Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.



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Subject Topic: Used Car Buying Tips Post ReplyPost New Topic
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guitarnan
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Posted: Aug 21 2010 at 9:55pm | IP Logged Quote guitarnan
I'm guessing Robin is not the only person who's car shopping these days. (We always are, as three of our four working vehicles have over 150K miles on them...) If you've bought a used car and have helpful tips to share, that would be great!

My tip is to find out if the timing belt is the original one. Most last 70K miles or so, and then they break. Older (1980s) cars had timing chains, but these days manufacturers use rubber belts. It is expensive to replace them (we've been quoted $450 - $700 for our 1996 Stratus). But a rebuilt engine - the only possible repair option once the timing belt breaks - is several times that. If your prospective purchase has the original timing belt, that's okay, but you'll want to find out how much to set aside for that repair and do it right around 70K miles.

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Paula in MN
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Posted: Aug 23 2010 at 7:27am | IP Logged Quote Paula in MN
It is worth the investment to have a CarFax report on the vehicle in question. You can also ask a trustworthy mechanic to look over the car before purchasing. Do internet searches on known problems on that make and model.

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Booksnbabes
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Posted: Aug 23 2010 at 11:44am | IP Logged Quote Booksnbabes
Check out craigslist. We've know of several among our extended family and friends who have gotten a great car for far less than one can find on the lot. Have a trustworthy mechanic check it out before buying, and perform any other checks (carfax, consumer reports, internet search for problems with that year/model, etc.) that you would on any used vehicle.

Also, people we know have traded services (he's skilled at painting and tile work) for a vehicle.

As Nancy noted, find out about the timing belt, and often the fuel pump will need replaced about the same time.

Check the tires--they can be an added expense you will need to factor into you cost.

Make sure to try out everything in the vehicle--heat, air, blinkers, radio, dome light, windows, mirrors, anything electrical. Electrical problems can be expensive to fix and hard to pinpoint. Check all door handles inside and out. Seems intuitive, but if you're shopping alone (is that allowed? ) , you might not think to try the back doors.

Check all features it is supposed to have--fold and slide all seats, buckle and unbuckle all seatbelts, etc.

Check compatibility with your carseats. Make sure you can install and uninstall them properly. Check trunk space to make sure you can fit anything you normally carry (stroller, etc.).

Test drive at a range of speeds with the radio off to notice any noises.

I suppose many of these things are obvious to most, but some of us might not think of them and might have had to figure them out by trial and error.



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