is there any such thing as a quality used car?

[Powdered Toast Man]

Originally Posted by irish2

Could I interest you in a W427 with 138,000k's on the clock for only $11,990?

Man, I'd take that. I assume you're not serious though

I've always bought used and as of yet never bought a lemon. Sure they all had their little problems, but even new cars can still have faults.

Sounds like the car yard you went to Hulk is a bit dodgy. Some of the little yards are. So are some of the big ones. But like has been posted there are some quality used cars out there, and 100,000kms isnt over the hill unless it's a little buzz box that has been thrashed.

[fordmad10]

IT pays to look around. I spent many hours looking around Adelaide for EF/EL duel/fuel wagon. Found a FUTURA 137000 at a local car/yard,had a couple of issues with it but generally happy with the car and the service from the car/yard

[Ford_The_Win]

Originally Posted by Neale

Great add.. It doesnt look like it has too many k's on the clock either. Whats the body like??? built for speed or cruising.

Hopefully it's quiet and doesn't like to torque much

Hulk, there are plenty of quality used cars out there, you just have to know where to look. It really does depend a lot on the dealership/lot, some lots pride themselves on quality cars, others just get whatever comes up at auctions. I bought my car from a small outer-metropolitan car yard full of reasonably priced, low mileage Fords. A car yard up the road was asking $5k for an EF Ford with 250ks on the clock and rust galore.

[Windsor342ci]

Ive seen a few media specials on the site your talking about Hulk. Quite renown for cut jobs in there. Ive been in there a couple of times and have walked out in oar!!! Between the salesmen and quality of choice to horrifying! Your almost better off on Parra Rd more so then Car City

[ACEz]

Just know what your looking for it might help,going to a car dealership not knowing what your really looking for is like shopping in a candy shop.

[RAPID_BA]

I know its a shonky place but a girl from my gym said she was going to buy a car there and I said I'd go with her to save her.

I know there are quality used cars out there but very very very rare. 9 from 10 are no good and in that yard 999/1000 are no good. There would be over 1000 cars in that yard but none any good

[Windsor342ci]

Not worth the paper its written on!

[RAPID_BA]

Originally Posted by fatcorty

Plenty of people get rid of cars that have nothing wrong with them, leases expire, boredom, change of family situation etc.

True but very very rare. Most are flogging off a problem.

[RAPID_BA]

Originally Posted by irish2

Could I interest you in a W427 with 138,000k's on the clock for only $11,990?

.

Too many km. If I want a w427 ill pay w427 price but I want a mint one (under 40000km). People buy nice cars but don't wanna pay the right price and cut corners and buy high mileage to save some $. I won't buy over 100000km for over $10k, over 150000km never pay over $5k but over 200000km I won't buy at any price. But that yard wanted top price for high km over the hill cards

I'd rather a low km genuine AU XR for $10k over a high km over the hill fg XR for the same price..

[FPV GTHO]

I bought my BF2 from CarCity, forgot which exact dealer but the paperwork's still in the car. My only regret is maybe i shouldve spent the extra on an XR6, but that wouldnt have stopped me spending what i have so far, and i only paid $11K although it had 140K km's for an '07

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

Too many km. If I want a w427 ill pay w427 price but I want a mint one (under 40000km). People buy nice cars but don't wanna pay the right price and cut corners and buy high mileage to save some $. I won't buy over 100000km for over $10k, over 150000km never pay over $5k but over 200000km I won't buy at any price. But that yard wanted top price for high km over the hill cards

I'd rather a low km genuine AU XR for $10k over a high km over the hill fg XR for the same price..

I too was a stickler for kms aswell, obviously the lower the better thats why i bought a new car.
But you cannot use you blanket rule of kms vs price to all cars, it just wont work.

[RAPID_BA]

One yard that I just can't believe actually sells cars is australian fleet sales on parramatta road. I went there about 6 months ago and they had a el ghia with 170000km for $18990 next to it a vq statesman for 21990

i bought a el ghia with low km for $7200 maybe 5 years earlier. the salesman said its negotiable, I was thinking 3000-4000. That's the place that gives the high trade ins but hammers the buyer on the car they buy, absolutely hammers them

[BENT_8]

Things couldnt be any different then here in adelaide.
the **** has fallen out of the used car market and some bargains can be had.

Although not in the price bracket your looking in, i recently purchased a very clean 96 mazda Astina with 190k's which presents as new with full service history and 1 previous owner, new 15" alloys and tint.
The dealer wanted 6k on the schedule, knocked a grand off straight away and another $500 when i mentioned the slightly noisy CV and rattle in the muffler.
I spent a week looking for a cheap runabout to get me too and from work and in all the yards i went through i doubt there were a dozen other people looking its that slow at the moment.
The dealer i bought from has a book he writes your details in when you test drive a vehicle.
When he wrote my details up i noticed his last entry was 5 days previous, when i picked up the car a week later my name was the last on the list.
Thats 1 test drive in 12 days...they are bleeding!

[Jim Goose]

There are good cars out there, but you really need to go looking at more then one car yard!

Many years ago a female friend asked me to look at a Mazda Astina for her while she had it for a test drive.
First thing I noticed was the front guard and drivers door was a little mismatched in colour. Then I noticed the drivers mirror was very scratched on the side.... and found the passenger wheel cover was totally scratched (im guessin it was the drivers side wheel cover swapped over to hide it).

Look in engine bay and found evidence of a very hard hit which was repaired but told her to not buy it as its a front wheel drive and given a hard hit it probably wont ever have a good wheel alignment ever again.

I managed to buy a very good AU11 wagon on the Sunshine coast with LOW mileage ( 89000) 2 yrs ago... I did notice the car was completely resprayed and had some hail dents. However the spray job was fantastic! (looked like it was done a long while back). Interior like new and only one previous owner. Picked it up reasonably cheap and had no dramas since.

I looked at 6 car yards while on holiday there and there were some bargins and good cars... while I did see a few clunkers out there as well.

[RAPID_BA]

There was a lady on the phone behind me talking on the phone describing a car she is looking at to someone. She says it got scratches and smells like something is burning but there is nothing else and I'm tired of looking for cars, I'm going to buy it

[ILLaViTaR]

No they don't exist, just keep buying news ones so they can depreciate in value.

[fordomatic]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

here is an ad for "quality" factory certified used BMWs

Mate that add is awesome, love it

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by ILLaViTaR

No they don't exist, just keep buying news ones so they can depreciate in value.

Couldnt care less really.

[XRGhia]

Originally Posted by TheInterceptor

Yep there are quality used cars....

My courier was a country council car (unsure for how long) but all of its 149xxx (at time of purchase) has been done out in country. Couple of minor bits that werent in top condition but are superficial and does not bother me.

Mechanically tops. Cost 3 grand cheaper than average market price and got the bonus of a great colour, not cardigan white or city silver.

Theyre out there, just a game of hide n seek (and a pro inspection!)

Look at the EB Fairmont also... 220,000 on the odometer, and all that needed fixing was the 4x4 ride height (still haven't fixed that yet )

$1400, with a month and a bit's rego.... That was the first car we looked at/inspected, and was very happy with the condition so payed for it then and there, then left for home...


Everything worked, strong engine... Just goes to show that these old, and good cars are still out there

[FPV8U]

Both of my cars have been bought 2nd Hand.

BA XR8, Bought in 2006 (2003 Model)
64,000Km from memory now at 98,000Km, only issues being the 6 Stacker jammed and the reverse syncro went, both issues fixed under extended warranty.

XLT Escape V6, Bought in 2011 (2004 Model)
170,000Km, so far the only issue is a waterpump that needs replacing, might put some new shocks under it.

Look around, Carcity type places probably arn't the best place to be looking for a quality used car.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Couldnt care less really.

Agreed, who cares about resale value if you plan on keeping the thing for years in the family anyways?

[Zedjay]

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

One yard that I just can't believe actually sells cars is australian fleet sales on parramatta road. I went there about 6 months ago and they had a el ghia with 170000km for $18990 next to it a vq statesman for 21990

i bought a el ghia with low km for $7200 maybe 5 years earlier. the salesman said its negotiable, I was thinking 3000-4000. That's the place that gives the high trade ins but hammers the buyer on the car they buy, absolutely hammers them

we got a holden captiva (yeah yeah i know) through them..09 model last year 18,000 ks on the clock..belonged to burke council but it was dead set like brand new they had $39,990 on it and we ended up gettingt it for $30,000..they just inflate their price to cover their bullshllt trade in prices they offer and the easy finance..as soon as you let them know your paying cash they all of a sudden bend over backwards to get a sale..

[irish2]

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

Too many km. If I want a w427 ill pay w427 price but I want a mint one (under 40000km). People buy nice cars but don't wanna pay the right price and cut corners and buy high mileage to save some $. I won't buy over 100000km for over $10k, over 150000km never pay over $5k but over 200000km I won't buy at any price. But that yard wanted top price for high km over the hill cards

I'd rather a low km genuine AU XR for $10k over a high km over the hill fg XR for the same price..

If you really saw a W427 for $11,990, with those km's, you would be able to make $80k profit on it the next day. My example was to show you how silly the blanket statement is.

[uranium_death]

I bought my BFII XT for about 15.3k (plus on-road costs). <40,000kms on the clock interior is clean, mechanically great and with a couple of new tyres. Car was a little over 3 years old when I got it.

There are a few scratch marks, but they're only there if you go looking.

Very happy with what I got.

Got mine from Melbourne's Cheapest Cars. Sounds crappo, but cars were well-presented.
If they were bad, they wouldn't sell so many cars every day...

CarCity in Moorabbin on the other hand I hear nothing but rubbish about...

[wrongwaynorris]

The original title of this thread is close to if not the most banal statement I've ever seen in all the forums I've ever perticipated in .

Ofcourse their are good quality used cars and tens if not hundreds of thousands of them .

If you go to CarCity and don't know which yards in there to steer clear of then heaven help you , of all the yards in there there's probably 4 that are ethical . It's a desperates yard generally and that is generally the kind of people they target . Similar to Australian Fleet Sales and Motor Finance Wizard .

If you are a new car buyer then there's probably nothing that is going to change you but if you are not fussed on not being the original owner the late model low kilometre car is definitely the way to go , NO if's buts or maybes. The instant you screw a number plate to a new car it becomes a used car and the biggest single depreciation will occur at that instant , buy a $50,000.00 car drive it from the new car yard to the used car yard and it will be an absolute miracle if you get offered $ 40,000.00 as a trade in . The yard I work in on a casual basis just bought a 662 kilometre 2010 ( Build 3 ) Ruckus loaded with factory options for $24,000.00 so there is just one real world example of a quality ( bad taste ) used car .

Hulk BA the best advice you can give your female friend from the gymn is steer clear of Car City , plenty of ethical used car dealers within a 10 kiolmetre drive of Minchibury .

[svo supporter]

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

For a car over 100000km I would never pay over $10k for it, regardless of the car, year, service history. Its done the work already. You don't want to buy a car on the downhill run past its best.

.

A car with over 100,000 on the clock is actually a on the uphill run. All the new car faults are already found and fixed. Maybe if it was over 200,000, that's a different kettle of fish.

The secret to buying a 2nd hand car, is your budget and patience. Car yards can be a good place, because of the warranty they give with a 2nd hand car. And yes there can be some horror stories attached with that too, but the same applies with new cars.

[SLO AU XR8]

Originally Posted by svo supporter

A car with over 100,000 on the clock is actually a on the uphill run. All the new car faults are already found and fixed. Maybe if it was over 200,000, that's a different kettle of fish.

The secret to buying a 2nd hand car, is your budget and patience. Car yards can be a good place, because of the warranty they give with a 2nd hand car. And yes there can be some horror stories attached with that too, but the same applies with new cars.

Exactly. I bought a car with 258xxx on it, knowing that it had been recently re bushed, Koni shocks fitted, exhaust replaced and a few other minor upgrades done. This was a private sale, and I never looked at another car. I purchased said car 2 months ago, and have since done 7500k's and had one minor problem, in which the car spat a power steering belt. So much for old and crap!

[LOCO XP]

Originally Posted by svo supporter

A car with over 100,000 on the clock is actually a on the uphill run. All the new car faults are already found and fixed.

couldn't agree more. plenty of quality used cars out there. 100,000km is nothing for a quality car. doesn't take long to get an idea of what's decent and what's rubbish. but there is no absolute rule to it. all car purchases have some inherent risk. new or used, warranty or not. New cars risk depreciation and uncovering post-production defects, regardless of the warranty...repairing faults in a brand new lemon apparently isn't much fun. Not talking from experience, not in a position to buy new, as such very happy to bypass depreciation and buy quality used cars. That being said, if I could buy new, I would. But for now, more than happy to pay well over $10k for the missus' XR6T with 102,000km. As for the car yards, steer clear of the big name yards. Ethical sellers are out there, have a friend that purchased a supposedly low km HSV Senator for a nice price from one of the big guys down Melbourne way, some time later bumped into the previous owner, it had done at least double the km on the odometer, and copped quite the proverbial hiding. The non-HSV instruments gave away the dash swap, but that was quite some time after the purchase. Buyer beware. There are quality used cars, but gotta look in the right places.

[kpcart]

there is an abundance of quality used cars, you just have to know where to look. my first car cost me $250 and was the most reliable of any car i have owned (including a 2007 falcon), the car was a 1969 corolla i bought from an old man in 1999. most car, at about 100,000km, that is when the engine is worn in nicely and working optimumly (if serviced), if the engine has problems at that few km, then you know the car is not worth buying.

you cant really go wrong with a second hand car. you buy a $5000 car, and keep if for a few years, you can then still sell it for $3000, that is only $2000 depreciation, and even if it has a few more mechanical faults then a new car, you still save heaps of money, and once you have had the repairs done, you can be assured the car will run for many more kilometres. and in the meantime you can put your money in a savings account to appreciate, not depressiate, and not pay interest like on a new car.

[Mechan1k]

Hulk BA ... you spend too much time at CarCity at Minchinbury .... I have seen you mention in a number of your other posts that you are there.

I think you can't keep away from the place.

The TV ad itself should put off anyone thinking of going ... would have to be one of the dodgiest ads around.

I drive passed the place everyday to get to and from work ... and from what I see as I drive passed in that place ... I'm surprised any of the cars in there would pass rego.

I suggest going elsewhere ... plenty of other decent yards out there with better "quality" cars in them.