[wafflesomd]

So my parents upp'd the anty and took the price for a car from $1000, to a whopping $10000!

I have no idea why they are doing this, surely I have done nothing to deserve this but hey, I'm not complaining.

Anyways, we found a car today cuaght my interest.

It was an 04 Cavalier, with a mere 35k miles on it. I thought it was in great condition, it looked like it had never been driven before. According to carfax it had one owner, and had not been in any accidents.

The seats were a tad bit dirty, and the dash could use some armourall wipes.

It rode smooth, was nice and quick. Though the steering wheel was a little difficult to turn, compared to my dads Malibu.

They want $11000 for it, think it's a good deal?

 

[c0mfortably_numb]

No offense but a 3 year old Cavalier isn't worth that, my ex back in 1999 had a 1996 with 40 something on it one owner. That car had more problems then I cared to fix, the most major being the freezepoints where leaking (which is a very very bad thing) and usually a good sign the motor will blow if you don't get them fixed (big money, have to pull the engine and press them in and out) that should never happen on a 3 year old car. There where various electrical problems, radiator leaking, alternator had to be replaced, a strange roar sound that sounded like a bad belt in the tire or bad bearing, replaced the tires still there. Finally told her to get rid of it.

I would recommend for that price looking into a used Honda Civic, or if your more of an American fan the Cavalier was replaced with the Cobalt and I think they go for around 14 new, not sure if they have improved any over the years.

 

[MrSlacker]

hmmm for $10K I think you could get a better car. My friend is actually selling his 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante ES in amazing condition (pretty much brand sparking new) for only $8500. So I am sure you could find a different car for that money. Unless you really like this Cavalier.

 

[wafflesomd]

We couldn't find any used honda's for around the same price range. There's even a honda dealer in my city, and their cheapest was 16k.

I'll keep your post in mind.

The cavalier is ok, but It isn't very roomy, and I need it to fit a tuba. I just feel cramped inside.

And no, I'm not partial to american cars, or japanese cars. I'll look up what some dealerships have.

 

[MrSlacker]

another advice, look on craigslist. there are MANY great deals there.

 

[c0mfortably_numb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wafflesomd /img/forum/go_quote.gif We couldn't find any used honda's for around the same price range. There's even a honda dealer in my city, and their cheapest was 16k. I'll keep your post in mind. The cavalier is ok, but It isn't very roomy, and I need it to fit a tuba. I just feel cramped inside. And no, I'm not partial to american cars, or japanese cars. I'll look up what some dealerships have.

Yea there kinda hard to find, and most dealers that have them will not budge on price. Try private party sales, like auto trader.

Also when looking at cars make sure to check the blue book value always helps to have the upper hand in the deal, knowing what the car is really worth.

I had to end up buying my civic brand new in 2000 after trying to find one used at a good price. Mine was a left over 1999, I didn't really want white or a 4 door, but I couldn't beat the price 15,000.

 

[wafflesomd]

Holy crap, thanks for that site!

I'll be looking up craigslist and autotrader, keeping my eye out for a honda preferably, at least something bigger. That cav felt cramped inside, and was not made for a 6' 200lb kid.

I'd also prefer a manual.

 

[c0mfortably_numb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wafflesomd /img/forum/go_quote.gif Holy crap, thanks for that site! I'll be looking up craigslist and autotrader, keeping my eye out for a honda preferably, at least something bigger. That cav felt cramped inside, and was not made for a 6' 200lb kid. I'd also prefer a manual.

LOL most cars aren't these days... I'm 5'10 and was up to about 280 pounds at one point, (Im back down to around 200 now) and still managed to get in and out of mine. Also with the seat down you would amazed what you can put in one, I bought one of those 6 foot put together bookshelves, I folded down the rear seats and the front seat folds all the way back, fit in fine and shut the trunk

I think the most headroom I've seen in modern production cars would be the new Bettle, but there is no way I would be caught dead driving one

Also a manual is fun for a while but when I used to drive my friends in bumper to bumper traffic, I was happy to go back to my automatic. His car was a 1978 Trans Am with a semi racing clutch, I'm sure a newer ride wouldn't be as bad in traffic.

 

[wafflesomd]

I learned on a manual, and took my test in a manual, I just clutch and shift with just as much ease as an automatic.

The only thing that sucks is hills lol.

 

[VirgilD]

Hey Waffels,

My advice to you would be to test drive as many cars in your price range as you can make time for. You can get a TON of car for that much money. I've found that the more expensive a car starts out, the faster and more drasticly it depreciates. This is bad for the first owner, but great for the second, and even better for the third. For example, my 96 BMW 328i was originaly purchased for just under $40,000. I purchased it a year ago for under $6000. It has heated, leather, power seats, premiem sound, sport suspension plenty of power, sunroof, power everything, heated mirrors, and chicks totally dig it.
If you do decide to buy this cavelier, or any other car from a dealer, DON'T PAY ANYTHING REMOTELY CLOSE TO THE STICKER PRICE. I personaly know a couple of used car salesmen and you'd be shocked at how cheaply they aquire even newer used cars. You're in control, offer them anything you want. There's a lot of cavaliers out there and they know it.
Well, best of luck and keep me posted!

P.S. Are your parents at all interested is adoption?

 

[c0mfortably_numb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VirgilD /img/forum/go_quote.gif I personaly know a couple of used car salesmen and you'd be shocked at how cheaply they aquire even newer used cars. You're in control, offer them anything you want. There's a lot of cavaliers out there and they know it. Well, best of luck and keep me posted! P.S. Are your parents at all interested is adoption?

The worst thing is side lots, those ones that say "Buy here, pay here, no credit, bad credit no problem" aka side lots. Most of the cars com from auctions, but there are some that are storm damaged, some are factory lemons, some are title rebuilds. The title rebuilds are one of the scariest things out there. They will take a car that has a salvage title (totaled) in another state, rebuild it (usually very poorly) and get a clean title. Your doing the right thing checking out the cars on Carfax.

Also VirgilD has one of the best ideas of test driving as many cars as you can, also don't let any dealers pressure you into a car. It's usually best to sleep on a decision you don't want to regret your purchases months down the road.

 

[Trippytiger]

$11 K for a three year old Cavalier? That's got to be more than the thing cost originally! You didn't say anything about the options, and I don't know how much extra it costs for a 4 door model, but I saw those cars advertised for ~$10,000 CAD, brand new, when they were still being made, so that price seems way too high.

You can get some great cars for ten grand, so you should definitely look a bit harder. Check out http://www.autotrader.com/.

 

[VirgilD]

Since we're on the topic of clutches, I just put an 8 1/2 pound flywheel in my bimmer coupeled with a modified M5 clutch and short-shift kit. Hard as crap to get through the drive-through, but I haven't been beaten by a honda yet...

 

[marvin]

Don't pay 11k for a used Cavalier. Couple of years ago, you could have gotten a new one at that price point. A used one with that many miles should be more in the $8-9K range.

I'd take a look at a 2000-2001 Nissan Maxima. They were tops in the midsized sedan segment for front passenger space, have pretty good power, and are excellent in the reliability department. Rapid model changes around that time knocked quite a bit of value off of them, so they're significantly cheaper than equivalent Accords/Camrys. You should be able to find on in good condition with 60-70k miles that'll fit in your $10k budget.

 

[VirgilD]

Don't get to hung up on milage. Find a car thats been cared for.(you can pay a mechanic for a couple hours of shop-time to come look at your choices before you buy.) My last car was pushing 200K before I sold it. Of course, that was a BMW