One of my oldest friends is selling his 2002 VW Passat Station Wagon (GLX V6). He bought it new and has taken good care of it (I've known him for 30 years; he takes care of things). He has all of the car's records.
As it turns out, I'm in the market for a used car. The car drives beautifully. He is listing it at $6K. But a thorough pre-purchase inspection uncovered several problems, for which he is willing to take the price down. How can we find a fair value for the car? And should I buy this Volkswagen at all?
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posted by betsbillabong
on Jan 30, 2013 -
28 answers
My 1998 Nissan Sentra GXE (1.6L) has been acting up for the past few weeks, in decreasing degrees of severity. After a varied set of problems and repairs, the engine now hesitates at random, more often when idling than when driving. It sounds like it's about to die completely and then returns to normal in a second. What the heck is going on?
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posted by summerteeth
on Sep 14, 2012 -
12 answers
MustangFilter: 2006 v6 Ford Mustang giving cylinder misfire codes. Crank sensor and pulley recently replaced, the shop tells me to replace the coil pack. Looking for other root causes before I take the plunge?
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posted by ASoze
on Nov 17, 2010 -
5 answers
Why do these skeezy guys solicit me in public to do body work on my car?
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posted by Kylio
on Oct 29, 2010 -
31 answers
While performing routine maintenance on my car, my mechanic noticed a hum coming from the (standard) transmission. He then changed the transmission fluid and noticed pieces of metal when draining the old fluid out. Crap. This car only has 85,000 miles. How many more can I realistically get out of it?
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posted by Rewind
on Dec 4, 2009 -
11 answers
Currently in my 2005 Chevy Malibu the driver seat frame is cracked. Underneath the seat I can see a metal bar going across (not IN the seat but under) and it has a huge crack/hole and the other piece is hanging off. This causes my seat to tilt back some and rock. I know eventually when that breaks completely my seat will forever tilt back. Is there a way I can fix this by DIY?
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posted by dolemite01
on May 6, 2009 -
7 answers
How long can I wait to replace a purge valve in my '98 Toyota Corolla? How much is a reasonable price for getting this done?
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posted by lblair
on Dec 15, 2008 -
3 answers
The heater core in my 2001 Ford Taurus has just failed for the third time in less than 18 months. The car has about 90K miles on it. What could be causing these repeated failures?
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posted by maurice
on Nov 6, 2008 -
6 answers
VW "Customer Care" isn't exactly screwing me, but they're not doing me any favors, either. What should I do next? The part was poorly designed and faulty, but I didn't get my car to the dealership until two weeks after the expiration of a warranty extension I never knew about. Full story follows:
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posted by booknerd
on Nov 3, 2008 -
9 answers
Somebody loaned me their car for a week. I managed to ding the bumper. Help me figure out if this is something I can fix myself or if I need to take it to a body shop. Pictures inside.
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posted by floam
on Nov 1, 2008 -
19 answers
Is it true that it is good for a car to fill it up with higher grade gas once in a while?
I usually fill up at Shell, and there is 87, 89 and 91 kinds of gas, with 87 being the cheapeast and 91 being the most expensive. I usually get 87. However, I heard that if you own a car and want it to last longer, it is beneficial to fill it up with the most expensive gas, to "clean the engine". Is that true? If so, what is the explanation behind it? I drive a 2002 Kia Rio, if that makes any difference.
posted by esolo
on Dec 22, 2007 -
22 answers
When buying exhaust flex pipes like
these, to fit over an H-pipe with a diameter of 2.5", would you buy the flex pipes with the 2.5" outlet diameter or do you need something bigger?
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posted by Venadium
on Jun 2, 2007 -
1 answer
I've always liked cars, but I'd really like to learn how to repair them and get some hands-on experience, if possible. How can I do this?
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posted by Oobidaius
on May 15, 2007 -
26 answers
My 1991 Jeep Cherokee automatic seems to be "trembling" while it idles. The shaking decreases once it's moving, but persists- albeit in a much reduced state. On top of that, the engine just sounds like it's working harder than it used to. Help!
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posted by Waffle_King
on Feb 21, 2007 -
7 answers
Sometimes when I try to start my car, it doesn't seem to "catch". This only happens sometimes, and when I took it to the shop, they couldn't find anything wrong.
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posted by exceptinsects
on Jul 3, 2006 -
17 answers
My car's engine heat indicator suddenly began soaring anytime I idle. This can't be good. What is the cause, and how do I fix?
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posted by donmayo
on May 21, 2006 -
12 answers
Mechanics: I've got a 1964 chevy bel air which is my daily driver that needs some work. I'd like to do it myself, but I'm sorta a car newbie. What online communities and resources will be useful to me? Do you have any specific anecdotes, tips and tricks for working on old cars?
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posted by fishfucker
on Dec 7, 2005 -
25 answers
Any good online references for finding an auto repair shop? Reports, reviews, horror stories?
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posted by intermod
on Oct 24, 2005 -
9 answers
At what point is it not worth putting any more money into keeping an old car running, and just going out and getting a new one? What's the equation?
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posted by gottabefunky
on Aug 29, 2005 -
15 answers
Anyone develop 'stuck window' on their Honda Accord? How did you fix it?
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posted by clord
on Aug 6, 2005 -
6 answers
Does anyone have any experience with
DentPro for removing/fixing dents on a car? Why are their estimates so much cheaper than an autobody shops, and do they really do as good a job? Any additional info is welcome.
posted by ruwan
on Apr 26, 2005 -
4 answers
How can I figure out what's leaking from my car? (And other maladies...) Does anyone know of a site -- like WebMD, but for cars -- where I can type in symptoms and narrow down what might be wrong with a car? I know that I can go to a mechanic, but sometimes the first question is whether it's even safe to drive the car to the mechanic.
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posted by xo
on Mar 31, 2005 -
10 answers
Apologies for CarFilter, however: some weeks ago my car stereo began behaving badly before finally dying. [mi]
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posted by mcsweetie
on Jan 29, 2005 -
5 answers
My truck failed an emissions test for the first time (in No. Virginia). It's a 1993 Toyota pick-up, 2x4, 2.4L - 4cyl. (ext. cab). I just turned 200,000 miles on it last month and replaced the muffler and tailpipe the day before the inspection. The failure is with the
NO ppm test. It failed at both 15 MPH and 25, but not by much. Am I looking at a converter problem for sure or is there something I can do first before replacing it? What's the best way to approch this problem?
posted by Witty
on Jun 10, 2004 -
5 answers
