Talking about cars

Started by DR M, March 13, 2018, 01:21:40 PM

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DR M

Not a computer... Not even a hard drive...  :)

What do you think?

A colleague sells his car.

Cooper S convertible, 2014, used (30k km), 15.000 euros (negotiable price).

Very similar to the picture:

Grecian Geek

"Count your blessings, remember your prayers..."

"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night.. You, only you, will have stars that can laugh..."

Corrine

I think you meant 15,000 (comma) Euros, which is $18,590.82 US. 


Take a walk through the "Security Garden" -- Where Everything is Coming up Roses!

Remember - A day without laughter is a day wasted.
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart.

Aaron Hulett

DR M, I'm going to take a wild guess where you're at you use a decimal to separate the thousands groups, and a comma for the decimal (so 15.000,00), yes?

My perspective on used cars:

  • If it's sold AS IS, once you own it, you own whatever's wrong with it. If you buy it and 10 minutes later it breaks
    down, it's too bad. In some cases, if you could prove the previous owner knew of the defect and purposely hid/masked it from you, that might be a shot at getting recovery, but that's extremely rare and exceedingly difficult to argue or prove. tl;dr you bought it, you own whatever breaks on it.
  • Compare the price with other listings, and if you have it, a reference price based on a respected organization. Here in the US, Kelley Blue Book is generally used, although in the Detroit area we used to use the NADA guide. Of course, there's the book value, and then what the car's actually being offered at, which is usually a little more. Just be sure it's not outrageously high.
  • If you're buying from a friend/colleague/acquaintance/family member (ugh)/... you have to be able to "let it go" when something breaks. There's no going back to that person and asking them to help you fix whatever just broke. See the first point above, but I call this out separate because there's a tendency when buying from a friend or such to go back to them, and you can't do that. Just as you wouldn't go back to a used car dealer years later, no going back to the friend.
  • TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC! Before you buy it, have it thoroughly checked out by a mechanic you trust. The seller may offer a report from a mechanic they used, but throw that to the side and get your own mechanic to check it. If the seller doesn't want your mechanic to look at it, move on to another seller and don't look back.
  • Only you know what you want in a vehicle. Cars are big money losers; unless it's a rare classic car that happens to be in demand, count on your vehicle losing value. I try to buy vehicles for the long haul, assuming the value will be essentially zero at the end of ownership, so given I'm with the car for a long time, I make sure it has the features I want in it. If I were to settle for a lower price vehicle that's missing something I really wanted, instead of enjoying the vehicle, I'm going to continually look back and kick myself for not spending that extra $1,000 or $2,000 for the feature I wanted.
  • Once you buy, stop looking at prices. You're going to find a better deal at some point as the value continues to decline over time. When you hit the magic point of, "Given the current price and the current time, this is the right buy for me," then you've hit the right buying point. By that I mean you have to be happy with what you bought, and how much you paid, in exchange for the TIME you have it. If you feel the price might drop 5% in 6 months and want to wait rather than pay the 5% premium, then you wait. If you're good with paying the 5% extra in exchange for 6 months of enjoyment, then you buy. Of course, it's hard to tell how prices may fluctuate with time, so watch the market if possible to get a feel if you have the time (for example, if your current car is busted and costs more to fix than it's worth, waiting is probably not an option).

That's what comes to top of mind, hopefully it helps.

Regards,
//A

DR M

QuoteDR M, I'm going to take a wild guess where you're at you use a decimal to separate the thousands groups, and a comma for the decimal (so 15.000,00), yes?

Exactly, Aaron. The decimal here is for separating the thousands of euros/dollars/pounds etc. (when it is just a number, no money, only a space is needed). I didn't know that there was a difference on this. But it is well known that when we talk about a billion we refer to 1 000 000 000 000, instead of 1 000 000 000 which is the number you, in USA, refer to.

Your points are very helpful, thank you. I agree with all of them. I just wanted to hear from someone else the same thoughts, to confirm. When I saw the price (a similar new is more 30.000 euros) and the km covered, I thought that it was a good offer, for a convertible car I always wanted. :)  But it seems that a more logical thought is buying a new, different kind of course (not a luxury car), with less cost. The car I have now is also used, it belonged to a relative and it's in a very good condition, although it's a 2005 Opel Corsa. So, it can wait. (But it's beautiful, isn't it? I mean the Mini :) )
Grecian Geek

"Count your blessings, remember your prayers..."

"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night.. You, only you, will have stars that can laugh..."

Ozzie

One of my granddaughters has a Cooper S (not the convertible) and absolutely loves it.

DR M

SOLD. To another colleague.   13.000.000,00 euros.
Grecian Geek

"Count your blessings, remember your prayers..."

"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night.. You, only you, will have stars that can laugh..."

DR M

Who needs a car. Cleaning my parents' house, I found my old bicycle and it's perfect. I need ... some extra effort and ... a different technique to ride it again, but OK I think I will make it. Who else uses a bicycle?   :)
Grecian Geek

"Count your blessings, remember your prayers..."

"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night.. You, only you, will have stars that can laugh..."

GR@PH;<'S

DR M,
Sadly not me I know there are people in wheel chairs that use hand controls but I am not one of them
It's been over 55 years since I've been on a bike

GR@PH;<'S
press Enter then have a Brandy then if the problem is still there have another Brandy
Q: does it work
A: It does seem to for a few hours at least.

DR M

Quote from: GR@PH;<'S on July 04, 2018, 09:53:50 PM
DR M,
Sadly not me I know there are people in wheel chairs that use hand controls but I am not one of them
It's been over 55 years since I've been on a bike

GR@PH;<'S,
Who needs a bicycle these days. I gave mine to my nephew.

Grecian Geek

"Count your blessings, remember your prayers..."

"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night.. You, only you, will have stars that can laugh..."

DR M

So...

Let's buy a boat!  ;)

Grecian Geek

"Count your blessings, remember your prayers..."

"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night.. You, only you, will have stars that can laugh..."

Corrine

No thank you.  Been there/done that.


Take a walk through the "Security Garden" -- Where Everything is Coming up Roses!

Remember - A day without laughter is a day wasted.
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart.

DR M

Grecian Geek

"Count your blessings, remember your prayers..."

"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night.. You, only you, will have stars that can laugh..."

DR M

Quote from: DR M on March 29, 2018, 05:59:47 PM
SOLD. To another colleague.   13.000.000,00 euros.

Just saw this. It was a typo mistake of course! 13.000,00 euros, meaning 13 thousands euros. It was a nice car at a good price, anyway. 
Grecian Geek

"Count your blessings, remember your prayers..."

"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night.. You, only you, will have stars that can laugh..."