Bad Idea?

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Okay so my friend is selling his 1998 Subaru Impreza in the Spring, I'm interested in buying it. It has 125k miles, and it's been well maintained, he's the only owner. And we trust him.

Well if we sell our 2000 Ford Focus with 80k miles it's about an even trade. We would make no money from the lateral move.

Is this a good or bad idea?

[jIM_Ohio]

great moves, our Ford Focus started falling apart around 90k miles. 2000 focus, I believe.

[simple987]

Normally I wouldn't trade a newer car for an older car with more miles, but I wouldn't buy a ford either.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Yes our 2000 Focus sucks big time. It already has tons of problems.

[disneysteve]

I never would have bought a Ford either, but that's beside the point.

I would be hesitant to buy a used car from a friend. If anything goes wrong, I'd be upset and he'd probably feel guilty so I'd avoid the transaction for that reason alone.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

That's what I'm wondering about. Any experience about buying a car from friends or family people? Did you save or pay more? And was it worth it?

[bishop]

disneysteve has a good point...what is your friendship worth? While neither one of you would intentionally screw the other, stuff happens, and cause some major rifts in a friendship. I bought a snowmobile from a friend years ago...it ran strong, and I had ridden it with no problems for 2 seasons with him. 2 weeks after buying it, the engine went. I knew it was nothing it he did or didn't do, but I still felt awkward around him for a while (don't know why, but I did). Just something to consider.

[disneysteve]

That's what I'm wondering about. Any experience about buying a car from friends or family people? Did you save or pay more? And was it worth it?

I never bought one, but I gave away one car to my cousin who was a college student at the time and we sold one to my wife's sister for very little, well below market value. Both times, there were no problems. They appreciated what they got and if there had been problems, I don't think they would have been upset based on what they paid.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Exactly and I'm not sure about asking to take it to a mechanic. Is it a weird thing? Like I don't trust the person?

[disneysteve]

Exactly and I'm not sure about asking to take it to a mechanic. Is it a weird thing? Like I don't trust the person?

I also think it would be really awkward to negotiate price with a friend.

[project15]

Exactly and I'm not sure about asking to take it to a mechanic. Is it a weird thing? Like I don't trust the person?

If a friend was buying my car and asked to take it to a mechanic, I would feel a bit untrusted, but I'd also understand which is the key here. If your friend is not a mechanic, they cannot tell you that the car is in perfect condition because there's so many things below the surface that could be working, but highly worn out and about to break.

[DebbieL]

I would expect anyone with sense buying a used car to get it checked out mechanically. Why should I expect less of a friend?

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Yes and how do you negotiated the price with a friend?

[bjl584]

Can your friend produce maintence records for the car showing proof of everything that has been done to it? If so, and the car is in good shape, then you probably will be fine. Subarus are historically good cars. A few things to look out for if you haven't already. Check over the car visually for the obvious. Rust, dents, etc. Be sure to check inside the door panels. Look at the condition of the tires. I would ask your friend to pull a wheel off so you can inspect the brake pads and rotors as well. Move on to looking under the hood. Make sure all of the belts and hoses are in good shape and not frayed or craked. Especially check the coolant system lines. Look under the car to see if there is anything leaking from the engine. Oil, transmission fluid, coolant, etc. Any of these could mean big problems and big money. Finally take the car for a ride, preferably without your friend with you. Listen for strange noises from the engine and suspension. Make sure that the car is aligned properly. Make sure it handlesturns well and that the steering isn't loose or sloppy. Make sure that all of the controls for the heat, radio, windows, locks, lights, etc. are in good working order. Make sure that there are no strange smells. This could mean that the car is burning oil. Check the condition of the brakes. It may seem like a lot, but a car is a major investment. If you want it to last you have to take car of it. If you don't know that much about cars you can find someone that does to come with you, or you can ask your friend to take it to a garage with you and let a mechanic look it over. You can ask him to pay for it, or split the cost, or whatever you two can work out. If your friend is insulted by your request to have the car looked over, then he may be hiding something. But before you do any of this, is there anything wrong with your Ford Focus? 80,000 miles isn't a lot. If you've kept on on the maintence on the car, it should be fine.

[sounderella]

Well I pulled up the value of the cars on nadaguides.com. This is the guide banks use to gauge how much they'll give on a loan. Kelly Blue Book sometimes inflates the price. ANYWAYS, researching just basic cars since I didn't know what features they both had, your Focus is worth more.

2000 Focus 80K Miles: $4475

1998 Subaru Impreza 125K Miles: $3,300

Maybe asking for $1000 plus the car may be a good idea. Don't know if the other person would go for it though. I don't know much about Subarus but I did just sell my 2003 Focus with 90K miles for $3,300. The mass air intake went bad. I didn't care much for the Focus but it was a nice college car. I wouldn't buy another one though. Personally, when buying a car I get wary of buying over 100K miles.