Indeed! It’d be almost 2k/yr to have him on our insurance if he lived at home (big city). Though he’s on a ‘student away’ discount so it’s only like $300’ But even with adding on higher liability limits (because I don’t think the minimums are sufficient), it’ll be only like $500 a year for him. Benefits of rural life I guess.
Fortunately he already has residency in the state where he is at, so that makes all the logistics much easier.
Have you subscribed to CarFax? I really think it’s a must when looking at older and used cars. $100 (for 6 reports) could save thousands.
But be aware that not everything bad that can happen to a car may show up in a title search like CarFax or AutoCheck.
I.e. they can tell you if certain bad things have happened, but a “clean” report does not mean that you should let your guard down on any other inspection of the vehicle.
Carfax to me is a good investment for a snapshot into the car. Many people selling their cars will run it also and give a copy to you. Never hurts to ask if they have one.
But, if you know the mechanic maintaining the car, that is who I would be talking with. I got a great used car many years ago and the dealers shop manager told me the guy came in every 3,000 miles for 10 years. He sent me all the shop records and told me If I didn’t buy it I would be crazy. They were going to buy it and sell it for $5,000 more easily… I bought it that day ??.
If it’s just for the summer what about a street legal dirt bike? Suzuki DRZ 250 would probably fit the bill. You can find them all day long on Craigslist or other trader sites.
I had a Volvo S60. It sits low to the ground and is a poor choice for anything other than pavement. It was also quite expensive to maintain beyond the basic stuff. I kept it for about 11 years and didn’t consider another volvo when it was time for us to part. It was, however, a very comfortable ride.
@JustaMom Thanks for the CarFax tip! I used it right away for the car he is thinking of. A Honda Accord. I thought he might lean towards the truck, but he wants a smaller car.
Our older daughter drives the 2006 Kia Optima we bought used in 2008 as the “kids’ car”. 2006 is when the Kia and Hyundai did their revamping and became much better and more reliable. We’ve had very, very little go wrong with it. Based on some of the long-term tests in car magazines, they’re good brands. That said, the Rio is the very base model and may not be as good a vehicle as an Optima.
My in-laws had many a Buick, including a LeSabre. They are heavy, but the suspension could be described as cloud-like. Definitely a grandpa car, as my daughters described it. Neither wanted the 1999 LeSabre when grandpa gave up driving, FWIW.
Consider also a Mazda 3 or a Subaru.
Is he near a Midas? If you make an appointment, they will give a car that you are thinking of buying a look over for around $40.
Glad we did this…turns out that the used car that had a "clean " Carfax (we had a copy of it, no repairs listed) had had an entire front end rebuild. Midas showed us the different paint colors and the parts that had been replaced. You really can’t rely on Carfax, unfortunately. After this incident we verified this with a couple of people in the business. There are plenty of car repair shops that will not report their repairs to carfax.
We have a VW GtI and everyone in the family LOVES it. Both teens learned stick so they could drive it. Super reliable and very fun to drive. (Trying not to let on to 16yo son how much kick it has LOL)
A well-maintained Honda Accord is an excellent choice. ?
Ditto!
Triple Ditto ?..what I like to do with used cars if not from the dealer (I make them do this before buying)… Do an oil change. Check filters and replace the spark plugs. Have brakes checked and change the pads that need it. Of course check tire tread.
After this change the oil every 3,000 and that car should just last.
Great pick!
However, some things to be careful of:
I gave my son my 2004 Honda Accord. He drove it until he relocated in March 2020. He gave the car to a former roommate, who is an ordained minister. Still, a few years ago he put $$$ into the car. ( I was proud that he chose to give her the car, as she is a terrific person.).
My point is that I maintained it, as did my son.
My parents bought a 1996 buick lesabre new and drove it for many years. When my oldest son got his license he drove it until his other grandfather gave him his old pick up. He had a wreck and totaled the pickup(only liability) back in the fall so he is driving the buick again until he saves enough money to buy a newer used car. Of course there have been a few issues over the years but nothing that my dad couldn’t fix and it gets a lot better gas mileage than the pickup did.
Not necessarily. First, timing belts on any cars equipped with timing belts should be replaced according to manufacturer’s recommendations. That’s a no brainer. With the Toyota’s that I’ve owned, the recommendation has been every 90,000 miles.
Getting down in the weeds now. If the timing belt on an “interference engine” isn’t maintained, then that’s a engine that could have a catastrophic engine failure. That’s not the case with cars that come equipped with non-interference engines.
All Honda engines are interference engines, except 3.0L & 3.2 engines, which are non-interference engines.
In any case, that’s why I said a “well-maintained” Honda Accord. Any car, even the best, most reliable cars, will not be a good car purchase, if they’ve not been maintained well.
Well the seller of the Honda Accord has not gotten back to S, which gave me time to pore over the servicing records more. The car looks excellent and is newer (2010) but it looks like it has something up with the charging system that started probably around 100k (6 years old).
2016 - Electrical system checked - Battery replaced
Aug 2018 - Battery replaced
Nov 2019 - Battery/charging system checked - No-start/hard start condition checked
May 2020 - Battery replaced (per seller listing)
I am pretty sure the owner is the 2nd (or 3rd). First owner sold it in March 2020 (nearby state). Nothing on CarFax however after 1st owner reregistered in Nov 2019. The Mar 2020 listing for sale comes up on a VIN check and looks like it was probably a trade-in as it was listed at a dealer. The listed sale price for Mar 2020 is twice what it is now being listed as. The car has not been registered in the state where it’s being sold.
Hmm…it will be interesting to find out how the current owner acquired it.
Sounds like a car to avoid
We’ll see. Otherwise CarFax shows it had regular maintenance and not other problems. Timing belt change is due though.