new P5....

[rookie5er]

hey people,
gonna buy a used P5 tomorrow...got a question.
has an Injen intake, Lo-profile tires(pretty good shape)and custom exhaust(sounds great!!)...has 40,000 miles...really curious about the low low price...10,500....NO body damage (except a one inch scratch and quarter sized dent). interior is mint..no moonroof, no leather, no CD changer, 5 speed, color is white(dont see too many of those) its a 2002, only had one owner, i thought i saw a puff of oil smoke from the tail when the dealer started it, other than those things, i cant think of anything else, but need help...is this too good to be true?...please ask me anything you can to help me figure this out, i want it really bad...i can have it delivered by Tuesday , but i need to know of there is anything that should stop me that I'm not seeing, being that I'm blinded by the love of the car.any help is appreciated!!!............future P5er

 

[MikeBlueP5]

40k is a good bit of miles for a 02' and oil smoke is never any good, id look elsewhere for another 2k or less you can get a better deal, possibly still warranty, leather moonroof, less miles, but its just my .02 worth.
Mike

 

[rookie5er]

well, lets assume it was purchased in model year '02(late 2001), does that change things?and about the smoke...could that be from sitting in the lot?, unstarted?

 

[MikeBlueP5]

I bought mine in early 02, like january or so, i have just over 20k miles on it. The smoke deal, I dont really see how it could be from sitting on the lot, not running. I would go back and tell them you want to test drive it again. Watch when they start it, see if it does it again. While driving does it smoke? If so this could be a bigger problem than sitting on the lot. It would be more likely a ring problem, but then again it could be from sitting for a while, but it would have to be a while. Also how long did it smoke, just a little puff, or a constant deal.
Mike

 

[rookie5er]

just a puff dude, thats why i said "i thought i saw", it was cool and damp here today, could have been condensation, you know?.....By the way, Hi mike, I'm Jay

 

[MikeBlueP5]

jay,
could have been condensation youre right. Could have been carbon from driving it easy and then parking it for a while. Hey its never a bad thing to be cautios of a $10k investment.

 

[rookie5er]

and no, I didnt see smoke when I was driving it, but it has tinted windows...

 

[Pro Fiz]

I'd rather be safe than sorry, and personally i wouldn't buy a car with modifications unless i knew the previous owner wasn't just a jerk who beat the snot out of it... good luck though, ask them to put it up on a lift and look around for signs of abuse, you shouldnt just buy a car without checking it out for your self...

 

[MikeBlueP5]

pro fiz is right, and thats kinda the point i was going for also. Specially knowing it has a intake and other stuff you mentioned.

 

[rookie5er]

signs of abuse.....?
please explain....I am car savvy, just need to know what to look for.
Carfax says there was only one owner, windows were tinted, just the back 3, not the fronts, kinda tells me it wasnt a kid, you know?
Carfax also said no accidents or anything....clean title........not sure here, and scared to go ahead with this deal now......i wanna be a P5 owner damnit!!!!LOL, ok, I trust you all, been reading for months.....I'm listening.......

 

[MikeBlueP5]

anything that looks odd, any fluids leaking, look in the engine compartment, look down in the oil filler(where the cap goes) how clean is that, that will tell you how often the oil was changed. if theres sludge then not often. when looking under the car, is there any signs of fluids running on the undercarraige of the car, as the wind usually blows them backwards when driving down the road, causing them to run like wet paint down the underbelly of the car so to speak. how badly are the tires worn, if bad then you know someone was spinning them, at 40k miles they should have changed the factory ones at about 30 or so so the ones on there should only have maybe 10k miles on them, so not too much wear. Also the shifter if its a manual how does it feel, loose like its been slammed in gear, if its a auto how does it shift, smooth, rough, at irratic rpm's. Just look for things that dont look right, or doesnt feel right. Steering is it tight, loose as a goose. Just do a thorough inspection hell what are they gonna do get mad at your for wasting their time, s*** i tell the salesman to bug off until i have made up my mind that its what i want anyways, they arent gonna sway my opinion in the least, all they do is get on my nerves because i know more about the car than they do. just take your time and if it looks good and feels good then go for it. Just think about the investment.
Mike

 

[rookie5er]

Mike,
It felt real good driving it, like i belonged there.I'll look for the oil pools/deposits, the engine was a little dirty, but I have a 161000 mile honda, so it looked good compared to that. Stick was really tight, accidentally spun the tires coming out of the dealership(road was dry), but its been a while since i drove a stick. it feels good to me, feels right, was basiclly asking if there was any surpises from Mazda i wasnt aware of. i.e. engine probs, tranny issues, etc, i wanna go ahead with the deal, and I wont hold any grudges for not listening to you guys, ok?LOL, I'm gonna get a P5 tomorrow damnit!!!!!!!
Jason

 

[MikeBlueP5]

hey, welcome to the club then, no hard feelings. Just doing what we are here for to look out for one another.
Mike

 

[rookie5er]

Thanks for your help guys.....gonna double check everything today before i sign anything, i'll keep you all posted and get some pics up as soon as I can......thanks again, Jay

 

[slenser]

I just bought my NEW 02 off the dealer lot for just over $12k. Might want to have a look around to see what else is out there.

 

[bazooka joe]

if you can, take it to your mechanic. pay him $50-$100 bucks to go through it and make certain your buying a solid car. 40K is a lot of miles, but i've got 37K on my 02 so it's not out of the question. joe

 

[rookie5er]

bought it......see "couldnt resist"but i need more, for new info....thanks for all your help!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bellevilleguy]

Welcome ........ You will be enjoying your P5 like the rest of us happy owners.

 

[SnowSerpent]

Just My 2 Cents

Personally I wouldnt but a car that already have mods. Think about it, if it has an intake and exhaust dont you think that person would want to see what the car could do? Also I find that the Protege5 doesnt have a high re-sale value.

 

[rookie5er]

i appreciate the welcome and as far as not buting a car with mods from someone else...what if it was your car, the one you own. and some guy said "ehh, you know, i like the car but, if you didnt do all this work to it and enjoy it, i would have bought it"
sometimes you just gotta say..."What the f***!"
besides, its that much more I have to spend on the sound system.
and dont get me wrong, I appreciate the 2 cents worth. Thanks dude!