Worth it ?

[rag]

I'm looking to buy a car, and found this on craigslist:

It's a '95 Mazda 626. 150,000 KM. Clean. No accidents. The guy is asking for 2200$.

Is it worth it or no? thank you.

[403ep3]

You could probably talk him down but you might wanna check if there is anything wrong with the car first..

[rag]

Sorry, I'm a bit new at thi whole buying a used car thing.

What are the main things to check for when going to buy a new car? I mean, I'm going to see the car this weekend and to give it a test run, but how an I tell if there's anything wrong with it in like 20 minutes?

Thanks.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by rag
Sorry, I'm a bit new at thi whole buying a used car thing.

What are the main things to check for when going to buy a new car? I mean, I'm going to see the car this weekend and to give it a test run, but how an I tell if there's anything wrong with it in like 20 minutes?

Thanks.

If you like the car, take it to a Mazda delaer and pay for an inspection. They will tell you if anything is wrong, how much is left on the brakes & tires, etc. etc. Should be around $100 and could save you thousands.

[5G_celica]

Originally posted by rag
Sorry, I'm a bit new at thi whole buying a used car thing.

What are the main things to check for when going to buy a new car? I mean, I'm going to see the car this weekend and to give it a test run, but how an I tell if there's anything wrong with it in like 20 minutes?

Thanks.

for me I make sure I check the oil and the coolant to make sure there isn't any milky residue. that's one of the biggest things, cause that means head gasket.

second I would test make sure it shifts smoothly when you test drive it. take it on the highway. 20 min should be enough if the car has any over heating problems

also try and test drive a couple of the same car so you know how much powere it's suppose to have.

another good thing is go with a friend. have the friend look at the exhuast while you rev it to see if any blue smoke comes out.

and if all the checks out then get an inspection on it from a mechanic.

I'm not an expert, but that's what I do when I look for a used car.

good luck

[speeed]

dont forget to run a carproof to see if there are any accident histories/water damage..etc or things like the odometer being rolled back.

[irs]

go get it checked for sure.
No questions about it.

[NickGT]

Very good pointers. I'll add on a couple

While your friend is looking for blue while you rev, have them look under the car for any possible exhaust leaks as well.

Examine body panels of car for alignment / damage. This may tell you if it's been in an accident at some point. I know the guy says "no accidents"... But you never know.

Carproof.com - Might be worth your time to run a check on the vehicle.

Get a VIR (Vehicle Information Report) from one of the many registries around town. Which will include if there is a lien on the vehicle.

[rag]

Thanks for your tips everyone. Really appreciate it.

Is 150,000 km too much? How many years do you think it has left in it?

My main worry is that it's almost 15 years old...


Originally posted by 5G_celica


for me I make sure I check the oil and the coolant to make sure there isn't any milky residue. that's one of the biggest things, cause that means head gasket.



What do you mean? How do I do that?

[toastgremlin]

Originally posted by rag
What do you mean? How do I do that? When the head gasket (http://news.carjunky.com/how_stuff_works/a-head-gasket-what-is-it-aca389.shtml) goes on a car engine, usually what happens is that you either start losing oil and coolant out of the side of the gasket (resulting in white smoke and sometimes "maple syrup" smelling exhaust) or the engine starts mixing the oil and coolant back into their respective reservoirs (resulting in "milky" coolant from the foam that results).

To check both, pop the hood and remove the filler caps for oil and coolant and then visually inspect it. You should be able to see the fluids for both inside the reservoir.

The fluids should be uniformly coloured, and there should be absolutely no foamy residue on the oil dipstick as well. If there's oil in the coolant (as opposed to coolant in the oil), it may indicate that you've got deeper problems than just a head gasket.

As a safety note: Don't remove the coolant cap when the engine is hot, or you can get it to "burp" back into your face (it is quite hot and toxic). I haven't heard of this happening to anyone recently, so perhaps new cars have fixed it. Still, it doesn't seem like the brightest of ideas.

Checking fluids is a pretty essential automotive skill, so now is as good a time as any to get started on it. You should also take the car to be inspected by a mechanic you trust - an inspection fee of $100 can save you thousands down the line.

[Arthur Dent]

Be advised the automatic transmissions are absolute junk in these.

[anothers10]

Your in Montreal, you have to look for things like holes in the floor. Have the car inspected

[guessboi]

automatic transmissions problem on the 626s. my mom used to have a 97 626 ls and the transmission went out twice and we sold it for 1,000 bucks in 2005. :thumbsdow

[Crymson]

My first car was 93 626, 5 spd, 4 cylinder. I loved it!