About To Make My Final Offer... Eeek!

[tresola]

Well, I think I've settled on making an offer for an '01 SLEV6. It has 156k and the guy is willing to come down a little from his $5900. I was thinking of offering $5000-5200. The car had had a paint job, but they screwed up and we are going to have them redo the car. The other bad I'll have to repair is the valve cover gaskets (I'm assuming this means absolutely nada to a v6), do a few fluid flushes and do a little rear sway bar work. The older gentleman who owns the car has already had the brakes, timing belt, water pump, tires and spark plugs replaced not too long ago. He had all the work done at a single garage, and I can get the records if I want them.

I think in the price range I'm looking at, there will be a few fixes needed here and there, that goes along with the higher miles. But the rest of the car is very sound. Am I being a fool for making an offer? The NADA/Edmunds value is actually in the $5500-6500 range.

I am playing two sides to this- I can spend more on a car, get into the $6-8000 range, but most of those cars haven't been touched and will at the very least need a timing belt and some fluid flushes. Or, I can pay a bit less for a vehicle, make a few small repairs, and enjoy not having a high car payment. These cars last over 200k, and I've already gotten the thumbs up from a really thorough mechanic. He was the one to point out the car was repainted, he said it struck him immediately. Its not obvious to the average joe, I missed it and I thought I was pretty keen.

So, what do you think, guys? Do I go for it, and what's a reasonable price to settle on?

[mazen222]

i dont have time to read your hole text, but put in your mind that what ever offer u give, there's a very good chance he will counteroffer with ~200 more

GL

[yaddadaimsayin]

that's when you say "ok thanks for your time" and start walking away and he'll say "ok ok ok".

I bought my car for a full grand less because of that. I think I got lucky, but in these harsh economic times, any money is good money! good luck with your offer.

[D-money]

i paid 7600 for mine a couple years ago but it was in mint condish with 90,000 mi i love it. i think it is important to know why it was painted but i think 5300 is resonable considering replacing the valve seals is going to cost you 400 bucks unless you do it yourself

[tresola]

Yeah that's what I'm thinking. I would otherwise shy away from a repainted vehicle, but I'm getting the chance to go to the shop and to tell them they do it right. Then I won't have to worry about paint problems for a long time. Except I won't be able to detail it for a couple of months, waaah!

I should just stick to my guns here, and hope he'll come down. I think he's had it for sale for awhile; there was snow in the picture. He's not willing to come to terms with the mechanical flaws, and he said he otherwise wouldn't touch any of the leaks. Well, I don't think its something you ought to ignore, so I'm knocking down the price because of it. We can more than likely fix the return hose on the power steering ourselves, but the last part that needs immediate attention is the rear end suspension.

If its meant to be, we'll reach an agreement. I was kind of hoping to play the broke-young-chic-going-through-a-hardship-looking-to-return-to-college-and-needs-a-break-on-an-overpriced-but-good-car card. I'm just not sure how to do it. The guy could almost be my grampa!

[yaddadaimsayin]

haha!! well now that you've inspected the car and know what needs fixing, why don't you make a list of it, then show him the cost of all parts + repair, and try to convince him, politely, to not lower it by the dollar amount, but at least a fraction of it? Just find a way to get in his good graces. Grampas need lovin too!

[tresola]

haha!! well now that you've inspected the car and know what needs fixing, why don't you make a list of it, then show him the cost of all parts + repair, and try to convince him, politely, to not lower it by the dollar amount, but at least a fraction of it? Just find a way to get in his good graces. Grampas need lovin too!

I hear ya! I am so hoping I didn't insult him when I last spoke with him. I was polite when I went over what my mechanic found. The guy got all mad and said he'd take it to his own mechanic. Actually, he did and we're going to discuss his findings tonight. The problem is he went to a gas station mechanic, I went to a reputable shop backed by AAA. The guy's mechanic I think told him not to bother with the leaks while my mechanic suggests things get fixed before they get worse. I was also trying to be nice about hearing about the bad paint job. I nicely said the mechanic noticed a couple of runs in the paint and I was wondering if there was a warranty on the work done. The guy was a little offended again. Like I said, he's older and it sounded like he used to teach electronics or something like that. My bf wonders how he missed some of the mechanics.

I'll have to figure out how to change my tone a bit and make it sound reasonable to expect a little off in order to get the problems fixed. My mechanic said if you didn't fix the valve cover leak, it could leak on the exhaust manifold and become a fire hazard. Now, who believes that, it does sound quite dramatic.

Please keep shooting suggestions my way, I appreciate it! Bargaining's a bitch, no matter what!

[DaZanY4002]

Maybe it's just me but $5900 for a 156K Solara seems a lil bit on the high side imo, but I pick everything up on sale... Offering $5000 shouldn't seem like an insult though. If you've been polite and respectful the entire time and he's the 180 degrees of that, walk back to your car with middle fingers to the skies. I'm playing, but I don't think you should have reason to feel bad for making the offer of $5000.

[youngblood]

I was just wondering how much body work you planned to have done to the car. Are you repainting a fender or two, or are you talking a complete re-spray of the entire car? Have you received a quote for the work? I only ask because I find that people grossly under-estimate the price of a decent paint job. It's hard to imagine this car being a good deal if you require all new paint to be happy with it.

[tresola]

I was just wondering how much body work you planned to have done to the car. Are you repainting a fender or two, or are you talking a complete re-spray of the entire car? Have you received a quote for the work? I only ask because I find that people grossly under-estimate the price of a decent paint job. It's hard to imagine this car being a good deal if you require all new paint to be happy with it.

he's got a warranty on the job, so i'll make them do a total redo, and i will inspect before i accept the job. i cannot believe anyone would settle for a shoddy job its sad.

[grnsolara]

I'm still in favor of keeping your options open.

I don't know about you guys, but it always seems as soon as you settle for a "meh it's alright" car, the perfect car comes along at the perfect price. I know it's hard as heck, because when you're car searching you JUST WANT TO GET IT OVER WITH...lol...but a little patience pays off big.

I just can't say it enough either...make sure you get what you want for what you think to be a reasonable price. Don't settle on things that you can see wrong with the car, because there's always plenty of disappointing things that you don't see. That's just my opinion after purchasing quite a few cars myself and helping friends purchase cars over the years...and also listening to some veteran mechanic friends of mine.

[tresola]

well, the deal's done at $5200. in my heart i knew this was the right car for me. it needs just a little work here and there, but nothing major. and the paint job will be redone to my satisfaction. i could keep looking for the perfect car, but it may never come, and in the meantime i've got a car with serious issues and paying alot on. it will be nice to be able to park my car & get it sold while i enjoy the new toy. and ive got 90 days no payments arrangement with my bank, nice!

i'll post pics whenever i get my new baby, possibly tomorrow night or saturday.

[yaddadaimsayin]

congratulations!! you are now officially a belonging member of SG.

[grnsolara]

Congrats! I hope it all irons out easy for you.

[tresola]

thanks! and thanks for the help & support. i am starting to freak out about what i've just done! i really like my car but i just dont see moving forward in my life with it. whatever i move on to next! i'll have to talk with my bank about the two cars thing. i'd love to have both, but i couldnt afford to at the current rate.