01-23-2006, 11:34 PM
I'm not sold on the whole dealer car - it's a hit or miss thing. My father usually buys program cars (lease trade ins, 1 year old company fleet cars) that are 1 year old and have about 20k miles on them. The last 2 he bought have been great:
92' Dodge Shadow, RIP 144k miles with a bad tranny, was a company car - only problem it ever had was the original timing belt broke at 120k miles (non-interference 2.5 engine) and that it used a decent amount of oil since new (never burned it that we saw, never leaked it - he just put 1qt of supermarket quality oil in it every 500 miles)
97' Taurus GL - Hertz rental, still going with minimal upkeep, 135k miles
He currently is driving a 2003 Mercury Mountaineer (which I have dubbed the Canyanaro.) Bought it thinking it had 19k miles (what was listed on the sticker) only to find it had 24k miles after signing all the papers. Brought it home and the car had been off-roading (gas tank was dented in, mud in every crevice under the car.) He brought it back to the dealer, they claimed that many of their cars had gotten stuck in their muddy auxiliary lot and that the car had been used as a loaner to a dealership employee, then proceeded to replace the gas tank and clean all the mud from underneath the car. So far, the car has had the following problems with a little over 50k on the clock:
-Broken interior release handle ($40 at the stealership)
-Broken tailgate latch (recall under warranty, rear glass would rattle and open at random times - it was actually quite funny.)
-EATC broken (heat and AC randomly don't work)
-Rear-window washer nozzle broken (hole in tube under car)
-Burns a little oil on a cold startup
-Front brakes dead at 45k miles (even with 4-wheel discs and dual piston calipers up front) - at least they were easy and cheap to change
92' Dodge Shadow, RIP 144k miles with a bad tranny, was a company car - only problem it ever had was the original timing belt broke at 120k miles (non-interference 2.5 engine) and that it used a decent amount of oil since new (never burned it that we saw, never leaked it - he just put 1qt of supermarket quality oil in it every 500 miles)
97' Taurus GL - Hertz rental, still going with minimal upkeep, 135k miles
He currently is driving a 2003 Mercury Mountaineer (which I have dubbed the Canyanaro.) Bought it thinking it had 19k miles (what was listed on the sticker) only to find it had 24k miles after signing all the papers. Brought it home and the car had been off-roading (gas tank was dented in, mud in every crevice under the car.) He brought it back to the dealer, they claimed that many of their cars had gotten stuck in their muddy auxiliary lot and that the car had been used as a loaner to a dealership employee, then proceeded to replace the gas tank and clean all the mud from underneath the car. So far, the car has had the following problems with a little over 50k on the clock:
-Broken interior release handle ($40 at the stealership)
-Broken tailgate latch (recall under warranty, rear glass would rattle and open at random times - it was actually quite funny.)
-EATC broken (heat and AC randomly don't work)
-Rear-window washer nozzle broken (hole in tube under car)
-Burns a little oil on a cold startup
-Front brakes dead at 45k miles (even with 4-wheel discs and dual piston calipers up front) - at least they were easy and cheap to change
Why do people just post what they are thinking? Without thinking.
2012 Ford Mustang
1995 BMW 540i/A
1990 Eagle Talon TSI AWD
2012 Ford Mustang
1995 BMW 540i/A
1990 Eagle Talon TSI AWD