Q: I'm looking at this '02 Impreza WRX around my area. It's at a used car dealer and they want 7,990 for it. The only thing that worries me is the mileage on the car (roughly 200,000). I did start the car and listened to it and it sounds great with no taps from the engine. It has a brand new clutch in it and a new transmission was put in it about 62k ago. It was just completely serviced and it has new tires all the way around that are matching. As far as the visuals of the car, it is pretty much flawless, I swear I didn't see a single dent or major scratch anywhere. I have not yet gotten the chance to test drive this car but I would like to know, saying that nothing seems wrong when I do get to test drive it, is the car still worth roughly $8000 or should I steer clear of that one?
A: When shopping for cars, I always check KBB, NADA, Edmunds, and Consumer Guide. From what you've said, that price is extremely good for a dealer price, which makes me somewhat suspicious. In general, high mileage means the car was driven on the highway most of its life which means it was driven relatively lightly. However, the transmission needed to be replaced so the previous driver wasn't very gentle. My 2001 is on its original transmission and I drive hard! My guess is the car was driven to and from sanctioned amateur races. The low sticker-price also suggests it may have been wrecked and repaired. I know this sounds obvious and isn't the answer you're looking for but hear me out. Your best bet is to bring an unbiased guaranteed mechanic to look it over. 3 things can happen: a) the car's in good shape so you pay the dealer and the mechanic and drive off with an excellent deal on a nice car. b) the car is in poor shape, you pay the mechanic and you didn't blow $8000 on a lemon c) you buy it, it's a lemon anyway, the mechanic's guarantee gets your money back. If you don't want to pay the mechanic, you can inspect it yourself. Look around for any bubbles in the paint, discoloration on the car and in the engine bay, rust under the car, rust on the strut mounts, small bits of broken glass. Feel under the fenders for wrinkles in the metal. Check under the upholstery in the trunk for unusual paint drips, visible gray primer, and metal "tear-drops". This by no means will guarantee the car wasn't in an accident, but it'll get your closer. The "tear-drops" I'm referring to comes from molten metal which happens when a spot welder is used to pull a dent. You didn't ask, but I need to say this. Don't pay for Carfax. Carfax has several blind spots and doesn't always capture the entire vehicle history. Second, most dealerships are willing to give you the Carfax history for free because they pay for unlimited subscriptions. The Carfax guarantee is full of loop-holes and by-laws too. A dealer who WON'T give you the Carfax is hiding something and it's a sure sign you need to leave. Sounds like you have doubts. Don't buy it or else you'll hate yourself for every little thing that goes wrong, even the stuff that would've failed on a good car.