Friend looking to buy a 6

[canadian357]

Hey guys, I tried searching but my internet is absolutely fubar'd. I wholly understand if I get flamed for this thread, anyway, here goes.

I have a buddy who's family car (1995 Suzuki Swift) just got t-boned by a school bus and written off. They're searching for a new car and they found a 2004 Mazda6 at a Nissan stealership for $6,200. Here are the things wrong with it:

-No block heater (it gets depressingly, spirit-destroying-ly cold up here) - Dealer quote: $283.45
-Needs tires (4 in 215/55/R17s) - Dealer quote: $919.95 - Discounttiredirect.com: $564.00 shipped plus $12/tire to be mounted and balanced locally.
-Brake fluid flush (fluid dirty) - Dealer quote: $99.99 - Couple bottles of ATE SuperBlue, me, and some spare time.
-Recommended right front LCA (grease boot cracked) - Dealer quote: $397.90
-Clock radio display unit (digit missing? this is the dealer inspection report, not too sure about this point) - Dealer quote: $487.69
-Shifter knob (shifter knob broken, my friend said its the boot however and sounds like a retainer ring or something) - Dealer quote: $288.94 - Perfect excuse for a Speed6 knob and RedLine Goods boot: still less than $289.

Total (dealer): $2477.92

So, my stance is - tires, shift knob/boot/whatever it is, brake fluid, and block heater are all waaaay too expensive. Not sure on the LCA, I know a couple P5 guys like the Hardrace ones for $210 a pair. Not even sure if replacement is necessary but I wouldn't be super shocked. The clock radio - I dunno what to make of that. I'm sure I could find one used?

Is there anything else they should keep an eye out for, i.e. model specific issues? (P5s have door actuators, intakes, motor mounts, and sucky oil guzzling FS-DE's)

Thanks for your time guys.

 

[not yellow]

i don't recommend ever buying a used car from a dealership. it's a waste of money and a total gamble. if you want to buy used go private party one owner.

 

[canadian357]

This is $500 over dealer cost. They're getting it through a friend who works at the dealership. They have the purchase papers saying the dealer paid $5700 for the car.

 

[not yellow]

still no reason to pay a dealership $500 to sell you a car you could buy yourself.

 

[canadian357]

Not to be a dick here, man, but I don't really care. Its far cheaper than anything we can find for sale privately, and they're helping out a friend. I'm only worried about potential fixes for the radio display and LCA, as well as any model specific issues or things to be mindful of.

 

[not yellow]

Not to be a dick here, man, but I don't really care. Its far cheaper than anything we can find for sale privately, and they're helping out a friend. I'm only worried about potential fixes for the radio display and LCA, as well as any model specific issues or things to be mindful of.

no problem. i realize i'm not even answering your questions, i just have strong feelings about dealerships and used cars. i've bought/sold quite a few used cars and bought several new ones from dealers. in my experience there is no benefit in buying a used car from a dealership, in fact there are only downsides. the only possible upside is that they could potentially finance the car for you. i'm just trying to look out for you in steering you clear of the dealership. in my opinion the only reason to go to a dealer is to buy a brand new car.

i've never owned a MZ6 so i can address anything specific to that car. but you can definitely get a lot of the dealer recommended repairs for much less than their quote if you source your own parts and do you own labor.

 

[canadian357]

Fair enough, that's your opinion though. Like I said just looking for input pertaining to first gen 6's and the issues regarding this specific car.