I hate car shopping


DigitalShadow
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The thermostat fell out of someones car? How is that possible? I have probably changed 50 of them in my lifetime and they are not easy to get out.

Ben Raines

I have them fall out all the time. Sometimes the cussed things won't stay in place while you try to align the housing bolts. But once the bolts are in they can't fall out unless you pull the housing off again.

Maybe SD means it went out, failed, or stuck closed, causing the engine to overheat, and the guy drove for a long time before noticing the problem. By the time he noticed the problem the damage had been done and the engine was trashed. That would make sense to me.

When he got back from the repair shop, he handed me a slightly warped thermostat and said the problem was that it fell off. I have no idea how that can even happen, but from the shape it was in there is no way that car had been through an ANY point inspection or even had any maintenance done to it in its lifetime.

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When he got back from the repair shop, he handed me a slightly warped thermostat and said the problem was that it fell off. I have no idea how that can even happen, but from the shape it was in there is no way that car had been through an ANY point inspection or even had any maintenance done to it in its lifetime.

And he should have picked up on that before he bought it. People who buy used cars without having it checked out by an independent inspector are like people who buy a house sight unseen. And in any case, there is no way to inspect a thermostat short of taking it out of the car and testing it, which would add a couple hundred dollars to the cost of the vehicle, not to mention all the other items that might possibly go out on a high-mileage beater car. There are reasons why dealers sell beat up cars for cheap, and that is because they are worth less than the well-maintained cars.

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On a slightly related tangent: If you're selling a used car, I'd strongly recommend against letting someone buy it on installment payments. You can draw up a valid bill of sale that allows for it, but enforcing it is a pain in the neck. Get the money up front--all of it.

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And he should have picked up on that before he bought it. People who buy used cars without having it checked out by an independent inspector are like people who buy a house sight unseen. And in any case, there is no way to inspect a thermostat short of taking it out of the car and testing it, which would add a couple hundred dollars to the cost of the vehicle, not to mention all the other items that might possibly go out on a high-mileage beater car. There are reasons why dealers sell beat up cars for cheap, and that is because they are worth less than the well-maintained cars.

I was with him when he bought it, there were so many red flags that went up in my mind, but he didn't feel like shopping around or listening to advice. The reason I said it couldn't have had any maintenance was because when he got it repaired they mentioned that some of the belts were worn to near the point of breaking.

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Having been in many types of sales over 30 years there is something always available cheaper than the next guy. I have always tried to sell value not price. Someone can always make or sell something cheaper but after the cost of maintenance, repair, operating costs, etc. is it truly less expensive? In almost all cases it isn't.

What was that old adage "Let the buyer beware".

Ben Raines

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A few years ago I got a contract for a job that required I buy another car. Since I just closed the deal on the contract I had 3 days to buy a car. I picked out 4 cars that I thought would work and decided what I wanted as a minimum for accessories. I then called 4 dealers and told them that I was going to buy a car in the next 24 hours. I gave them my list of accessories and requirements which included that they have the car on the lot prepped and ready to go. All four dealers said they had one on their lot. I then told them the other four cars I was considering and told them to call me back within 4 hours with their best and final offer – they would only get one shot at this sale. I would look at the offers and make a decision and come fill out the paperwork and I had my own arrangement for financing before they closed that day and then pick up the car the next day.

Two sale people called me back and wanted to dicker. I told them I did not have time because I was busy and would be leaving town with the new car. One salesman just kept talking so I hung up on him – I really did not have the time to dicker.

Bottom line this method worked so well and I got the car for such a low price I have thought the next time I buy another car, I will use the same method. Not only did I get a great price (confirmed by the dealer in another state that did my service for the car) on the car but the salesperson convinced me to use their 0% financing. I was able to pocket the interest saved as a back end to my contract which ended up a couple thousand.

The Traveler

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Salespeople in general, will do what thay can leagally, to sell you the car. From a salemans standpoint, thay dont want the deal killed because of some technicality such as a leaking radiator, or what not.

I do lots of automotive repairs. I KNOW what cars are considered relaible, and which ones are not. I never base a car on price. WHY? because price is influenced by alot of factors. Cars that have a terrible history of being unreliable due to Mfg defect, tend to depreciate ALOT faster then reliable cars and hence, cost alot less. DONT use price as your final judgment on the cost of the vehicle. My brother once purchaced a car at blue book with a loan.

Problem was, the car was depreciating FASTER then the loan ballance. He had to sell it, but ended up forking more money out of his pocket to sell it!

Cars and I mean ALL CARS sold at dealerships, sell slightly above the factory mfg cost of making them, shipping them ect. Where the dealership makes its profit, is in the parts and service. You got that right, every car you buy from a dealership thay make hardly any money in selling it new.

If you want to know the reliability history of a car I highly recomend you look at this site. CarComplaints.com | Car Problems, Car Complaints, & Repair/Recall Information Very informative from other owners, who were screwed by car MFGs defects in its parts.

From my experiance in working on cars? The cars that almost NEVER came in for major repairs, other then friction componets in the 1990s, are Toyota, Honda,Nissan. WORST of the cars back then? GM and Chrysler.

LABOR is based on HOW much time it takes to take a part off. Subary is a wonderfull engine design for any mechanic. parts are easy to reach and remove, and keep the labor rate done.

Worst engine to do a head gasket change on? yes, the ford Aerostar. At 12 hours, it was a huge hefty bill to pay for such a very confined engine compartment to do the head gaskets.

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