I'm buying this car off a guy from ebay. Will you look at the pics from under the hood?

Question

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=016&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=260128228778&rd=1&rd=1

Does it look like there's a leak? I'm paying $550 for it. Everything works on it. Needs a new oil pan and bolt for the transmission. He said it makes a thud when you first start driving the car due to the suspension.

Also, this sound like a good deal?

Correction: Not the suspension, because of the bolt.

If it's not a good deal. What else can I buy with $600?

Answer 1

forget it you can't tell condition from a picture. he told you enough already to say no.

Answer 2

Don't Do IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here I took the liberty, because I had nothing else to do, to go on EBay, punch in your Zip (got from car ad you posted WV) and see what I could find. Getting a decent car for $500 is a tough task. But here is what I found. http://frame.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?CompareItems Lets go over them OK? These are all within 100 miles of Zip 35402
Scratch the NEON
The 83 Ford LTD might be a Great Buy, it really seems to be what they claim, a 1 owner, low mileage, nice car!!!! Yes its old, but so what? There might not be much interest in it because of its age and its not a highly desirable model. This could be a real steal.
The Mazda 626 Might also be a real Steal, The timing belt went on it. The recommended time to have changed it was 100K miles. And if it was never changed then it probably would break at the mileage thats on the car now 116K or something. I'm 95% sure the engine is Noninterference. What that means is the valve damage they mentioned will not have happened. A new timing belt and its running again! Good for another 100K. No one might want this because they think it (according to the owner) has engine damage. But I don't think so. Call Mazda and ask them if it is a Noninterference Engine in that car (2.0 Liter, 626, 1996). This could be a real Steal! (if you look at it, bring a acknowledgeable friend to turn the engine by hand and verify For Sure it turns) Don't buy it if the engine is locked up. That will mean the dealership & I were both wrong and the Pistons hit the Valves (engine damage). The Toyota Wagon might be a good buy, if you can get it cheap enough. There is a lot of interest in it judging by the number of bids. It needs exhaust work though (minor problem). Generally you can't go wrong on a Toyota or Honda if they were reasonably taken care of. So the Accord might be a good buy for 5 or 600. But the mileage is higher then I'd like. Finally the BMW???????? I don't know. Go drive it an see what you think. O.K, that's my 2 cents. Please don't get the Taurus. Always bring someone thats is smart and knows cars with you. If the Mazda should check out. Don't let the dealership do the timing belt. They will charge you a Fortune. Find a regular, good mechanic. My mechanic wouldn't charge more then 3 or 400 to do it. But he only works on Subarus. You are obviously pinching pennys. This is why I went to all this trouble. Contact me if you want. I would really look at that LTD. Good Luck!!
http://frame.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?CompareItems&coentrypage=compareitems

DAMM FPC the link won't work. I have it bookmarked, if you are really interested contact me at [e-mail]. No I'm not in a cell. So don't worry. If you really want the link. I'll go back to Ebay and send you each one individually. Maybe that will work. geesh :)

Answer 3

With that kind of mileage, you'd better be prepared to spend a good deal of money on repairs. Honestly I'm not sure what you could find for that kind of money, unless you were extremely lucky. Exactly what bolt is missing? Also, if your state requires a safety inspection, and unless this vehicle has been meticulously maintained, you are likely to need ball joints, tie rod ends etc. These are not complicated repairs, but not typically the realm of do it yourself. It's a tough spot to be in, needing a car but not having a lot of money to spend. Were I in your shoes, I'd be considering a compact with a 5 speed manual transmission. Reliable ones in my experience include in no particular order the Civic, Corolla, Escort, Mazda3/Protege. The foreign makes are likely to cost more. Don't be put off by the Escort, I once had a 1990 that I used to commute 110 miles round trip. I got the car for $50 (it had 110,000 miles on it). I replaced the clutch, brakes front and rear, and tie rod ends. Retired it at 330,000 miles (consistent 35 mpg at 70 to 80 MPH) only because the rear strut towers rotted out.

Answer 4

When you win an auction on eBay, a contract is created. You agreed to buy the car and pay the $500 deposit. If the seller wants to play hard ball, he's got you. A 2001 Monte Carlo came new with air bags. What happened to these?

Answer 5

Hello,
Thats what a car with 175K miles looks like, and typically costs. If you have got a missing bolt on the transmission to me that would be the cause of the thud, but having blown shocks thuds too. You have got to just accept the fact that any vehicle that you buy for $550 is going to be junk and if you can ride 5000 more miles on it without putting any money into it then you got your moneys worth.
Good Luck with that beast!!!

Answer 6

First off the person has zero feedback which raises a red flag, the car looks like it needs to be distroyed, you would have to pay someone that much just to take it away and have it destoyed. Huge waste of money. Keep saving up your money and buy something that will actually run. Foolish decision if you do buy. You have no recourse if the man takes your money and you don't get that crap car. And by the way who in the hell can tell if there is a leak by the pictures. DUMB!

Answer 7

its hard to tell how a car will run just by looking under the hood unless theres something obviously wrong with it
ive seen some cars that look horrible under the hood and run better than the newer car next to it, now ask the guy why hes selling the car why for so cheap , and that clunk on initial take off dosent sound like its gonna be the suspension more like a transmission maybe, for 600 bucks i dont know maybe you can try looking at a police auction nearby they will atleast have some decent cars for cheap that run good .

Answer 8

it is not a good deal just because you are paying 550 for it it sounds like you are buying a headache.the transmission is probably shot,never buy a car on looks only,have a mechanic or someone qualified to check it.

Answer 9

that seems really cheap for that car,i would be a little suspicious of that deal if it were me,you could be buying 550 bucks worth of problems,don't it sound a little suspicious that he wouldn't have repaired it so it would bring more money for him.to me it sounds like too good of a deal ,i was taught early in life that if it sounds to good to be true it probably is,my main question is ,if the repairs were this simple why didn't he fix them already,think about it for a minute,good luck with it ,you may need it on this one.

Answer 10

Gravity pulls fluid down.
So looking at the TOP of the engine will not indicate leaks.

Have him take you for a 15 minute drive in down town traffic before you buy it.

Answer 11

At $ 550, you probably will not do any better elsewhere. IF it turns out to be a bad deal, you can always turn around and sell it for the same amount as you paid. The mileage is a tad higher than I'd like, but, as I said, the price is right!