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03-11-2013, 04:51 PM | #106 | |
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Quote:
Trust the mechanic you took it to, and here is why. When I first opened my repair shop, the first order of business for me, long before advertising, was to run down to EVERY small/medium sized car dealership (not major dealerships, mainly smaller privately owned lots) and setup business arrangements with them, even if they did have an 8 dollar an hour mechanic on site. I offered them GREAT labor pricing, free inspections, and free pickup, since most were just down the street from me. I'm a pretty savvy businessman so I had deals setup left and right at my shop, and on day 2 had the first cars roll in, long before I even had signs hung. What I then learned, was a bit more about the business than I thought I did. 1. Most of these smaller dealership cars are auction cars picked up from towlots or insurance auctions that have some faults and couldn't be sold immediately. 2. The smaller dealers didn't always want EVERYTHING fixed, some things they were okay without. 3. They deal strictly in bulk, rather than on an individual basis when getting repairs. They won't fork out $2,500 dollars for a repair if the car is worth $7,000, but they will spend 250 dollars to cover it up. One dealership in particular, which I cannot name for legal reasons, would bring me 5-10 cars at a time, with a budget of $1,800 dollars out the door. Seems like a lot, right? Considering that these guys wanted a base amount of jobs done on each one, Oil Changes, Transmission/Coolant flushes, and Tire rotations if needed (just as an example of a few jobs), it didn't leave a lot of room for major repairs. I cannot count on my hands or feet, how many times I was told NOT to do a repair because it was too costly, by the same dealer within a single month or two, with me knowing full well that this car will be in my shop or somebody's shop within weeks of it being sold. I didn't like that part of the business one bit, and have since decided that I will NEVER buy from a smaller dealership, ever, unless I've worked on the car personally or have a great working relationship with them. |
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03-11-2013, 05:02 PM | #107 |
Shaken. Not stirred.
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thanks for that extremely informative post Exoter!!!
Of course, now my son is back on that Camaro. Kind of hoping the owner refuses to let me take it to a mechanic.
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03-11-2013, 05:04 PM | #108 |
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I wouldn't imagine that should be a terrible problem, I'd let you do it with my stuff. Then again I wouldn't be hiding anything lol.
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03-12-2013, 05:43 PM | #109 |
Shaken. Not stirred.
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This is so damned frustrating. Found two other cars that looked great and both got decimated by the mechanic.
Still haven't checked out the Camaro further because it isn't really the option I want for my son. I'm spending more money on ruling cars out than I prefer.
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My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done. Such as, drinking Dom Perignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs. |
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03-12-2013, 05:49 PM | #110 |
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Sorry the Intrigue didn't work out. I agree with Bug that it sounds like normal $3000 used car stuff but I can understand being leery.
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03-12-2013, 06:00 PM | #111 |
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Doesn't help that we hit a grand slam with the 1996 Grand Am we found him last year. Before he wrecked the damn thing. Mechanic passed that one with flying colors.
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My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done. Such as, drinking Dom Perignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs. |
Posts: 65,617
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03-12-2013, 06:03 PM | #112 |
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What's your mechanic charging per inspection?
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03-12-2013, 06:03 PM | #113 |
Mahomes Fanboi
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I haven't read through this thread but I have to say choosing between those two cars is like having to choose between Matt cassel and Alex smith. Both are Giant turds.
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03-12-2013, 06:07 PM | #114 |
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goodyear was charging $50 when I did the Explorer. I switched to Big O after that. they are $23
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My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done. Such as, drinking Dom Perignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs. |
Posts: 65,617
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03-12-2013, 06:14 PM | #115 |
The Maintenance Guy
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03-12-2013, 06:18 PM | #116 |
Shaken. Not stirred.
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yeah, I would have purchased this 2001 Hyundai Sonota GLS without question without the mechanical inspection. Would have been a mistake.
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My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done. Such as, drinking Dom Perignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs. |
Posts: 65,617
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03-12-2013, 06:24 PM | #117 |
The Maintenance Guy
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I didn't know you ever looked at a Hyundai. I took a pretty big risk with my Dakota, I bought it in St Joe and wasn't going to screw with trying to coordinate with a mechanic. Only real surprise with it was the hack job the guy did replacing the catalytic converter. My van I bought from the original owners who I knew and they had all the service records so it was a no-brainer. If I was going to buy something off a car lot I would definitely get an inspection, especially after what Exoter said.
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03-12-2013, 07:01 PM | #118 |
Scarlett Johansson's boytoy
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03-12-2013, 07:07 PM | #119 |
The Maintenance Guy
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That may only be 2wd.
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03-12-2013, 07:20 PM | #120 |
Scarlett Johansson's boytoy
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according to Edmunds they were all 4WD.
http://www.edmunds.com/isuzu/rodeo/1998/ http://www.kbb.com/isuzu/rodeo/1998-isuzu-rodeo/ if even half the ad is true, this is a keeper. hard to gauge the KBB value not knowing the details though.
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