Hey everyone, I wanted some advice on a car purchase I might be making in a couple days. The car is a 92 mazda protege (so, 21 year old car...) with 75 000 miles on it. How would you guys feel about buying such an old car? It's only 500 dollars by the way. Good purchase? Should I pass on it? Thanks for any advice!
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21 year old car
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NeighborhoodThreat
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Impossible to tell. You need to find a mechanically-minded person to take a look at the car in person with you (and ideally drive it as well). Mazdas are good cars and 75,000 miles is nothing, especially for a 1992 (just to put things in perspective, I'm driving a car from 1995 with 190,000 miles on it).
Get a mechanic to take a look at it. Keep in mind that for $500, you usually get what you pay for. If the car has been maintained well over its lifetime then you're looking at a good deal. If he hasn't been taken care of then you're simply buying a set of problems. This is why you need to somebody who knows a think or two about cars to look at the car in person.
Get a mechanic to take a look at it. Keep in mind that for $500, you usually get what you pay for. If the car has been maintained well over its lifetime then you're looking at a good deal. If he hasn't been taken care of then you're simply buying a set of problems. This is why you need to somebody who knows a think or two about cars to look at the car in person.
shimazu
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yeah there's so much more than just miles
75k is pretty good for a used car
but it depends on if it was mostly highway or city miles, how many owners had the car (1 is the best obviously), who the owner was (grandma or 17 year old jackass driver?), where the car was driven (near the ocean causes it to degrade faster), what parts have been replaced (ask for receipts)
there is a lot that goes into buying a used car so yeah Id agree with NT in that you should ask someone you know who knows at least a decent amount about cars to look at it
75k is pretty good for a used car
but it depends on if it was mostly highway or city miles, how many owners had the car (1 is the best obviously), who the owner was (grandma or 17 year old jackass driver?), where the car was driven (near the ocean causes it to degrade faster), what parts have been replaced (ask for receipts)
there is a lot that goes into buying a used car so yeah Id agree with NT in that you should ask someone you know who knows at least a decent amount about cars to look at it
NeighborhoodThreat
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shimazu makes a good point about replacement parts and receipts. Even with only 75,000 miles, the age of the car itself means a lot of parts will need to be replaced (or, ideally, have already been replaced). If the owner knows what they're doing, they should have, at the very least, documents showing when major repairs/replacements were done. If they're unable to provide you with receipts of work done on the car, that's a red flag. Get them to pay for a CarFax (or similar) report on the history of the vehicle (that will give you the number of owners, where the car has been registered in the past, etc).
A few years ago my brother nearly bought a car that was a really good deal but then we got the CarFax report and discovered that it had been registered in New Orleans, LA during Hurricane Katrina. Red flag right there. Its things like that that you'll never know unless you get access to the history behind the car. Plus a decent mechanic (or at least a friend who knows their way around cars) will be able to tell you the condition of the body (as mentioned, if the car has been driven/stored in an area near an ocean and/or in places where salt is on the roads all winter you should probably pass on it).
A few years ago my brother nearly bought a car that was a really good deal but then we got the CarFax report and discovered that it had been registered in New Orleans, LA during Hurricane Katrina. Red flag right there. Its things like that that you'll never know unless you get access to the history behind the car. Plus a decent mechanic (or at least a friend who knows their way around cars) will be able to tell you the condition of the body (as mentioned, if the car has been driven/stored in an area near an ocean and/or in places where salt is on the roads all winter you should probably pass on it).
Yeahhh I should probably just take it to a mechanic. The person selling it is a friend of mine, and I'm sure she didn't take very good care of it. Not to mention I live on an island.. oceans 20 minutes every direction, lots of snow/salt all winter. However, I feel that for 500 dollars I can't really complain about anything! If it runs ill be happy.
If it doesn't pass inspection 7 days after I buy it, I legally have to get my money back, so that helps too
If it doesn't pass inspection 7 days after I buy it, I legally have to get my money back, so that helps too
Car Fax is useful. Let the car sit overnight on pavement then look under the car for oil or especially transmission fluid. If there is fluid from just overnight you have problems. If the oil dipstick has water mixed with the oil you have a cracked head probably. Take the car on a long test drive and listen to every sound and try to identify the source.Take the cap off the radiator if there is lots of brown sludge beware you could have water pump problems ahead. Careful buying from friends it can get tricky. Try offering them $300 for the car if they bite then thats not a bad price. You can make your money back in scrap part if need be. Good luck.
Thanks for the advice HCandKROD, I'll definitely look into all of these things. It's times like these I wish I knew more about basic maintenance of cars... If I hear a strange noise from a car, I cannot pinpoint what it could be for the life of me. I was a little unsure about this car as I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about Mazda Proteges.. some say they go forever, some say they crap out in no time. I guess I'm not expecting much, it's a 21 year old car for 500 bucks... If it lasts six months, I'll be pleased haha
So I bought the car today. Seems to run ok, gonna take it to a mechanic and get some small things fixed, oil change etc. Some rust holes cause leaks in the trunk so I'm gonna buy some bondo and fix that up... So far though it seems good. Low miles, sounds good, brakes are alright... nice zippy little car. Hopefully it'll last me a while! (knock on wood)
iLoveYouWithaKnife
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Keep in mind that you only spent $500.
That's not a lot of money. You can't really expect TOO much from it. But you never know, it may turn out to surprise you.
Just keep up with routine maintenance.
A few years ago I bought a car for $600 with 220,000 miles on it. All I really needed it to do was make it across the country one time and I would have gotten my money's worth of it. 14 months later the engine finally took a shit and I laid her to rest with 299,000 miles on her.
That's not a lot of money. You can't really expect TOO much from it. But you never know, it may turn out to surprise you.
Just keep up with routine maintenance.
A few years ago I bought a car for $600 with 220,000 miles on it. All I really needed it to do was make it across the country one time and I would have gotten my money's worth of it. 14 months later the engine finally took a shit and I laid her to rest with 299,000 miles on her.
^Yeah, I bought a 92 Pontiac Sunbird? I think thats what it was for $200 from a crackhead. It had over 200,000 miles on it before the odometer broke. I drove that car for 3 years till the transmission fell out of it going down the highway. Got out took the tag off of it and walked away from it. Money well spent IMO 
iLoveYouWithaKnife
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That's how I felt- I was stuck in Portland and it was cheaper to buy a car for $600 than it was for 3 people to buy plane tickets. If it made it across the country then it served it's purpose. That fucker just wouldn't die. It was an '89 volvo. Those things will run for fucking ever. It had the original tranny and engine in it.
racerriderj
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Great car. My 93 protege ran to 190k miles and I sold it to a 16yr old kid who was stoked on it. Replace those CV boots, ~30k miles they are virtually a wear and tear item on these particular cars. Other than that, no major problems other than regular maintenance.
Cornishman
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OP, fwiw I bought a 17 year old Japanese car for 600 bucks and have never even serviced the thing.
It's never let me down once and it's coming up for 90k and I've had it for 3 years.
Japanese cars in particular tend to be much more reliable than anything else. (just read any reliability survey)
I'd say go for it.
It's never let me down once and it's coming up for 90k and I've had it for 3 years.
Japanese cars in particular tend to be much more reliable than anything else. (just read any reliability survey)
I'd say go for it.
Thanks for the replies guys!
It's good to hear all your good stories about old cars, definitely makes me feel better about the purchase! Honestly I'm surprised how well it's driving. Also thanks for the advice about the CV boots racerriderj!
One more question, you think I should change all of the fluid? Oil is a given, but it can be pretty expensive to flush the transmission
It's good to hear all your good stories about old cars, definitely makes me feel better about the purchase! Honestly I'm surprised how well it's driving. Also thanks for the advice about the CV boots racerriderj!
One more question, you think I should change all of the fluid? Oil is a given, but it can be pretty expensive to flush the transmission
Well, it wouldn't be a bad idea but if you don't have the money it's not a must do. Definitely the oil and filter. Make sure your coolant is good, check brake fluid and power steering fluid. Make sure your brakes are in good working order. If you are not sure on something you can always Google it. Good luck to you.