Buying a car from Jersey?

[Josue6WGN]

Hey guys...I'm wanting to upgrade from my P5 to a 6 Wagon. They're few and far between around here though, at least in my price range, so I have to venture out to other states. There's a nice looking one in Plainfield, NJ that I'd be interested, but I'm not sure of what to expect? Do you guys get bad winters too? Salt on the roads and whatnot? Do Jersey cars rust out a lot?

My P5 came from TN, so it's pretty much the cleanest, rust free P5 around here. lol I know I won't be able to afford a 6 Wagon that clean though, but as long as there are no rust holes and whatnot, I'd be ok with that. A more practical car is more important right now than a rust free one, we have a girl due in June.

And if anyone is near the Plainfield area, and would be available to maybe check the car out for me so I don't make a 8hr drive for a polished up turd, I'd GREATLY appreciate it!

 

[DiS]

Yeah, rust is something you want to look out for. My 2003 Protege (I'm the original owner) has developed 2-3 real nice rust spots over the past years, and one of them is RIGHT on the bottom of the frame rail (pass. side) right next to the rear wheel. At some point I'll have to weld a new piece of frame rail in there.....

Although any car is a subject to rust, it just depends on how you take care of it..... My step-dad used to have one of thoe Daewoo station wagons. They were famous for rusting. Although his was SPOTLESS when it came to rust. He always waxed it twice a year, before and after winter (undercarriage as well), and NEVER EVER had a single rust spot, not on the body panels and not on the frame.

 

[Josue6WGN]

Exactly. If someone doesn't wash their car once during winter, then it will likely rust quicker than someone who takes the time to at least spray the salt off once a week or something. lol

I found someone to check the car out for me tomorrow, so we'll see which one it is! It's got aftermarket mirrors on it though, so I'm guessing it might've been owned by an enthusiast who hopefully took care of it.

 

[CTt3P5]

Hey Josh, any luck with this one? Sorry, but couldn't get out there with my schedule.

 

[Josue6WGN]

No worries, Jeff!

I had someone I know from a Trailblazer forum I'm on check the car out. He actually worked in the next town over, so he was able to go on his lunch break. Overall, I guess the car doesn't seen too bad. He said the exterior pics were misleading, but went on to tell me that only things wrong were; a scratch below the driver side door handle, scratches on either side of the front bumper on the lower part, it didn't fit that well to the fender on one side, and a scratch on the rear bumper. No dents, no rust (I don't think he checked as thoroughly as I will though, even though I told him the areas I wanted him to look at) So, if that's all that's wrong with the body, then that's a good thing for an 8 year old car! I'm not concerned with the bumper either, I've seen a lot of 6's that the bumper brackets get worn out and the bumper doesn't fit too well.

He also kept mentioning "mechanical issues", but only went on to describe how rusty the front rotors were, and the battery terminals had corrosion around them and the battery would probably need replaced. So, what....$150 for front brakes and a battery? Again, hardly "mechanical issues". He just kept saying he didn't think the car's been taken care of that well?

He said the interior was very clean, and the car started right up and seemed to run fine. Although, it appears that the CEL is on in one of the pictures. I wouldn't go more than $7000 OTD for it, maybe even less because of my travel expenses. It IS my favorite choice right now though, love the color, love the interior colors, and it's an auto. Wasn't really looking for a 5sp, but I'm not steering away from them either.

I'm going to look at a semi-local one tomorrow night, about 2 hrs from home. Original owner '04, Silver, black leather, heated seats, 5sp, 60K miles, new clutch and new brakes. Guy came down from $9250 to $8250 already, because I told him $8000 was my max. If the car REALLY impresses me, then I wouldn't mind spending the extra $250, but we'll see. My other choice was a White '04 in North Carolina. 5sp, black heated leather, and only 82K on it....probably talk him down to $7000 at least. New clutch and new tires...but then I'm spending more money to go get the car, so what am I saving really?

I keep asking myself though, why do these low mileage cars need clutches already?! lol In any case, I'm going to run carfax's on my choices and go from there. I don't like buying from small used car lots like the one in Jersey, but if the car checks out, then that's all that matters. Same with private owners...