ha. im guessing he forgot a zero. new impys are also a contender. and she also likes the 00 ish cherokee laredo. gotta have around 100k before i support her buying a dodge though.

those things have alot of issues with wiring and stuff.

small update. got the settlement, and have been looking at cars extensively for the past week or so. looked at a saturn vue ll the way in ft. wayne indiana, quite a few different cars in chicago, one of which being a rendezvous which i really liked.


today we went and looked at this car. it was in immaculate condition. only issue is it has a both oil lights (pressure and level) on. judging by how the oil cap looks, im guessing that its just dirty sensors. but on the flip side, by the looks of that oil cap im worried that something might be clogged or the oil pump might be going. i am unsure, thats why i asked travis to post this thread on the way home.

Used cars best purchased subject to full inspections.
If it already has concerning issues...maybe pass on it..
find something clean & mechanically sound..then subject to inspection.

Bingo! There are so many good cars, well maintained out there. You can talk to the original owner. They are out there- just takes time to find. The more cars you look at, the better you can spot things. Are you bringing a inspection sheet with you and checking everything off? Did you subscribe to Autocheck for a month so you can run the VINs?

Do a self check. Of the cars you looked at. Did you check under the floor mat for moisture? Did you check the turn signal, hazards, headlights, brake lights? Did you check the fuel pipe for rust at where the fuel filter meets? Did you check the ball joints and tie rods (by putting a floor jack underneath and doing the 6-12, 3-9) If not, you may be doing a "it looks great inspection", rather than a true diagnostic inspection.

A proper inspection and VIN check are must do. If not, the sharks (curbers) will get you, and there are more sharks selling cars than legitimate. Especially on craigslist. Anyone who leaves a phone number on craigslist in a major city is likely a shark. Always google their phone number. You will often find other ads by the same guy.

Finally, stay away from Chicago cars if you can, especially GM vehicles from Chicago. They get the salt in the undercarriage, and the fuel and brake pipes start to rot prematurely. The salt does not exit the GM undercarriages easily, and it just eats at the unibody, pipes, everything.

If you can start looking at Nashville you may find a much cleaner car underneath.

Well stated Guns.
What ever you do.....
CarLemon_zps5504346e.jpeg

Yea, stay away from those electrical gremlins. Who knows what else is wrong.

the impy was at a shop. made him put it on the lift and i did exactly that. as for the salt issue, chicago believe it or not actually has less salt on the roads than further east. (due to lake effect snow going in that direction.)

and as for the far south comment, its not really an option at the moment. i only have tuesdays and fridays off, and i always close at 730. so unless i drive thru the night its not really feasible to drive more than about 3-4 hours away.

this is the pick of the day. lauren wants to look at it tonight. so im currently charging all my flashlights. but i think the dude is at work judging by the fact its only 830, he hasnt replied and the ad was posted at 130.

seems the best to me so far, very well taken care of. everything looks strait oviously took the time to put shiney stuff on everything. good engine and trans for this car. etc...

LOL, put a bumper bar on the front of that Impala and it will look like a cruiser.