Chrysler 300 M.......should I buy it?

[annamaria]

It's sounds like it was never maintained... Run!!!!![/QUOTE

Yes I think I will and fast!!!

 

[Nevermore1]

I don't know where you are located but if there is a Carmax nearby check them out for the trade-in. A few years ago we traded in my husbands old diesel truck and were expecting about $1k for it as it would only start when it felt like it (spent over $3k trying to fix it but no one could figure it out), would occasionally just shut off while going down the road and the wipers had a mind of their own. They did the appraisal (after it wouldn't initially start for them then after they shut it off it wouldn't start back up for them to get it out of the garage) and offered us $5,500 for it. We were more than a little shocked as I was worried we were going to have to pay someone to take it off our hands! Even if the engine in your car is gone it is still worth a lot to someone for parts as a lot of them are no longer being made. In other words even if it doesn't run it is worth more than $500 (I suspect the guy who offered to do a trade in will strip it for parts and make a couple thousand from it).

 

[annamaria]

I don't know where you are located but if there is a Carmax nearby check them out for the trade-in. A few years ago we traded in my husbands old diesel truck and were expecting about $1k for it as it would only start when it felt like it (spent over $3k trying to fix it but no one could figure it out), would occasionally just shut off while going down the road and the wipers had a mind of their own. They did the appraisal (after it wouldn't initially start for them then after they shut it off it wouldn't start back up for them to get it out of the garage) and offered us $5,500 for it. We were more than a little shocked as I was worried we were going to have to pay someone to take it off our hands! Even if the engine in your car is gone it is still worth a lot to someone for parts as a lot of them are no longer being made. In other words even if it doesn't run it is worth more than $500 (I suspect the guy who offered to do a trade in will strip it for parts and make a couple thousand from it).

Wow that was great! I feel a little more optimistic now, maybe it will be worth more. I think there might be a Carmax in the bigger cities. I live about 1 -2 hours from some of them. I live in TN. Problem is I don't have time and depended on borrowing a vehicle. Thank you for your suggestion.

 

[TheLost]

100K mile cars i would buy..
Toyota - Check
Honda - Check
Lexus (Toyota) - Check
Acura (Honda) - Check
Nissan - NO!!!
Infinity (Nissan) - NO!!!

Nissan sedan's from the 90's - early 2000's don't hold up well.. I've seen Pathfinder (SUV's) with 250k miles... but not a sedan i'd trust.

I found a great '98 Acura TL (2.5) w/130k miles for my son about a month ago locally for $1500 (didn't end up buying it though ). Don't forget to look at the up-scale versions of Toyota and Honda!

 

[Braineack]

I would not buy anything American made...

FTFY.

 

[D-B-J]

My '05 corolla had 145k on it and runs like a champ.


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[Braineack]

That amount of mileage is where you start needing to take me care on maintenance. seals fails, bushings fail, gaskets fail, mounts fail, exhaust starts to rust apart, catalyst element fails, wheel bearings fail, needs a new clutch, timing belt... it all adds up.

Our 130K Prelude still runs like a champ, but I've been spending much more time on it lately keeping it that way. My 23yo 130K miata runs just as well, but I never again want to maintain a car that long.

 

[sm4him]

Definitely take a pass and keep looking. My car was totaled in an accident last November (Toyota Camry, 1998).
For the money I got from the insurance company, plus the little I could add on my own, I was really NOT optimistic about my chances of finding anything that great.

Almost bought another Toyota, but it was a year older than mine had been. Seemed to be in really good condition, but was still at the top of my budget (3500) for a 16-year-old car.
A friend talked me out of buying it and said "you REALLY need to at least find something from this century." Seemed like a good point, so I kept looking. Well, my sister did. I *detest* car shopping, but she actually enjoys it, so she scoured Craigslist every day and sent me the "final cut" list.

What I learned is--the good cars ARE out there, for a decent price. But it takes looking. I have friends who got GREAT cars from CarMax, and some that had not such good experience. There's a local place near Alcoa, TN (since I don't know where in TN you are) called Doug Justus motors. I've heard very good things about them as well--I went there but didn't find one for me. I will say that I was impressed with the fact that my sister and I wandered their lot looking at cars and were NOT immediately assaulted by six salespeople out to make a buck. They were content to let us look at our pace and were available to help if needed.

The one I finally bought was off Craigslist, and it was just one of those "deals" that was just a literal answer to prayer. Got a 2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible with less than 75K miles on it, two owners--the second owner had it for most of its life. He was an elderly gentleman who only drove it to the grocery store and such and maintained it very well. He died about four months earlier and had absolutely NO heirs. His apartment manager had been given clearance by the attorney to sell it; since she had nothing invested in it, anything she made was a profit, and *I* got a great deal! I was really looking for another Toyota, or an Acura which I'd also had and LOVED--but I owned a Sebring (though not a convertible) before and had really been pleased with it.

The point is--the good cars are out there. DON'T SETTLE. Take a little extra time and find the "right" car for you.

 

[MGRPhoto]

You could probably get over $1,000 for your car from a scrap yard. If you can afford $150~$175 a month and drive less than 12,000miles/year you might want to look into leasing a compact. Never having to worry about another car issue is a huge weight and financial burden lifted off my shoulders. If something goes wrong with the car you just drop it off at the dealer. It's their car, it's their problem. I leased my 2012 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T for $139/mo. It was on the last day of the year though. It helps when you know what days they will basically give cars away.

 

[BobSaget]

Remember buying used, especially with high mileage, is a crap shoot. I wouldn't worry about it being american made. Saying you wouldn't buy a car from an entire countries product line during an entire decade is pretty brash. At 150,000 I'm not surprised it needs a few things. if you can get the starter, sway bar and maybe an alignment repaired for pretty cheap and your mechanic sees no power-train issues, you might get decent transportation for a few years. Staying on top of maintenance and small problems is key with older cars. Good Luck!

 

[Braineack]

I'm still trying to figure out how a car breaks a sway bar...

 

[sm4him]

I'm still trying to figure out how a car breaks a sway bar...

I'm still trying to figure out what a sway bar even IS.
I am NOT a car person, if you can't tell.

 

[Braineack]

I'm still trying to figure out how a car breaks a sway bar...

I'm still trying to figure out what a sway bar even IS.
I am NOT a car person, if you can't tell.

it's a bar that attaches to the control arms to help minimize body roll during a corner by engaging the suspension on the other side.

 

[sm4him]

I'm still trying to figure out how a car breaks a sway bar...

I'm still trying to figure out what a sway bar even IS.
I am NOT a car person, if you can't tell.

it's a bar that attaches to the control arms to help minimize body roll during a corner by engaging the suspension on the other side.

Ah, okay, good to know, thanks.
What's a control arm? :lmao:

 

[Braineack]