[sohothot]

What do you guys think of this..

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/overview...amp;OCID=iSEMPI

some dude is selling me that for 1 grand.

i just took that mini cooper for a test drive. my bro and i took turns.

-168,093 miles
-engine seem fine..
-AC fine except the cooler but since winter is coming, who give a john tesh..
-tires good
-the top of the car is all scratched.. duh..

i told the guy ima buy it. im just gonna need this car to last me 2-3 years then i'm happy, if longer then thats great too. just for school and work. :)just wanna hear what you guys think.

[kelvin6]

Hmm, the link doesn't work.

What kind of car is this?

[sohothot]

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/overview...amp;OCID=iSEMPI

hes gonna sell it to me for $1100 or $1200.. but if he wanna charge me $1500.. will $1500 still be a good price?

its just for school which is like an hour and work is like 15 minutes. i just want it to last me atleast a year or two. .

[kelvin6]

Well normally this car wouldn't be $1000... but the only worry i'd have is the possibility of engine sludge. Since it was common on the Camrys of this era. If engine sludge is the issue, avoid this car. I knew someone who knowingly sold his 1996 Camry that had sludge issues (which wasn't disclosed, because used car sales are usually AS-IS) to some poor college student who needed a car. Cleaned up the car and sold it for $3K.

Don't commit to it 100% until that gets addressed.

I could suggest a pretty ugly but very reliable beater for under $1K, the Volvo 240 (any year 1979-1993). Very bulletproof.

[sohothot]

Well normally this car wouldn't be $1000... but the only worry i'd have is the possibility of engine sludge. Since it was common on the Camrys of this era.

Don't commit to it 100% until that gets addressed.

I could suggest a pretty ugly but reliable beater for under $1K, the Volvo 240 (any year 1979-1993). Very bulletproof.

yea man. but for 1 grand is a good deal imo. plus i already took it out for a test drive a minute ago.

my buddy said as long as i dont drive anywhere far, i should be good.

is there any thing i can do at home to clean the engine sludge? how much would that cost if i gotta get it fixed?

[jbigdog123]

I would get that car checked out by a shop to make sure it meets safety standards.

[sohothot]

I would get that car checked out by a shop to make sure it meets safety standards.

but that would cost me $500+...

i only need this to last me atleast 6 months or a year max.. so theres no need for that right?

[kelvin6]

The thing about engine sludge is that if left alone, it will eventually amage the engine beyond repair. Short distances or not, sludge will affect it. You can try this oil additive that has been know to be pretty successful in reducing the sludge and/or eliminating it: Auto-RX. (www.auto-rx.com) you can order from the website and follow its instructions on how to apply it (easy enough for anyone). This can also be used in the transmission and power steering fluids as well for a good clean up.

I'm guessing that the owner does know that the engine is sludged and trying to offload the problems to you.

[sohothot]

The thing about engine sludge is that if left alone, it will eventually amage the engine beyond repair. Short distances or not, sludge will affect it. You can try this oil additive that has been know to be pretty successful in reducing the sludge and/or eliminating it: Auto-RX. (www.auto-rx.com) you can order from the website and follow its instructions on how to apply it (easy enough for anyone). This can also be used in the transmission and power steering fluids as well for a good clean up.

I'm guessing that the owner does know that the engine is sludged and trying to offload the problems to you.

he said that he spent a couple hundreds fixing the engine.. so i dont know if his words are good, but its cool. cuz him and my bro are good friends so he wouldnt cheat me. besides, his dad want to charge me $1500 but he said he only want $1100 or $1200..

how much would it cost if i take it to a shop and let them fix engine sludge problems?

[jbigdog123]

but that would cost me $500+...

i only need this to last me atleast 6 months or a year max.. so theres no need for that right?

The inspection price depend on where you are but in my locating it only cost $18.

It isn't so much for it to meet certain regulations but for your own safety, makes sure all safety equipment work so that you don't get hurt.

[sohothot]

The inspection price depend on where you are but in my locating it only cost $18.

It isn't so much for it to meet certain regulations but for your own safety, makes sure all safety equipment work so that you don't get hurt.

as i was driving, i told my bro the brake make me a little shaky.. lol.. then when he took it for a drive, he said its fine.. so..

i thought the inspection cost a couple hundreds.. wth do you live, lol.

[terrorist]

seems fine to me, the mileage is probably all highway miles.

[jbigdog123]

as i was driving, i told my bro the brake make me a little shaky.. lol.. then when he took it for a drive, he said its fine.. so..

i thought the inspection cost a couple hundreds.. wth do you live, lol.

I'm temporarily living in St Louis due to job assignment, hopefully I could return to California soon.

In this state, it is mandatory to get a safety inspection to get a car registered and the price of safety inspection is $18.

[kelvin6]

I'd take the $25 of auto-rx over the $1000+ engine repair bill for sludge any day.

But to be honest this does sort of remind me of my first car, which was a 1993 Mazda 626.

I had bought the car ($1600) hoping it would just get me through college (for another few years). Instead, the car broke down three times due to sudden part failures (which couldn't have been predicted) costing me a total of $1200 in repairs, $600 for a 'tune-up' when I first got it, and $800+ or so other maintanance items). So if you add that up, that is quite a bit of $$$. Guess what, all of this occured in a 6 month period, which ended when I had crashed my car (head-on accident). At least my airbag worked to protect me.

$4200 in a 6 month period including the purchase cost. $2600 spent on a $1600 car. Looking back it was a waste of money. I remember after getting the car checked out by a mechanic after purchasing they said it was ready to go for at least three years.

[sohothot]

seems fine to me, the mileage is probably all highway miles.

he had the car since 1997... i think.. maybe something like that. i hope you're right man, lol. i hope i dont drive on the highway and POP.. got parts falling and shiet, lol.

I'm temporarily living in St Louis due to job assignment, hopefully I could return to California soon.

In this state, it is mandatory to get a safety inspection to get a car registered and the price of safety inspection is $18.

i live near NYC. so i dont think the inspection is that cheap.

lucky you.

I'd take the $25 of auto-rx over the $1000+ engine repair bill for sludge any day.

But to be honest this does sort of remind me of my first car, which was a 1993 Mazda 626.

I had bought the car ($1600) hoping it would just get me through college (for another few years). Instead, the car broke down three times due to sudden part failures (which couldn't have been predicted) costing me a total of $1200 in repairs, $600 for a 'tune-up' when I first got it, and $800+ or so other maintanance items). So if you add that up, that is quite a bit of $$$. Guess what, all of this occured in a 6 month period, which ended when I had crashed my car (head-on accident). At least my airbag worked to protect me.

$4200 in a 6 month period including the purchase cost. $2600 spent on a $1600 car. Looking back it was a waste of money. I remember after getting the car checked out by a mechanic after purchasing they said it was ready to go for at least three years.

damn.. good shiet man, nice story.

ima look into the $25 auto-rx for sure! .

as for your car breaking down.. maybe you were speeding too much?

[kelvin6]

My car broke down randomly. The first time the distributor failed up in the mountains, and I had lost engine power going down hill at 75mph... no power steering or power brakes. The part had suddenly failed (the electronic stuff inside) and set me back $600 in repairs.

The second time, turned out that years of being outside, had caused water to collect and corrode some of the engine wiring, causing my car not to start randomly $100+ for labor and repair.

There were so many other weird things that happened... but clearly these were not predictable or could've been spotted by a mechanic.

Auto-RX is a chemical additive, actually its lanolin esters, which is essentially fats (or soap). It works by adding it to the engine oil and letting it run its course slowly removing varnishing and sludge all over the engine. You have to follow the instructions on the website for heavy sludge. It should take about two bottles to do the job. Couldn't hurt to pick up a third for application in the transmission and power steering. That should help with things... but remember nothing is a cure all esp if there are physical damage or issues.

[mroh]

lol i bought my car for 800 at auction, then fixed it up a bit for another 400. total 1200 so far, running strong still. 94' celica gt fastback. started with 186k, now at 205k

[sohothot]

it turn out the car is 1972.. haha. oh well.

the good news is, if some gals checking me out, i'll know they like me for me not my car. ^^
i was going to get a BWM or mazda 2004 rsx, but nah, not yet.

My car broke down randomly. The first time the distributor failed up in the mountains, and I had lost engine power going down hill at 75mph... no power steering or power brakes. The part had suddenly failed (the electronic stuff inside) and set me back $600 in repairs.

The second time, turned out that years of being outside, had caused water to collect and corrode some of the engine wiring, causing my car not to start randomly $100+ for labor and repair.

There were so many other weird things that happened... but clearly these were not predictable or could've been spotted by a mechanic.

Auto-RX is a chemical additive, actually its lanolin esters, which is essentially fats (or soap). It works by adding it to the engine oil and letting it run its course slowly removing varnishing and sludge all over the engine. You have to follow the instructions on the website for heavy sludge. It should take about two bottles to do the job. Couldn't hurt to pick up a third for application in the transmission and power steering. That should help with things... but remember nothing is a cure all esp if there are physical damage or issues.

ima ask my bro to see if he know anything about auto-rx. he can clean it. cuz i might mess the engine up if i go and try to.
thx for the tip.

lol i bought my car for 800 at auction, then fixed it up a bit for another 400. total 1200 so far, running strong still. 94' celica gt fastback. started with 186k, now at 205k

damn..

how many miles do cars usually last until they cant go on anymore?

[i<3ramen]

how many miles do cars usually last until they cant go on anymore?

depends on the driver and how you take care of the car and perform maintenance on it. since its a camry, and if theres no problems with it, it could still probably last you quite a while.

[sohothot]

THX FOR ALL THE HELP PPL.

depends on the driver and how you take care of the car and perform maintenance on it. since its a camry, and if theres no problems with it, it could still probably last you quite a while.

how do i take care and perform maintenance? like clean the car and then clean the engine and stuff right? i hope its something a nonexperience car owner can do.. .. i know nothing about cars man.