Anyone have a decent eye for the used car market and pricing?

[ScotsSkier]

Back to the original question about finding a good used car. One place to look would be the rental car businesses, they sell there cars from time to time and they are reasonably good with their maintenance so the car may be in good shape. The price may not be the lowest but you could get a decent vehicle.

one careful owner - Hertz...

 

[Muleski]

My first car was a 1959 Austin Healey Bug Eye/Frog Eye Sprite. Yes, when cars were so easy, and simple.

My uncle was a dealer, which made sourcing parts easier….at times. When I bought it, for $1, it was a total wreck that had been stripped of everything from the doors forward. No doors, no interior, no windscreen….etc.

We had room for the project, and it was fun for my dad and me. I was 15. Back then there were pick yards all over the place. And Sprites were evidently often wrecked. So piece by piece, we acquired it all.
Including a 1275cc engine from a Cooper S, which we rebuilt.

That car was so simple, that I felt like I knew every inch of it, and how to fix anything. At first I had a mishmash of panels and the interior….then found a complete red interior. A total. Was at the yard when another came off the truck, and I immediately snagged three wire wheels…..and a Nardi steering wheel. All cheap.

I had spares for everything. Cheap and simple.

The other day I was at a mechanic/tech friend’s shop, after hours, using his lift to change my fluids, rotors and pads. Nice option to have.

Outside was a BMW 750il, which some guy had bought….for his 17 year old son. He evidently thought it was “cheap”. According to my friend neither dad nor son have any mechanical aptitude. He joked that what you really need is systems experience as the car has something like 75 computer modules in it…..and they are all failing. And they aren’t cheap.

Made me realize how simple things were.
Distributor? Points? That kind of stuff!

Was thinking about when my cars started to change. I had a 73, 74 and 76 BMW 2002…..and they were simple. Soon thereafter……not as much.

Nostalgia……..

 

[Lorenzzo]

My first car was a 1959 Austin Healey Bug Eye/Frog Eye Sprite. Yes, when cars were so easy, and simple.

My uncle was a dealer, which made sourcing parts easier….at times. When I bought it, for $1, it was a total wreck that had been stripped of everything from the doors forward. No doors, no interior, no windscreen….etc.

We had room for the project, and it was fun for my dad and me. I was 15. Back then there were pick yards all over the place. And Sprites were evidently often wrecked. So piece by piece, we acquired it all.
Including a 1275cc engine from a Cooper S, which we rebuilt.

That car was so simple, that I felt like I knew every inch of it, and how to fix anything. At first I had a mishmash of panels and the interior….then found a complete red interior. A total. Was at the yard when another came off the truck, and I immediately snagged three wire wheels…..and a Nardi steering wheel. All cheap.

I had spares for everything. Cheap and simple.

The other day I was at a mechanic/tech friend’s shop, after hours, using his lift to change my fluids, rotors and pads. Nice option to have.

Outside was a BMW 750il, which some guy had bought….for his 17 year old son. He evidently thought it was “cheap”. According to my friend neither dad nor son have any mechanical aptitude. He joked that what you really need is systems experience as the car has something like 75 computer modules in it…..and they are all failing. And they aren’t cheap.

Made me realize how simple things were.
Distributor? Points? That kind of stuff!

Was thinking about when my cars started to change. I had a 73, 74 and 76 BMW 2002…..and they were simple. Soon thereafter……not as much.

Nostalgia……..

Have you seen Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee? It's back on Netflix. I'm not a celebrity watcher but it's gold. Might be right up your alley.

 

[Muleski]

Have you seen Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee? It's back on Netflix. I'm not a celebrity watcher but it's gold. Might be right up your alley.

I’m a big fan of the show. Which has ended, right? It’s a tiny world. One of my childhood friends has done 3-4 Porsche deals with Jerry Seinfeld, who evidently knows his cars, loves cars and is a good guy. They have become pretty good friends. I love some of the cars that he came up with for the show. The episode with Obama driving the Vette on the White House grounds was classic!

My brother jokes that the right hand drive Triumph Herald that our cousin drove through H.S.and college would have been perfect.

I was in a yard in Reno a couple of years ago as my son was picking up used BMW parts. The guy there was third or fourth generation in the business, and we had great chat about “the old days.” Bring my tools and my mother’s Wagoneer to lug stuff home...and in business. Fun days!

 

[François Pugh]

Well, my first car -- a 1965 Dodge Dart -- started life as a rental car, and I put 200,000 miles on it, so you must be wrong!

Of course cars of that day were so simple to repair and rebuild, I think I went through two engine/transmissions, two differentials, and assorted alternators, voltage regulators, and water pumps.

A hammer will last forever if you replace the head and the handle once in a while. The trouble is parts and (good) labour is too expensive these days.

 

[Bill Miles]

My first car was a 1959 Austin Healey Bug Eye/Frog Eye Sprite. Yes, when cars were so easy, and simple.

My uncle was a dealer, which made sourcing parts easier….at times. When I bought it, for $1, it was a total wreck that had been stripped of everything from the doors forward. No doors, no interior, no windscreen….etc.

We had room for the project, and it was fun for my dad and me. I was 15. Back then there were pick yards all over the place. And Sprites were evidently often wrecked. So piece by piece, we acquired it all.
Including a 1275cc engine from a Cooper S, which we rebuilt.

That car was so simple, that I felt like I knew every inch of it, and how to fix anything. At first I had a mishmash of panels and the interior….then found a complete red interior. A total. Was at the yard when another came off the truck, and I immediately snagged three wire wheels…..and a Nardi steering wheel. All cheap.

I had spares for everything. Cheap and simple.

The other day I was at a mechanic/tech friend’s shop, after hours, using his lift to change my fluids, rotors and pads. Nice option to have.

Outside was a BMW 750il, which some guy had bought….for his 17 year old son. He evidently thought it was “cheap”. According to my friend neither dad nor son have any mechanical aptitude. He joked that what you really need is systems experience as the car has something like 75 computer modules in it…..and they are all failing. And they aren’t cheap.

Made me realize how simple things were.
Distributor? Points? That kind of stuff!

Was thinking about when my cars started to change. I had a 73, 74 and 76 BMW 2002…..and they were simple. Soon thereafter……not as much.

Nostalgia……..

Here is my distributor story:

Had a 79 Honda Civic CVCC

Before a trip to from Wichita to Colorado, took it in to the dealer for a tune up.

Picked it up a day before the trip and they said they couldn't tune it up properly because the distributer was worn out (at about 50k miles). No call or anything.

Made the trip, engine lost power or quit several times, but was able to get going again by taking off distributor cap and wiggling things around. Put in a new distributor myself when I got home.

Due to this incident and a general lack of durability, Honda lost my business forever. Yes, I know the cars are better now, not sure about the dealers.