What would you buy for $10k?

So we have VERY strict recon/wholesale rules. If the vehicle cannot be brought up to par within the allocated recon budget, it is wholesaled. That car must be in really good shape or they would have launched it

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You still need a PPI as always and in particular on these cars to make sure the head gasket is not on its way out.

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ā€œIt’s what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.ā€

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Any recommendations for a good PPI service in the NYC/Long Island area? Thanks

I don’t. But start with google, find a place that’s highly rated with lots of reviews and then go in person. Even if you haven’t found a specific car yet, just talking to a mechanic or owner will give you a lot of feedback. And almost everyone who is good has a silo that they specialize in. JDM guys can’t help you with a German car and vice versa.

That’s also a vast area (in time if not in distance). You’re talking ~4 hours end to end. So when asking around or googling you need to be specific re:location as well as brand(s).

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Absolutely! I was combing through the service records and it doesn’t say the timing belt has ever been replaced. It is probably due for replacement due to the age.

Good to know. Thanks!

At 15 yrs old that TB would be way overdue.

As for ā€œstrict standardsā€ every dealership will tell you some variation of the same, so pretend you never heard it. Words are worthless when it comes to buying used cars.

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Looks very clean. These are great cars.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/d/san-jose-used-2002-mercedes-benz-clk-55/7772247150.html

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Perfect day to dump 10k into stocks hopefully tomorrow will go deeper… we shall see

Never liked ads without tags but the price is good. One family owned is a plus. Engine was used in Crossfire so some parts could be found from those cars. Nav screen is rare. I wonder what they towed with it :slight_smile:

https://lasvegas.craigslist.org/cto/d/las-vegas-2003-mercedes-benz-c32-amg/7771653041.html

Yes I’ve never seen a trailer hitch on a C Class much less an AMG.

How about a bulletproof, RWD, low mileage Toyota for under $8k? :slight_smile:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/285977061582

(ps, I happen to know the owner would take an offer even less)

I was visited yesterday by a friend from Sweden who lived here in VA 2014-2020. When he first got here he wanted me to help him finding a really cheap car that he could drive until he had saved up the money to buy something nice. We ended up buying a -01 Lesabre with 90k miles from an estate sale. $1500, needed a new wheel bearing but was otherwise super nice. It was dead reliable and he drove it all over the US. A battery and an engine mount were the only things that failed. He moved back to Sweden and the Buick had become such a big part of his life that he strangely enough decided to bring it over there where it still drives just fine. Apparently he can still order service parts from Rock Auto and they ship there. 10 years and 150k miles from a $1500 car, hard to beat.

As for me, I just bought a really nice -06 Miata down in TN for $6500. 100% stock, factory paint, 99k miles from a 75 year old owner. My son wanted to learn how to drive a stick shift so of course I needed to get a good tool for that!

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I had th

that car is scary in the rain. I remember driving one as a rental car and i was sliding all over the place.

Surely the tires are a big factor for that situation.

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For sub $10,000 and if you happen to be a wagon fan…

Marketplace - 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 Wagon | Facebook

@jeisensc

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How did you know I was looking at E-wagons an hour ago?

98k … I haven’t met a MB master mechanic I’m ready to settle down with yet. Someone with better luck than mine might go years with just oil changes and gas for under $10k

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Is this even relevant 3 years later? Maybe some Turkish eggs? Lol

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Nice looking car. It is amazing to me how MBs still look great. The design ages very well. The driver’s seat looks like it’s in rough shape. The 14 year old air suspension scares me. When it goes (not if), there are 3 ways to fix it. The computer that runs the inflated/deflated plus the pump itself goes bad (not terribly expensive). You bring it to the dealer and they say you must ā€œreplace all the bagsā€ and the whole system (very expensive). You have the air suspension system removed and have regular springs and struts installed (not terribly expensive and will last a long time.