New/Used SUV opinions requested

DLK150

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FWIW, I settled on a 2003 Mazda Tribute, 102K miles, very clean, for $4,000.

mazda.jpg

I had such a crappy run of luck. Found a 2000 GMC Envoy for $4,400 with an engine known to be reliable. Under 130,000 miles, still low for the year. I stopped by late one afternoon, kicked the tires on it and the sucker was decked out. Couple of dings and scratches, a little bit of surface rust on the chassis but nothing major. Didn't have time to test drive it and had a test drive scheduled for the next day. But. Our heat pump crapped the bed that night and I had to wait the next afternoon for our HVAC guy. Missed my appointment, called the dealer who told me it had walked off the lot a couple hours earlier. Dang.

The next week, I found an ad for a 2001 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer, similar mileage to the Envoy, looked great, decked out to the nines and it was $4,000 at one dealer around here known for good, cheap cars at low prices. It was after hours, so I called the next afternoon and the guy told me it was sold that morning. He had a 2003 Trailblazer with relatively low miles for $3,500 but it had a deep dent in the one front fender that looked like someone took a sledge hammer to it. Also, it had a crack in the windshield, tires with maybe 20% tread, it was leaking fluids somewhere and I kept seeing dollar signs flying by. So, crap.

The next week, I found a 2004 Buick Rendevous with only 97K miles for $5,000. Called the dealer and it was there. I couldn't get up there right away but made it about four hours later. Gone. Son. Of. A. Bitch.

So, I stumbled across this Tribute and after checking it over, test driving it and having a mechanic friend check it out, pulled the trigger. After like two months and over $100 on Carfax reports, I finally found something decent.

During the process, found a good site for checking vehicles out called Car Complaints, good info there. When I was thinking about the Explorer I was thinking "Ehhhh, it's an Explorer, those things have tons of issues." Checked this site and saw that 2001 was the last decent year for Explorers before they started having all the problems. Trying to figure out why, I found out 2001 was the last year for the 2nd generation Explorers and the last year that they used the 302 Ford Windsor engine, which this SUV had, that they had been using since the 60s. The '02, '03, 04 and '06 Explorers took up 4 of the top 15 spots in their worst car ratings. I passed on several other vehicles after checking the site out because they had a lot of complaints despite looking decent, low miles and being priced decent. Even though I didn't end up with that Explorer, I wouldn't have even bothered researching it without this site. http://www.carcomplaints.com/
 

L.T. Fan

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FWIW, I settled on a 2003 Mazda Tribute, 102K miles, very clean, for $4,000.

View attachment 355

I had such a crappy run of luck. Found a 2000 GMC Envoy for $4,400 with an engine known to be reliable. Under 130,000 miles, still low for the year. I stopped by late one afternoon, kicked the tires on it and the sucker was decked out. Couple of dings and scratches, a little bit of surface rust on the chassis but nothing major. Didn't have time to test drive it and had a test drive scheduled for the next day. But. Our heat pump crapped the bed that night and I had to wait the next afternoon for our HVAC guy. Missed my appointment, called the dealer who told me it had walked off the lot a couple hours earlier. Dang.

The next week, I found an ad for a 2001 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer, similar mileage to the Envoy, looked great, decked out to the nines and it was $4,000 at one dealer around here known for good, cheap cars at low prices. It was after hours, so I called the next afternoon and the guy told me it was sold that morning. He had a 2003 Trailblazer with relatively low miles for $3,500 but it had a deep dent in the one front fender that looked like someone took a sledge hammer to it. Also, it had a crack in the windshield, tires with maybe 20% tread, it was leaking fluids somewhere and I kept seeing dollar signs flying by. So, crap.

The next week, I found a 2004 Buick Rendevous with only 97K miles for $5,000. Called the dealer and it was there. I couldn't get up there right away but made it about four hours later. Gone. Son. Of. A. Bitch.

So, I stumbled across this Tribute and after checking it over, test driving it and having a mechanic friend check it out, pulled the trigger. After like two months and over $100 on Carfax reports, I finally found something decent.

During the process, found a good site for checking vehicles out called Car Complaints, good info there. When I was thinking about the Explorer I was thinking "Ehhhh, it's an Explorer, those things have tons of issues." Checked this site and saw that 2001 was the last decent year for Explorers before they started having all the problems. Trying to figure out why, I found out 2001 was the last year for the 2nd generation Explorers and the last year that they used the 302 Ford Windsor engine, which this SUV had, that they had been using since the 60s. The '02, '03, 04 and '06 Explorers took up 4 of the top 15 spots in their worst car ratings. I passed on several other vehicles after checking the site out because they had a lot of complaints despite looking decent, low miles and being priced decent. Even though I didn't end up with that Explorer, I wouldn't have even bothered researching it without this site. http://www.carcomplaints.com/
I have a 2001 Explorer Sport. Bought it new 15 years ago. It has been a good vehicle for me but it only has 57000 miles on it. I mostly just drive it locally to the golf course and such. To bad you couldn't find one like this.
 

Rev

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I have a 2001 Explorer Sport. Bought it new 15 years ago. It has been a good vehicle for me but it only has 57000 miles on it. I mostly just drive it locally to the golf course and such. To bad you couldn't find one like this.
You could have sold him yours!
 

Jiggyfly

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FWIW, I settled on a 2003 Mazda Tribute, 102K miles, very clean, for $4,000.

View attachment 355

I had such a crappy run of luck. Found a 2000 GMC Envoy for $4,400 with an engine known to be reliable. Under 130,000 miles, still low for the year. I stopped by late one afternoon, kicked the tires on it and the sucker was decked out. Couple of dings and scratches, a little bit of surface rust on the chassis but nothing major. Didn't have time to test drive it and had a test drive scheduled for the next day. But. Our heat pump crapped the bed that night and I had to wait the next afternoon for our HVAC guy. Missed my appointment, called the dealer who told me it had walked off the lot a couple hours earlier. Dang.

The next week, I found an ad for a 2001 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer, similar mileage to the Envoy, looked great, decked out to the nines and it was $4,000 at one dealer around here known for good, cheap cars at low prices. It was after hours, so I called the next afternoon and the guy told me it was sold that morning. He had a 2003 Trailblazer with relatively low miles for $3,500 but it had a deep dent in the one front fender that looked like someone took a sledge hammer to it. Also, it had a crack in the windshield, tires with maybe 20% tread, it was leaking fluids somewhere and I kept seeing dollar signs flying by. So, crap.

The next week, I found a 2004 Buick Rendevous with only 97K miles for $5,000. Called the dealer and it was there. I couldn't get up there right away but made it about four hours later. Gone. Son. Of. A. Bitch.

So, I stumbled across this Tribute and after checking it over, test driving it and having a mechanic friend check it out, pulled the trigger. After like two months and over $100 on Carfax reports, I finally found something decent.

During the process, found a good site for checking vehicles out called Car Complaints, good info there. When I was thinking about the Explorer I was thinking "Ehhhh, it's an Explorer, those things have tons of issues." Checked this site and saw that 2001 was the last decent year for Explorers before they started having all the problems. Trying to figure out why, I found out 2001 was the last year for the 2nd generation Explorers and the last year that they used the 302 Ford Windsor engine, which this SUV had, that they had been using since the 60s. The '02, '03, 04 and '06 Explorers took up 4 of the top 15 spots in their worst car ratings. I passed on several other vehicles after checking the site out because they had a lot of complaints despite looking decent, low miles and being priced decent. Even though I didn't end up with that Explorer, I wouldn't have even bothered researching it without this site. http://www.carcomplaints.com/
Congrats.

The Tribute is basically the Ford Escape right?

Thanks for that complaint site, I will be in the market for a used Nissan 300z in the near future I have always loved the late 90's body style but I need to know what to look out for.
 

DLK150

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I have a 2001 Explorer Sport. Bought it new 15 years ago. It has been a good vehicle for me but it only has 57000 miles on it. I mostly just drive it locally to the golf course and such. To bad you couldn't find one like this.
We have a '93 Bonneville with 109,000 on it it and it's a damn reliable car but my better half has let different people borrow it in the past and they abused it so it was getting long in the tooth. Missing out on that Explorer was my second biggest disappointment followed by the Envoy but that's life. It's rare to find a used vehicle with low miles around here for lower $$$, though without going to a private party. Saw a few on Craigslist but determined they were scams.
 

DLK150

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Congrats.

The Tribute is basically the Ford Escape right?

Thanks for that complaint site, I will be in the market for a used Nissan 300z in the near future I have always loved the late 90's body style but I need to know what to look out for.
Yep but it had fewer issues than comparable Escapes. That's probably partly because it was manufactured at a different facility and probably had lower sales volume. I wanted to stay with an American brand but figured, "Well, it's paid off so I'm not giving my money to a Japanese company, I'm giving it to an American used car dealer and it was built here, so WTF, why not?" Plus, I trust my mechanic friend a lot, he's a freaking vehicle encyclopedia that can tell you almost anything about any car made in the last fifty years.

That complaint site was a great help. I kept a list of different ones that I was interested in that denoted the "good" years for different models. I checked out a few but it turned out to be a particular year that it would say "Clunker Alert" or "Avoid Like the Plague". :lol It's not the end all be all but it's still helpful. You can see that as they changed over time with different revisions or generations how some developed major problems that were evidently gradually addressed.

I liked the old Datsun/Nissan Z cars myself, particularly the 280ZX. I had a friend that owned one of the black and gold 10th anniversary editions and even though the gold was a little overbearing for me as a look, it was a nice car.
 

Jiggyfly

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Yep but it had fewer issues than comparable Escapes. That's probably partly because it was manufactured at a different facility and probably had lower sales volume. I wanted to stay with an American brand but figured, "Well, it's paid off so I'm not giving my money to a Japanese company, I'm giving it to an American used car dealer and it was built here, so WTF, why not?" Plus, I trust my mechanic friend a lot, he's a freaking vehicle encyclopedia that can tell you almost anything about any car made in the last fifty years.

That complaint site was a great help. I kept a list of different ones that I was interested in that denoted the "good" years for different models. I checked out a few but it turned out to be a particular year that it would say "Clunker Alert" or "Avoid Like the Plague". :lol It's not the end all be all but it's still helpful. You can see that as they changed over time with different revisions or generations how some developed major problems that were evidently gradually addressed.

I liked the old Datsun/Nissan Z cars myself, particularly the 280ZX. I had a friend that owned one of the black and gold 10th anniversary editions and even though the gold was a little overbearing for me as a look, it was a nice car.
Those older 240Z and 260Z are really becoming collectible if I had the money and storage I would find a good early model 280 and sit on it, they will be worth something in another 5 years or so.

If you have a good mechanic that's worth it's weight in gold when buying used cars.
 

DLK150

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Those older 240Z and 260Z are really becoming collectible if I had the money and storage I would find a good early model 280 and sit on it, they will be worth something in another 5 years or so.

If you have a good mechanic that's worth it's weight in gold when buying used cars.
Yeah, I liked the Z series when they first came out with the 240Z because they were different from what was available to the layman at the time but in those days there still weren't many foreign cars around. I had a buddy who once said "I don't know why you'd want some Jap furrin' car". :)

I know a couple of mechanics, guys that can basically smell something and tell what's wrong with it and yeah, it comes in handy. I know my way around a vehicle but these guys are basically car whisperers.

When I was looking, I came across a '67 Pontiac Catalina for $6,000 that was almost cherry, the guy had lost his job and needed quick cash. Gorgeous car that I had to talk myself off the ledge from because it wasn't what I was supposed to be looking for. It helped that the guy had painted the chrome grill so it was kind of monotone and I like chrome. He's still got it for sale but dropped it to $5,500.

catalina.jpg
 

L.T. Fan

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Yeah, I liked the Z series when they first came out with the 240Z because they were different from what was available to the layman at the time but in those days there still weren't many foreign cars around. I had a buddy who once said "I don't know why you'd want some Jap furrin' car". :)

I know a couple of mechanics, guys that can basically smell something and tell what's wrong with it and yeah, it comes in handy. I know my way around a vehicle but these guys are basically car whisperers.

When I was looking, I came across a '67 Pontiac Catalina for $6,000 that was almost cherry, the guy had lost his job and needed quick cash. Gorgeous car that I had to talk myself off the ledge from because it wasn't what I was supposed to be looking for. It helped that the guy had painted the chrome grill so it was kind of monotone and I like chrome. He's still got it for sale but dropped it to $5,500.

View attachment 356
Word of caution. Don't pay a premium price for a collector car and anticipate using it as your regular driving car. Couple of problems. 1. Generally you cannot insure it for the value or what you paid without a special binder. They are hard to get and usually have a clause that states it isn't used as a primary vehicle. 2. If you insure the vehicle on a regular policy chances are if you have an accident and make a claim it will be totaled for a fraction of what you paid. In addition lenders will not finance these type cars as a rule and certainly not wither a cash value clause I mention in item 1. These type vehicles are fine for having a hobby horse but not as primary transportation.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Word of caution. Don't pay a premium price for a collector car and anticipate using it as your regular driving car. Couple of problems. 1. Generally you cannot insure it for the value or what you paid without a special binder. They are hard to get and usually have a clause that states it isn't used as a primary vehicle. 2. If you insure the vehicle on a regular policy chances are if you have an accident and make a claim it will be totaled for a fraction of what you paid. In addition lenders will not finance these type cars as a rule and certainly not wither a cash value clause I mention in item 1. These type vehicles are fine for having a hobby horse but not as primary transportation.
For $5,500.00 I'm not sure most of that would matter much. It's a very pretty car for that price. Unfortunately I don't have any more space for toys. Between the boat, jetski, car and truck I'm out of space.
 

L.T. Fan

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For $5,500.00 I'm not sure most of that would matter much. It's a very pretty car for that price. Unfortunately I don't have any more space for toys. Between the boat, jetski, car and truck I'm out of space.
It would matter to some who were tight on the budget and it was soaked for a vehicle that would virtually become worthless with just a fender bender an insurance company would consider totaled.
 

Cowboysrock55

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It would matter to some who were tight on the budget and it was soaked for a vehicle that would virtually become worthless with just a fender bender an insurance company would consider totaled.
I would think most people don't pay for full coverage on a vehicle whose value is $5,500 or less. But maybe that is just me.
 

L.T. Fan

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I would think most people don't pay for full coverage on a vehicle whose value is $5,500 or less. But maybe that is just me.
We aren't talking the same language. A regular policy would only allow the insurance carrier to pay the blue book value. On a vehicle that is old o matter the condition will have the same value. Example: 1965 Pontiac actual cash value $1200.00. If you paid a premium price for a restored 65 Pontiac say $5000.00 and drove it a month and some one ran into you and caved in the door, the adjuster would total it at $1200.00 Even though you paid $5000.00 a month before. If it was your only transportation you would be in a bind.
 

L.T. Fan

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I would think most people don't pay for full coverage on a vehicle whose value is $5,500 or less. But maybe that is just me.
I hear this and its probably true and that's why I am say if dot pay a premium for a old car unless you can afford a hobby car. If it is your primary transportation you are really gambling.
 

DLK150

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Word of caution. Don't pay a premium price for a collector car and anticipate using it as your regular driving car. Couple of problems. 1. Generally you cannot insure it for the value or what you paid without a special binder. They are hard to get and usually have a clause that states it isn't used as a primary vehicle. 2. If you insure the vehicle on a regular policy chances are if you have an accident and make a claim it will be totaled for a fraction of what you paid. In addition lenders will not finance these type cars as a rule and certainly not wither a cash value clause I mention in item 1. These type vehicles are fine for having a hobby horse but not as primary transportation.
Oh, I never really gave the Catalina serious consideration because I was looking for 4WD/utility, I just have a soft spot for the older cars and I wasn't looking to through a lender, I was paying cash.

We actually already own a '79 Coupe DeVille with under 90K miles and if anything, I would put money into bringing it up to snuff. It would probably only take $3,000 or so to get it looking and driving like new but since we rarely drive it, I would probably sell it before putting money into it. It costs next to nothing to insure it but we had a pain in the ass getting it titled with the state(It was her father's and was passed on to us when he died) because if I remember right, its VIN preceded standardization of VINs in the early 80s so it is formatted differently and the people at the BMV couldn't figure out how to get the system to accept the VIN. We spent hours on the phone with them trying to get it cleared up.

Been down the road of having a vehicle totaled just last year when we were in a little fender bender with our '93 Bonneville. Crumpled the hood a bit, destroyed the passenger side headlight and turn signal. The insurance agency sent someone out to assess it and said it would cost $3,100 to repair it and since that's more than the book value, they wanted to total it. BS. We did a buyback on it, took it to our body guy who fixed the hood and replaced the lights for $250. You can hardly tell it was in an accident and we got a check for $1,800 that paid for it and then some. No plans to sell it, no big deal, no change to our insurance because it was deemed a no fault accident.
 

Jiggyfly

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Oh, I never really gave the Catalina serious consideration because I was looking for 4WD/utility, I just have a soft spot for the older cars and I wasn't looking to through a lender, I was paying cash.

We actually already own a '79 Coupe DeVille with under 90K miles and if anything, I would put money into bringing it up to snuff. It would probably only take $3,000 or so to get it looking and driving like new but since we rarely drive it, I would probably sell it before putting money into it. It costs next to nothing to insure it but we had a pain in the ass getting it titled with the state(It was her father's and was passed on to us when he died) because if I remember right, its VIN preceded standardization of VINs in the early 80s so it is formatted differently and the people at the BMV couldn't figure out how to get the system to accept the VIN. We spent hours on the phone with them trying to get it cleared up.

Been down the road of having a vehicle totaled just last year when we were in a little fender bender with our '93 Bonneville. Crumpled the hood a bit, destroyed the passenger side headlight and turn signal. The insurance agency sent someone out to assess it and said it would cost $3,100 to repair it and since that's more than the book value, they wanted to total it. BS. We did a buyback on it, took it to our body guy who fixed the hood and replaced the lights for $250. You can hardly tell it was in an accident and we got a check for $1,800 that paid for it and then some. No plans to sell it, no big deal, no change to our insurance because it was deemed a no fault accident.
What shape is the Coupe in?

I think those caddies are about to start being worth something in good shape with just some minimal work done.
 

DLK150

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What shape is the Coupe in?

I think those caddies are about to start being worth something in good shape with just some minimal work done.
The body and engine are sound considering it's basically all original except for a newer radiator. Some surface rust and a couple of small spots that would need to be filled but our body guy would clean everything up and paint it for $750. We've dealt with him for 30 years and trust completely trust him.

The transmission needs to be rebuilt and we know someone that would do that for only $1,000. The rest is interior cosmetics. It has just sat there for over two years but I jump started it and had it running in ten minutes just yesterday. I was frankly amazed it started so easily but they still really built *cars* in those days. As it sits, it's probably worth $1,500 or so, with the transmission addressed, it's probably worth $4,000.
 
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