Older used car prices??

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floydbloke

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#175220 22-Jun-2015 10:10

I haven’t really kept up with used car prices. Looking on Trademe helps a bit but listings show what people are asking, not what they’re selling for. Shopping around for my son’s first car. Have been offered this for $2,500:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=898024584

which still seems quite a lot to me for a 21 year old car. It’s got 4 good tyres and apparently it has professionally had rust removed from around the windscreen.
Worth $2.5k or not?

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trig42

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#1329064 22-Jun-2015 10:23

It looks OK, about what I'd expect, though if you can knock off another couple of hundred you'd be doing well.

Lowish k's for its age, and it sounds like it has been well looked after. Toyotas that age and older seem to have engines that go for ever, but the bodies seem to rust away around them. I'd get the sills and underbody and insides/bottoms of doors checked for rust.

Looks like a good car otherwise, won't get your son into too much trouble, and manual is a bonus.

highspeedsteel

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#1329069 22-Jun-2015 10:29

My 2 cents,

I doubt its worth that much, more like $1200-$1500.
If its had rust removed thats good but still would lower the price in my mind, even for professionals its tricky to remove and make sure it doesn't come back think of rust as "cancer" for cars.

My thinking for a car of that age is start at $1000, and add in a little for any things it has going for it in this case its a Corolla so that will add a little bit but not sure how much. If the tyres are new you could add $200, Rego expires in July factor that in. Its a manual so how is the clutch?

I have bought and sold a few cars over the years, usually if I can pick up a real cheap bargain, I can fix them myself and then sell. Most early to mid 90's cars would be around the $1000-$1500 mark depending on condition.

In saying all this value is what someone is willing to pay, and the "Corolla" factor could make it more valuable to some people. Look at expired listings on trademe to get an idea what they are selling (or not selling) for.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,

lxsw20

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#1329078 22-Jun-2015 10:41

Someone will probably pay 2+ for that, but IMO you would be much better off finding an import with a 4A-FE, and you will probably find one for similar $$$. The NZ new Corollas of that age are extremely basic, as in don't even feature such luxuries as EFI. You could argue this is a good thing as it keeps the repair bills low.

floydbloke

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#1329091 22-Jun-2015 10:52

Thanks all. By all accounts it does look to be a bit overpriced so will likely skip this one. No hurry.

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nitrotech

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#1329093 22-Jun-2015 10:54

I had one for a couple of years and while it was reasonably reliable the maintanence costs for the age of vehicle start to add up - I got rid of mine when it cost $1500 in one month just in basic repairs.

They are also nowhere near the fuel economy of even a 10 year old car - I got 20% better fuel economy with a newer toyota 1.3.

Check too if it burns oil - mine used to use 1 litre per 1000km I used to carry a 4 litre with me.

Geese

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#1329095 22-Jun-2015 10:58

nitrotech:They are also nowhere near the fuel economy of even a 10 year old car - I got 20% better fuel economy with a newer toyota 1.3.

My friend owns nothing but corollas, from 1981 model onwards, and he said this particular model returned the worst economy of all of them.

I think the price of $2500 would be in line with what dealers would charge where I live (smaller town), but privately I'd expect $1000-$1500.

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Fred99

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#1329214 22-Jun-2015 12:49

For about that money or less, later '90s Sentra / Pulsar / Sunny with GA15DE (import) or GA16DE (NZ new) motor.
They were a favourite with "rent a wreck" budget car rental firms for a good reason.
Pros:
Chain-driven cams - will outlast the engine if they've been serviced (oil changes) regularly. (Nissan had problems with later models, but got it right with these).
Don't seem to be prone to rust.
Auto trans in them are reliable. Reasonably economical for their time.
Many have dual airbags, some have ABS.
Common as - so parts etc should be readily available from wreckers.
Reasonably simple - and won't scare mechanics too much as they're probably familiar with them.
Cons:
Mechanical issues to look for:
MAF sensor failure (fixable for free if you're a reasonably handy DIYer). This affects GA15DE more than GA16DE.
Oil leak from cam cover into distributor (eventually fouls and stops the cam position optical disk sensor from working). Can be fixed (not easy), or replacement used dizzy about $100 from wreckers. Look for oil spillage onto the bell housing under the dizzy.
Front crank seal oil leaks - very common issue, very easy to fix.
Timing chain rattle - if it makes that sound - walk away (changing the chain etc is a major job, and if the chain is rattly on these models, it's probably indicative that they haven't been serviced properly and there will be many other problems).
CV / CV boot replacement is a bit of a PITA because of the front suspension setup (hard to get axles out).
Too small front disc rotors in the base models - the 4 dr sedans seat 5 people - but the brakes really aren't up to carrying that load.
Totally uninspiring to drive - very boring cars with bland interiors.

wasabi2k

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#1329221 22-Jun-2015 12:55

Also worth checking outside of main centers - you may get a significantly cheaper car in somewhere like Palmy vs Auckland/Wellington.

rokki

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#1329629 23-Jun-2015 04:35

In my experience this particular engine was no where as good as the 1600 engine of toyotas. Also buy NZ new with a history used import odometers are not to be trusted. always get a mechanic to check.

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dickytim

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#1329634 23-Jun-2015 06:43

rokki: Also buy NZ new with a history used import odometers are not to be trusted. always get a mechanic to check.

No, yes and yes.

Generally the import has a lot better spec for the money but for the older car the NZ New and Import thing becomes a lot less of an issue.

Condition over km, you can get a high km car that has been looked after and it will outlast a low km thrash mobile that hasn't seen a mechanic is 20 years.

Kiwi's are hopeless at servicing so signs of a reasonable level of servicing (clean oil when you look at the car at least) and an AA / VTNZ inspection.

Fred99

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#1329638 23-Jun-2015 07:28

rokki: In my experience this particular engine was no where as good as the 1600 engine of toyotas. Also buy NZ new with a history used import odometers are not to be trusted. always get a mechanic to check.

Certified used import odos are a step ahead of uncertified used NZ odos - especially for diesel where RUC is a strong incentive to disconnect the odo. (But the OP is talking $2,500 cars here, so it's not relevant anyway).
If you need a mechanic to check out a $2500 car - rethink the whole idea of buying a car in that price range. All will have faults - and if you start rejecting them based on faults, you'll end up spending the $2500 on mechanic checks, and have nothing left to buy the car with. If you can't DIY, then buying an old clunker is going to end up in tears anyway - even if it's a Toyota.
Many private sellers expect dealer prices for used cars - so if you're not good at haggling and don't have a lot of time to spend checking out cars, spend a bit more and buy from a dealer, where at least you get some protection from the CGA.
The difference between description / photos and reality when it comes to many of the clunkers offered for sale on TM etc is huge. Not to say that the sellers are a pack of dreamers/liars, just prone to extreme exaggeration/glossing the turd - and it's "most" of them - not "some".

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Geese

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#1329669 23-Jun-2015 08:33

Fred99: If you need a mechanic to check out a $2500 car - rethink the whole idea of buying a car in that price range. All will have faults - and if you start rejecting them based on faults, you'll end up spending the $2500 on mechanic checks, and have nothing left to buy the car with. If you can't DIY, then buying an old clunker is going to end up in tears anyway - even if it's a Toyota.
Many private sellers expect dealer prices for used cars - so if you're not good at haggling and don't have a lot of time to spend checking out cars, spend a bit more and buy from a dealer, where at least you get some protection from the CGA.
The difference between description / photos and reality when it comes to many of the clunkers offered for sale on TM etc is huge. Not to say that the sellers are a pack of dreamers/liars, just prone to extreme exaggeration/glossing the turd - and it's "most" of them - not "some".

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