Possible First Car

gozert said:

I know literally nothing about cars, but if you think it's a good buy, then you should do it. However, try offering a bit lower. You can usually get a bit more off the price than they've willing to give at first.

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Yeah. My mother said try going @ $4,400 lol

Edit: I've added the garage report below




-Alex

LeHap said:

Hey GSS.

I live up North in the Central Valley by Sacramento, so no snow here. The car checked out good the only problems which should be fixed soon as told by the mechanic was as follows:

1) Rear brake pads are @ 2mm
2) Rear tire threads are starting to wear down. Thread is at 3/43(is that it?)
3) Transmission fluid is dark
4) Need a new spare tire
5) Parking brake dosent hold

I was told by the mechanic brakes should be taken care of first, then the tires. I still haven't bought the car but the seller is willing to take $4,500 for it instead of the original price of $4,800.

:anyone:

-Alex

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Did you get a quote/estimate of the cost of all the work that needs to be done?
Sounds like you need a fresh set tires which run $130 to $200 each depending upon tire, trans service, rear brake pads, engine oil and filter minimally. Ask the mechanic for cost estimate. Maybe split the cost with the seller.

Here is an atricle on transmission fluid color --- if it is just old and dark then you need a trans fluid and filter change ----should be done every 30k miles--if the fluid is burned looks or smells burned it is a sign of trans. problems AGCO Automotive Repair Service - Baton Rouge, LA - Detailed Auto Topics - The Color of Automatic Transmission Fluid

Encap said:

Did you get a quote/estimate of the cost of all the work that needs to be done?
Sounds like you need a fresh set tires which run $130 to $200 Each depending upon tire, Trans service, rear brake pads, engine oil and filter minimally. ASk the mechanic for cost estimate. Maybe split the cost with they seller.

Here is an atricle on transmission fluid color --- if it is just old and dark then you need a trans fluid and filter change ----should be doneevery 30k miles--if the fludi is burned looks or smelss burned it is a sign of trans problems AGCO Automotive Repair Service - Baton Rouge, LA - Detailed Auto Topics - The Color of Automatic Transmission Fluid

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Hey Encap, no I didn't manage to get a quote for it to be done unfortunately. The mechanic said the fluid was just dark, and the transmission was working fine.

Thing is, the seller is located in Chico, about 1hr 30min North of where I am so I looked only for reputable garages & found that one with good reviews! I could call them up today & see how much they believe a good estimate would be.

First thing that'll need to be done is the breaks for sure! The seller said she wouldn't want to go below $4,500 so I don't know if $4,300-$4,400 will sell.

Edit: The front tires are fine with thread, only the rear ones are really low.

-Alex

LeHap said:

Yeah. My mother said try going @ $4,400 lol

Edit: I've added the garage report below

-Alex

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Try 4300 so you have a little room to play with. If you offer 4400, he's likely gonna say 4450. Also ask her if you're the first to look at it, makes it easier to play with the price

gozert said:

Try 4300 so you have a little room to play with. If you offer 4400, he's likely gonna say 4450. Also ask her if you're the first to look at it, makes it easier to play with the price

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Hum.... I'll try that! I'll also contact the garage I took the car to & see how much they expect it to fix

-Alex

Money talks, cash is LOUDER. If you're willing to hand over money on the spot a lot of people go well below their asking price, to have you drive off, or tow the car right off.

Also with a cash transaction, though it's not exactly legal, there is also no way to check how much money is changing hands, it's up to you and the seller, and means lower taxes.

Definitely get an estimate on everything that needs to be done to bring the car up to good shape, and use that to also drive the price down. I'd go with a solid on the spot offer of $4000 (depending on the repair estimate) and see what the seller says.

(If you think that's a low ball offer, last time I sold my even older crown vic, I was asking for $1400 and got offers of $400, sight unseen.)

InfinitusEquitas said:

Money talks, cash is LOUDER. If you're willing to hand over money on the spot a lot of people go well below their asking price, to have you drive off, or tow the car right off.

Also with a cash transaction, though it's not exactly legal, there is also no way to check how much money is changing hands, it's up to you and the seller, and means lower taxes.

Definitely get an estimate on everything that needs to be done to bring the car up to good shape, and use that to also drive the price down. I'd go with a solid on the spot offer of $4000 (depending on the repair estimate) and see what the seller says.

(If you think that's a low ball offer, last time I sold my even older crown vic, I was asking for $1400 and got offers of $400, sight unseen.)

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Ok, I'll see how much it will cost to fix at my local Automall dealership(where I'll take the car in).

My mom said I should use a cashiers check instead of cash

-Alex

Ok.

I called my local dealership(Toyota) & to have both rear break pads replaced along with resurfacing the rotors & the cost is $287 a wheel. Isn't that a good standard price?

Im a noob at cars, so is resurfacing the rotors even necessary? Is it safe to only do the back ones if the front tires are in good shape?



-Alex

I'm no expert with this car, and prices do vary quite a bit from one to another for repair, but that seems high.

Check how much the parts alone cost, call a few other places in the area, tell them exactly what you need done, and see what they quote you. Also dealerships usually will charge quite a bit more than independent shops.

Breaks and tires are somewhat separate issues, still IMO, you always want good breaks, and at least semi decent tires in the front. For colder climates (idk if it snows or ices over where you are) you also want good tread on the tires if you have a rwd, otherwise even a tiny hill will be troublesome.

Edit: Cashier's check is definitely safer, but doesn't have quite the same impact, and you have no wiggle room with that on what you write down on the title.

LeHap said:

Ok.

I called my local dealership(Toyota) & to have both rear break pads replaced along with resurfacing the rotors & the cost is $287 a wheel. Isn't that a good standard price?

Im a noob at cars, so is resurfacing the rotors even necessary? Is it safe to only do the back ones if the front tires are in good shape?



-Alex

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Brake pads and rotors are not related directly to tire condition---tire can be any condition --has no bearing on need for brake pads or rotors.

Sounds like a Toyota Dealership price but $287 a wheel is very high--I would avoid the Toyota Dealer.
Nobody resurfaces rotors any longer ---you just replace they old ones with new ones if needed --prices for rotors now are so low new rotors are about the same cost ---you just replace the rotors and brake pads at same time.

New rear brake pads and new rotors should run around $100-$150 depending upon where you buy them--that is for both wheels 2 rotors and 4 brake pads for the parts + installation by local garage mechanic maybe 2 hours tops-- usually front and rear can be done in 2 hours so 2 hours is generous --really rear pads and rotors should not take more than 1 hour See: 2005 Isuzu Ascender Rear Brake Pad & Rotor Kit SEMI-METALLIC Semi-Metallic at 1A Auto.com

Find and auto parts store in your area and get a price on rear pads and rotors. From your checklist you might need shocks also-- says shocks feel weak---check on price for those too. Include in you consideration trans fluid and filter change---report says dark/black---needs to be changed for sure and an engine oil and filter change------PS you can ask the girl for service records if she has any also.

2 hours of labor to just replace the parts is very generous. Decent mechanic should be able to do it in about half hour.

InfinitusEquitas said:

2 hours of labor to just replace the parts is very generous. Decent mechanic should be able to do it in about half hour.

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Yeah! My mom said I should try to do $4,400 since that's the blue book value. Im working on getting insurance first for it, then I'll work on the breaks :wave:

-Alex

Whatever is the "fair" price from kbb, minus the exact price of the required repairs is where you should start.

InfinitusEquitas said:

Whatever is the "fair" price from kbb, minus the exact price of the required repairs is where you should start.

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kbb marks this model at a price of $4,400 from a private seller :yh:

-Alex

At Firestone we always have coupons like $80 standard brake service (one axle) which is resurfacing rotors. However we have to check the rotors first to see whether or not they are even within cutting specifications. Then of course you would have to add rotors.

There is a range, fair, good, very good, excellent... no car that old is going to qualify for very good or excellent. Since it does need some mechanical work off the bat, you're looking at the fair price, and again, I'd start with that, minus required repairs as the starting negotiating price.

Odds are you will never buy another car from this person again, and they will never want to deal with you again, so there is no reason not to start negotiating from a lower price, and you can always concede to a higher price later. Figure out the total price you're willing to pay, including taxes, and registration, and be willing to walk away if it can't be met by the seller. If not, you'll get taken advantage of. In the world of sales, he who cares most, loses.