Dealership recommendations

[mermaidcafe.livejournal.com]

Hi all--

I'm looking for a used car. I recently got burned with a bad one from an individual, so I was wondering if there were local dealerships known to be reliable and honest.

I'm looking for a reliable car, maybe 8-12 years old. Nothing flashy, I just need some life left in it, and stick or automatic are both fine. My budget is really low, though, which is the biggest obstacle. I know dealerships often take in trades that are sale-able at decent prices, but I don't know where to start.

Any suggestions?

If anybody here has a car for sale that fits these requirements, we should still talk; send me a message.

Comments

Cars

[bostonartist.livejournal.com]

Dealerships do not sell used cars in the age range that you are interested in. When they get cars that old as trade ins they just sell them at auctions or get rid of them through other channels. Your best bet is to look at a number of cars for sale from individuals and then take the best one to a good mechanic before buying to have it looked over.

[valadil.livejournal.com]

Boch's employees are pushy little shits though. At one point they wouldn't return my dad's credit card for over an hour. I'm not sure how this compares to other car dealers though. If you do go with Boch, threaten to walk out mid deal and they'll start making offers to keep you there.

[ceelove.livejournal.com]

I have a 92 Civic that I've always maintained well, stick, 173K, has had several bits replaced in the last year, will need a new radiator soon. I can show the service record, if that'll help reassure you. What's your budget range?

[mermaidcafe.livejournal.com]

I sent you a message through Live Journal's messaging feature thingy!

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if they would have something 8 years old, but i had a relatively good experience (they're still salesman, there's no helping that) at Woburn Foreign Motors in (duh) woburn. If you're willing to take the trip, there are some real cut rate deals on year-old off-lease cars in Portsmouth NH as well (you could get a year-old american car for under 12k probably).

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

The average car's maximum lifespan isn't much over 15 years unless it's *really* well-cared-for. (And in Boston, that's pretty rare).

Depending on your budget and what you've been considering, you might consider, say, a 3-6-year-old Hyundai rather than a 12-year-old Honda.

[mermaidcafe.livejournal.com]

That makes sense, though I've been pretty lucky. I'm only replacing my beloved 1991 Corolla because it was declared a total loss when I got rear-ended at a stoplight.

I'll look around for Hyundais too--my rental is one so I'm getitng a chance to check it out.

[coorr.livejournal.com]

My girlfriend is on her second Hyundai accent (the first one was a total loss after an accident). Both were around $2000 and I was pretty impressed with them both. Sure its a small cheep car but its does its job nicely. The accents are lighter than the Corolla and can feel somewhat less stable at highway speeds but they do seem to get slightly better gas millage.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

Hondas are great, and ceelove is a really nice person. If that doesn't work for you, talk with Al at ABJ auto in somerville. They fix cars and would likely know of a quality used car for sale in your price range.

[mermaidcafe.livejournal.com]

I've had two Hondas that I really liked. I don't know ceelove, but it would be pretty stupid to sell someone a junk car on a community like this, so I'm not so worried.

Thank you also for the tip about Al. I'll give him a call!

You guys are great--I've been so stressed about this, but I'm feeling better.

[tracy-rolling.livejournal.com]

I'm going to be selling an old but reliable Mazda Protege the last week of August. We can't sell it before then because we're using it to drive cross-country. We just put a lot of work into it before our road trip, for the 90k check up. It gets over 33 or so miles to the gallon.

The only thing wrong with it is that the door locks don't work properly and need replacing. We haven't locked the car in about two years.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

We had a good experience buying a used car from Enterprise, which of necessity maintains their cars well, and will also let you search on their web site for any cars they're selling near you, so you can peruse the selection in the comfort of your own home and the company of your own Consumer Reports used car guide (the selection changes frequently). But they're more like 3 years old, not 8-12, so they may be above your price range. (I mean, they're used. And they have a lot of miles for their age, so they're a bit cheaper than you'd expect. But you won't find a $2000 car there. You can find a good $7000 car, though.)

[alphacygni]

I bought an excellent used Honda, 8 years old when I bought it, at a dealership. It was a Subaru dealership out in Western Mass, and someone had traded the Honda in as part of buying an Outback.

The guys at Hondar House tell me that I will be sick to death of the car before I ever need to get rid of it. Woo!

[lapsedmodernist.livejournal.com]

hey there, someone pointed me to this post. I will send you a message.

Please do!

[mermaidcafe.livejournal.com]

Please do, especially because I heart "Love in the Asylum." :)