Buying a Used Car: I feel sorry for a friend who has been shopping for a used car for two years. Her CR-V has over 250,000 miles on it. She would like a Fit, but Honda doesn't import...

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I feel sorry for a friend who has been shopping for a used car for two years. Her CR-V has over 250,000 miles on it. She would like a Fit, but Honda doesn't import them anymore. She's been going back and for with different makes and models. She's found a couple of used Fits, but the dealers don' have good reputations. Wouldn't it be nice if we could feel safe buying new or used from a car dealer. In all my years, I've known only one really good car dealer, Irwin Motors in Laconia, NH.

I've sent her many links about the most reliable and least reliable cars, but if she sees one negative comment, that turns her off.

Tigger1 Loc: Surrey, BC Canada

It's a crap shoot Jerry!

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

jerryc41 wrote:

I feel sorry for a friend who has been shopping fo... (show quote)

There is always someone who dislikes all products, no product is perfect for everyone. How did she come up with the Honda CR-V, that would has been my last choice for a Honda. I used to own a great Accord!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

lamiaceae wrote:

There is always someone who dislikes all products, no product is perfect for everyone. How did she come up with the Honda CR-V, that would has been my last choice for a Honda. I used to own a great Accord!

Several people I know have them and love them. Hers has been trouble-free for over 250k. She'd prefer something smaller now. Some people have trouble making decisions.

cyclespeed Loc: Calgary, Alberta Canada

Maybe time for her to bury her thoughts concerning internal combustion engine mobility and go all in on a E-bicycle or do I dare say it, explore public transit options?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

cyclespeed wrote:

Maybe time for her to bury her thoughts concerning internal combustion engine mobility and go all in on a E-bicycle or do I dare say it, explore public transit options?

She needs a vehicle capable of carrying stuff. Public transportation? Not much of that around here.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

withdrawn.

jackm1943 Loc: Omaha, Nebraska

Tigger1 wrote:

It's a crap shoot Jerry!

It is a crap shoot, you never know. I have a relatively cheap Hyundai Accent I purchased new in 2007. I've put about 95K miles on it and it's not cost me one dime other than normal maintenance. I've had two or three lemons in the past that were much more expensive.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

jackm1943 wrote:

It is a crap shoot, you never know. I have a relatively cheap Hyundai Accent I purchased new in 2007. I've put about 95K miles on it and it's not cost me one dime other than normal maintenance. I've had two or three lemons in the past that were much more expensive.

I've seen signs posted about a gun club having a "Turkey Shoot," but never a crap shoot. I that would require some sort of face mask.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

jerryc41 wrote:

I feel sorry for a friend who has been shopping fo... (show quote)

I have never had a Honda Fit. I enjoy my Honda CRV and my wife likes her Honda Pilot.

I was purchased an Oldsmobile Delta 88 from a Toyota Dealership. What a HUUUGE mistake!!
I don’t blame her for not buying a used car. Now, I have resigned myself to buying new cars every 15-20 years. A great deal of aggravation is no longer experienced. I won’t sell my used car. I just donate it so that the company can sell it for parts. So what, I’ll get a tax deduction instead of cash.

flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT

jerryc41 wrote:

I feel sorry for a friend who has been shopping fo... (show quote)

There is a car dealer here in town that deals in nothing but higher end used cars...they sell a lot of Caddies.

There are quite a few cars zipping around town with Keating Brothers tags on them and their customers absolutely love them. They have a multitude of repeat buyers.

Everything they sell reportedly looks and runs like new.

Amtrain

cyclespeed wrote:

Maybe time for her to bury her thoughts concerning internal combustion engine mobility and go all in on a E-bicycle or do I dare say it, explore public transit options?

Good lord! not all of us live where a damned bus pulls up at our door or where a SHALL I SAY IT a bicycle (are you kidding?) serve as transportation?

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

jerryc41 wrote:

She needs a vehicle capable of carrying stuff. Public transportation? Not much of that around here.

I do understand why your friend chooses the lifestyle that she has chosen. She should not limit herself in any way. Doing so, can at times be counterproductive.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

What you want to find is a one owner vehicle, with no major accidents and all service records showing regular maintenance, preferably always garaged and drIven regularly - that’s the ideal used car, typically purchased directly from the owner after a mechanic’s inspection. You have to look, but they’re out there.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Scruples wrote:

I have never had a Honda Fit. I enjoy my Honda CRV and my wife likes her Honda Pilot.

I was purchased an Oldsmobile Delta 88 from a Toyota Dealership. What a HUUUGE mistake!!
I don’t blame her for not buying a used car. Now, I have resigned myself to buying new cars every 15-20 years. A great deal of aggravation is no longer experienced. I won’t sell my used car. I just donate it so that the company can sell it for parts. So what, I’ll get a tax deduction instead of cash.

My family had a 1958 Olds without power steering or brakes. That was a very fast car, and acceleration was amazing, as was the "passing gear." Back in those days, I bought several cheap used cars. I called them "$50 cars." One was a 1957 Olds from Florida. It had no heater. That was a mistake.

Remember when you had to pay extra for a radio, sideview mirrors, heater, etc.?

I've had thirty-eight cars since I began driving in 1960. They were cheap enough that I could buy one - new or used - every few years.

Something else - I began writing down all the money spent on all the cars since about 1962 - all the gas, oil, maintenance. Instead of pads, I now use Automotive Wolf to keep track of everything.