday Go-To-Church Car": (being in my 83rd year, gettin' rid of my toys)
......a 1996 Jaguar XJS 2+2 Convertible with 48,000 ORIGINal miles. New tires just 1500 miles ago; 4L Double O.H. Valve, 6 cyl engine, auto 4 speed Trans............Bought from original owner 7 years ago..........never been in any state where salt was used for winter weather......in fact, never driven in winter weather (other than south GA) and Always Garaged, ALL leather interior....beautiful wood steering wheel and other wood interior accents-----ALL ORIGINAL......also have original WINDOW Sales Sticker that lists all the accessories: This car is loaded and is a beautiful Metallic Jade Green------------overall 99% Plus condition!! What should I ask???
There's absolutely nothing wrong with age as long as the vehicle was properly maintained, Silver007.
True but once you get around that age you start having troubles. Things that are rubber start to fail, hoses can be an issue, probably has the factory belt(s), brake lines should probably be replaced if you live where they salt the roads. etc.
The best way to determine if the price is fair is to do a Kelly Blue Book estimate. Make sure the engine is the original engine and this car is not a rebuilt title. If the car was taken care of and truly has only 47K miles you shouldn't have any real replacement's needed besides the usual wear and tear items.
I bought a 98' Corolla 3 years back with 70K miles. But I made sure to take a mechanic friend of mine to check out the car top to bottom. Since I bought it, it hasn't given me a single problem besides replacing the positive battery wire. The rest were wear and tear items such as tires, break pads, spark plugs, coolant and valve cover. I HIGHLY recommend you have a mechanic check it out before you purchase. Old cars like this can be a gem of a purchase but only if you buy knowing the car has no major problems. Everything I mentioned above cost me approximately $1,060 to fix. For a car with only 47K miles most of what I mentioned for my car should still be in good shape with no need for replacement.
Thank you Giffon, for the advice you gave me. This have just made me feel more confident purchasing it. But how do you if you're gonna ripped off by the mechanics ? I've never been to the mechanic before and I barely know about automotive. Is there any way that you can spot a fraud scheme from a mechanic ?
Also, a friend of mine is planning to get a 98 Accord, 140k on the odo with the price of 3,5k. Is the price a bit expensive for that kind of car ? (My friend checked and tested drive the car, everything seems ok) But is it a good deal ?
Thanks again
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