• Da Gangsta's advice for a picking a great used car, no matter what your budget
  Stick around, this is important......
  
  I worked in car dealers and driving cars long enough to have learned a few things about the way to spot a good (and bad) used car. The first thing to keep in mind is that price is irrelevant--if you have more money, you'll get the car you want, and if you don't have as much, you'll have to compromise, but either way, no matter who you buy from or what you pay, you CAN get a car that'll do the job for you. Spending less money means that you'll probably have to spend more soon after purchase, the upside to that is that it'll be there to spend since you're not spending more (or any,) money on car payments. here are a few simple assessments any car worth looking at should pass--oh yes, this gets to my first rule; never, NEVER EVER buy a car, new or used without driving it first!!!!!!! I cannot stress this enough! In a new car, the test drive is important because it's going to help you determine if the car in question has any design flaws that are going to chew on your nerves over time. For example, I would never buy a Chrysler Sebring Coupe or Dodge Avenger, simply because the steering wheel/seat arrangement doesn't work with my 6'2" frame and 34" inseam--I simply cannot get comfortable! In a used car, the test drive is going to determine if this vehicle is worth laying down your hard-earned cash for.
  Oh, also, if you're buying a new car, and you want an unusual feature, model or color, and the salesman offers to get you one on "dealer trade," my recommendation would be to pass and special order--and if the dealer refuses to special order for you, take your business elsewhere! I have a few reasons for saying that. First of all, a given vehicle may have come from halfway across the country to get to you; I've seen new cars come in on dealer trade with over 500 miles on them! That, to me is pushing the limits of "new" no matter how the nuances of vehicle titling work! Second, what I've found is that dealer trades frequently come in with paint flaws, small dings and other imperfections. The reason is simple; given a choice, any dealer is going to trade out a vehicle he finds hard to move for some reason. Also, the vehicles have to be driven from one place to another by a driver who might have eaten, drank or smoked in your car, leaving open the possibility for stains, ash burns, grease, etc, that will be covered up, but may not be rectified until after you take delivery, possibly at YOUR expense!
  Here are the easiest ways to pick a winner when you buy used:
  Look under the hood--is it relatively clean? check the air filter a car that's been better cared for will usually have a cleaner air filter just as a matter of course. Check the oil--does it look golden or brownish, and not not thick or black? (worse yet, if it looks like it has anti-freeze or gas in it skip that car and find another one--this one'll be nothing but heartache!)
  Start it up and listen to it run--did it start easily? Are there any ominous noises coming from under the hood? A slight ticking usually just means a stuck valve lifter or a loud fuel injector, although if it's that loud it might be some money to fix. Never the less, a car with a slight ticking will usually go until you can fix it. If you hear a noise that sounds more like a clunking or knocking, the engine is giving clear signs that it's on the way out. Also, if the vehicle in question is turbocharged, and you hear a loud whine when you start it up, find another candidate--this vehicle is going to need the turbo replaced soon. Also take a turbocharged car out, and drive it on the freeway, if possible. While you're driving, locate the boost gauge (if so equipped, hopefully it is.......) and watch to make sure the turbo is actually developing boost when you step on the gas. The bottom portion of the gauge, (up to a point which is usually marked "0") is vacuum, with increments above the zero mark indicating boost. If thegauge never goes above zero when you nail the gas, the car in question needs a turbo, or the turbo overhauled.(not easy, or cheap)
  Put it in gear and take it for a drive. If it's got an automatic transmission, does the car go into reverse without hestation? A vehicle that stops to think before going into reverse is going to need a transmission in the near future. If the car is a stick, the clutch should take-up smoothly and quickly, and the car should go in gear without too much effort, and change smoothly and quietly.
  Drive it around enough to get it warm on the temperature gauge (if so equipped,) and stop somewhere to look under the hood again. This time, check the radiator and automatic transmission fluid; the radiator should not be stained anywhere, or spraying or leaking coolant. The transmission fluid should be red or reddish, not approaching brown and up to the proper mark on the dipstick, or at least close. Also look and listen for anything else that seems unusual to you, and have it checked with a mechanic you trust if you have questions.
  Roll up the windows, turn off the fan and radio and listen for more clunks, chuckles or squeaks coming from the front end and brakes. This is less money than engine or trans work, (usually,) but can still get pricey! Is the steering wheel tight and free of play when you're driving? Does the car wander or pull especially when accelerating or braking? Have the suspension checked (again, by a mechanic you trust,) if you have concerns. If you've gotten this far, and determined that nothing terminal is going to happen in the future, go make the deal, secure in the knowledge that you have some idea what you're buying, can assess what you're going to need to spend, and have your own bargaining chips now.
  Da Gangsta's Top 5 Used Car Picks Herewith, I am going out on a limb, and picking the used cars that are worth having, based on what I've seen in the service departments of your local dealer. And please keep in mind that these are simply listed, not ranked.
  any vintage Ford Taurus with the 3.0 V-6. I'm talking the standard engine here, in the '96-up Tauruses both engines are 3.0 litre, but the engine in the LX model has 24 Valves and overhead cams. What you want is the base engine, with overhead valves, and a good rep for dependability. And stay the hell away from any one with the torquey-but-head-gasket-eatin 3.8 litre in the '88-'95 models. Just make sure to have the transaxle cooler flushed every so often, or you'll be buying a transmission at about 60,000 miles. Proclivity for munching on stabilizer end-links (particularly fronts,) and oil pan leaks at higher mileages, but generally fairly sturdy front end and brakes.
  Chrysler Cirrus/Dodge Stratus/Chrysler Sebring Convertible. Notice I did NOT mention the Plymouth Breeze, which is not available with one of my favorite engines in creation, the 2.5 litre Mitsubishi-built V-6. hard charging, fun-to-drive and reliable like I haven't seen lately. A tad short on trunk space, but still useful, thanks to the fold-down rear seat. Make sure the shifter recall is done, to repair the broken interlock on some models. And the Sebring convertible in unquestionably one the the tightest ragtops I have EVER been in; if they don't freeze out their owners during a Michigan winter, trust me, any place else you wanna drive them will NOT be a problem. The available Auto-Stick makes the automatics a kick to drive, and the available two-tone leather on the Sebring Limited convertible is SHARP as hell!
  Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Marquis/Lincoln Town Car. Acres of space, both in the trunk and inside, a terrific engine, (the 4.6 is about as tough an engine as you can buy, outside the legendary-but-sadly-gone-forever Chrysler Slant-6.) not too terrific in the snow, even WITH traction control, but still worth havin overall. Watch the front end components, particularly tie-rod-ends and Pitman arms for wear. Rear brakes tend to wear prematurely on LOWER mileage examples, and models with air suspension will at some point need the rear bags replaced, but we're talkin' 80-100,000 miles at least, on average; could be less if the car has sat much of its life, but generally the bags are pretty hardy.
  Nissan Maxima/Infiniti I30/I35, 1995-2003. All possessed of the stunningly reliable, WAY powerful Nissan "VQ" series V-6s, tight, simple, well-thought-out suspensions, and a general esprit-de-corps that defies logic. Watch out for prematurely wearing rear brakes due to sticking rear calipers on all model years, and warped front rotors on the 2000-2001 models. Also, at higher mileages, (75,000+, particularly on the 95-99 models,) it will be necessary to have the EGR port and tube cleaned, or the car will pop the "check engine" light on with a code for insufficient EGR flow; that tends to be about the most labor-intensive normal operation on the car. Earlier Maximas (1988-1994) are good rides, too, but tending to be getting up there in mileage, and many have been subject to buyback and destroyed because rust ate away at the anchor points for the rear outboard seatbelt retractors in the trunk. Earlier models also tend to chew up front lower ball joints with regularity. but a clean, well-maintained earlier Maxima at the right price is worth it. 97-98 models also subject to a recall for alternator replacement to avoid a fire hazard.
  Mazda Miata. Yes, for all of you that think I had some kind of aberrant thing against having sports cars on the good list, your wish is my command. Miatas tend to be very reliable, not merely because they're cult cars, summer cruisers, (at least here in wonderful MI,) and thus coddled and babied to within an inch of their lives.....THEY'RE GOOD!!! They're well constructed, light, simple, and a friggin BLAST to drive! A tad short on interior room if you're over 6' tall, but if I was to ever pick a sports car that you couldn't go wrong with, it would be the Miata. Only other downside is that automatic-equipped Miatas are as rare as hen's teeth, so if you can't drive a stick and still want one, be prepared to look hard and pay deep.
  HONORABLE MENTIONS GM N-Bodies (Olds Calais, Pontiac Grand Am, '86-up Buick Somerset, '92-up Buick Skylark) solid and servile, just avoid the cylinder-head eatin Quad-4 or any of its derivatives, and get one with either the 2.5 litre four, (usually only identifiable as a greasy black lump under the hood, although it might say "2.5" somewhere,) or the terrific 3300 or 3800 V-6s. the 2.0 litre turbo motors in some Grand Ams are an unknown to me reliability wise, but I hear they really go. The V-6s in the '86-'90 N-cars are REALLY tight, so tune-up time is a challenge.
  Plymouth/Dodge Neons The best available combination here is the 150-hp twin cam engine and automatic transmission. The stickshifts tend to spit their guts over the landscape with some regularity and the standard 132-hp SOHC fours are a 50/50 bet for oil leaks. if they've had it done recently, (there have now been about three head gasket supersedes with different compositions to try and stave off oil leaks--I think this latest one might just be the ticket) but fun, roomy and good runners.
  Chrysler LH cars (Dodge Intrepid, Chrysler Concorde, LHS, and LH New Yorker, Eagle Vision) famous for premature water pump and transaxle failure, although once the tranny has been done COMPETENTLY, it's usually a once in a vehicle lifetime thing. also tend to eat A/C evaporator cores, which are expensive because they're about an eight-hour job requiring removing the dashboard and other shenannigans. despite all that, they're fast, roomy as hell, endowed with GIGANTIC trunks and usually available for reasonable prices.
  Chrysler Minivans A former top-5 buy, and still excellent. Well-constructed, just avoid any one of almost any vintage with a 4-cylinder engine. Overdrive transaxle models can be iffy, too. 3.0 Mitsubishi V-6 is your best bet for and engine, although they have been known to chew up valve guides and smoke out the tailpipe. 3.3 and 3.8 litre V-6s are good, but are prone to oil leaks at higher mileages
  THE HALL OF SHAME Sadly, there are some cars out there that are to be avoided at all costs, either for exorbitant parts prices, piss-poor reliability or other deficiencies.
  Any Mexican-assembled Volkswagen, mostly Golfs, Jettas and New Beetles. Word I have from my more union-savvy friends is that the attempt by the plant workers to form a labor union resulted in the firing of all the assembly workers, and although in most cases the workers got their jobs back, in retaliation, they made certain to leave their mark on the historically famous Volkswagen reliability. My older sister had a Beetle, and related just one tale of the windshield wiper motor coming away from its moorings. Yikes. Also victimized by some of the most bizarre engineering I've ever seen. Just plain DON'T. Ever. German assembled models, like the Passat and Phaeton, are usually substantially better, although the hot-rod W-8 Passats are so utterly squeezed for space under the hood that engine removal is required to access at least one of the oxygen sensors. I've had nightmares that went better than that.
  '89-up Eagle Talon/Plymouth Laser/Mitsubishi Eclipse, particularly with the 2.0 litre sixteen-valve twin-cam engines in the more expensive models, either turbo or non. If the timing belt hasn't been done, either under the Chrysler program for the purpose, or some other way, you're going to at least blow the head up. Also famous for the stickshift's "crunch" into second and third and leaky transfer cases on the AWD models. don't like it, don't trust it, jes don' go there.
  '89-'92 Ford Probe GT/Mazda 626 Turbo overall, not bad, decent size and usefulness, but lavishly, expensively engineered, and endowed with some of the most raucous, uncivilized engine and drivetrain manners of any car I have ever driven. Its true what they say, once you hit 3500 RPM, you'd better have both hands on the wheel, because things are going to start happening VERY fast!Also victimized by torque steer that is forever trying to punt you into the next lane. Thanks, but my life is worth more than that.
  '72-'91 SAAB 99/900 I'm talking about the ones with the engine in backwards, with the drive belts up against the firewall and the tranny up against the radiator. SAAB-isms are one thing, this is just a pain in the butt.
  '85-'93 Cadillac DeVilles, '86-'91 Eldorado and Sevilles, any year Allante, especially with the 4.1/4.5/4.9 litre V-8s. victims of some of the most bizarre engineering ever to come out of General Motors, not to mention what has been labeled "The Rookie Test" oil filter placement. I'd own an 8-6-4 Caddy before I'd have one of these.
  '90-'96 Nissan 300ZX, and I say this kinda sadly, because they're tremendously comfortable cars for something with sporting intent. Handling-and-performance-focused to the point where living with them, and trying to work on them is positively nightmarish. Expect to pay two to ten times as much as you might think to have ANYTHING on the vehicle repaired due to access problems all over. And if it needs the engine rebuilt, count on $7,500-$10,000 to get it handled--no kidding; if you pay less, they didn't do it right.
  Any car engineered or built in France, including (surprise!) the '89-'92 Eagle Premiers and Medallions and Dodge Monacos, Renault LeCars (ancient now,) and Fuegos, and any Puegeot you could ever concievably locate. Probably some others I forgot about, too. Chrysler got the Eagle Premier and Dodge Monaco by default (both are a full-sized Renault known as the 25,) when it bought American Motors because it wanted Jeep. They probably made enough to fulfill the original parts and import contracts, and quit then so noone would sue them. Follow the rule--don't buy a French car unless you plan to live in France.
  Mazda RX-8 This is NOT a sports car, no matter what anyone ever tells you. Real sports cars have more power than this, and they would never concieve of attempting to have four doors unless they were real doors--Audis are four-door sports cars, Mazda RX8s aren't. Ill-concieved, artsy-fartsy, and designed for--never mind. I myself classify the styling under the category "Mama was a Mazda6, daddy was a frog."
  THE GANGSTA'S AUTOMOTIVE LUST LIST I know very little about the following in real-world terms, and thus can't really say anything in terms of the cars they are, but.....well, I've never dated a supermodel, either, but it damn sure wouldn't prevent anything if the situation was right. Doesn't matter, don't care, *I* think they're sexy, fine, flat-out sweet as hell.
• 1937 Talbot-Lago T150SS, body by Figoni et Falaschi; To my mind, the absolute height of French car design, if not industrial design period. As a budding car enthusiast, I recall seeing this one at Brooks Steven's Automotive Museum when it was still in Wisconsin. I stood face-to-face with this beauty, and time stood still. Many times in my life, cars have been erotic, heart-pounding, or just somehow incredible; never since have I been so utterly in awe of a car's beauty.
• The Dodge Challenger concept car; To my eye, new cars don't come much finer than this, and if DCX does as promised and brings the real thing out in '08, I'm DEFINITELY there. I could grouse that the design around the headlamps isn't quite to my liking, but the a*s on this thing is fine in a way no woman's ever has been. But that's a whole different section of the brain.
• '03 Audi RS6; 450 hp, all-wheel-drive, and for $88,000, every friggin trick in the book. An absolute total animal. But SO damn fine.
• Jaguar S-Type, particularly the supercharged Type R. What can I say, I'm a fool for the style, and the promise of 400 supercharged horsepower just makes me shiver with antici--SAY IT!!!!--pation
• Lamborghini Muira, any vintage. Sophia Loren on wheels. From every impression I have ever heard, very nearly a chore to drive. Do I care? I'll take mine in royal blue, thanks. And, oh, how I would LOOOOOOVE to see the new concept Muira produced!!
• Bentley Continental, any vintage, though I prefer the single-headlamp design. How could something with that much presence still be SO muthaf-in sexy?! Dunno, don' care, get me a bib so I don't drool on my shirt.
• 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Very rarely in the postwar period has anything American been so totally, completely, unique, special and totally delectable. And the magnetic bar set in the glove box is a fly-in-the-face-of-everything-decent, F-with-me-I-DARE-ya touch. IIIIIIIIII LIKE IT!!!!
  Things you oughta know about your trade-in
  Most important, you're going to take a HUGE knock in price if your trade-in has over 75,000 miles on the clock. If the saying in real estate is "location, location, location," in used cars, it's "mileage, mileage, mileage"
  On a similar topic, Blue book (or, actually in most real-world cases, BLACK book, different item altogether,) is not gospel. If you ever had a chance to listen carefully to the man judge your trade, especially if it's not a brand he sells, you'd hear him talkin about if the car in question is running "near book." ie; is this car a hot enough item to be able to sell on my lot, or for me to be able to get rid of effectively?! Hot is hot, but hot can turn cold in a heartbeat. Smart dealers will always have a good mix of hot-item traffic builders and solid-citizen rides, plus a few cheapies for the credit-impaired. Basically, if your trade is weird for some reason,(Subaru SVXs come to mind,) ugly (color is still a factor in this day and age,) or high mileage, you'll get more if you sell it yourself. Your dealer doesn't want it, its that simple.
  High mileage will eat into good condition. I witnessed a really nice '99 Taurus SHO that probably needed a pair of tires and some brake work to be right, but not much; but since it had 85,000 on the clock, the value got knocked to about half of Black-book for a rough condition vehicle. the only real exception to the 75,000 mile rule is if the car in question, (and only then maybe by another 10,000 miles or so,) is if the car in question is over 10 years old and in IMMACULATE condition.
  Options mean everything these days, particularly sun/moonroof and leather upholstery. On trucks or brands where its available, (eg; Audi, Volvo, Subaru, etc,) four-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive is more desirable to the guy judging your ride. On a similar note, if you have *personalized* your car in major ways, eg, custom paint, trick exhaust, heavy engine and/or suspension mods, big stereo, etc.....either take all that crap off and return the car to stock condition, or sell it yourself. The dealer doesn't want to see it, and will appraise your car with the thought in mind that he's going to wholesale it. (That is, sell the car to an independent, non-franchise dealer; what we know in Michigan as a "B" lot.) That, or send it to auction.