Car guy/girl needed

[Sally Bean]

Hi Everyone,

Sally here from FFR. If you call in and a female answers the phone, you're probably speaking with me.

My daughter just moved to California on September 1 to the Woodland Hills area and she is looking to purchase a used car. She knows nothing about cars and it's a bit difficult for me and the car experts here at Factory Five to determine whether what's she is looking at is a good deal or a piece of junk. So, I'm wondering if there's anyone in the FFR community that lives close to where she is and would be willing to check out a car for her.

On another note, if any of you know of a good, reliable used car (Honda due to it's dependability) for sale, please let me know.

Karen Salvaggio and Dave Hodgkins have been wonderful in looking for cars but they live too far away from Ariana to actually check something out in person.

Thanks in advance for any assistance here.

Sally
FFR

[shinn497]

How much is she looking to spend? I live around that area though not next door (Riverside, but I am always in LA). I also often help my friends purchase cars. Honda's are good of course the most important thing is to check if the previous owner kept service records of his/her car.

[mmaragos]

I am in Van Nuys and can assist with a test drive / mechanical inspection.

Matt

[Bob Barnett]

Sally:

I know of several Cobra owners in or near Woodland Hills. I'll spread the word and I'm sure she'll get all the help she needs.

[vnmsss]

I might be able to help a bit here....Sally and I have been talking about this for a couple of months leading up to her daughter moving out here to CA. The thought was to find a Honda, and it would be great if we could find her something that has the mini SUV styling, such as the CR-V.....We found one a while back, but living in Riverside, the reality is that I'm too far away to look at cars in that area......Open to other ideas, but the car below would be a good example of what she's looking for...If someone wants to check it out, or search for something like this, that would be great....Thanks!..Karen:

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=78581885&listingRecNum=3&criteria=prMx%3D10000%26sf1Dir%3DDESC%26prMn%3D0%2 6mkId%3D20017%26stkTyp%3DU%26mdId%3D20762%26rd%3D1 00%26crSrtFlds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-mdId-pseudoPrice%26zc%3D92570%26rn%3D0%26PMmt%3D1-1-0%26stkTypId%3D28881%26sf2Dir%3DASC%26sf1Nm%3Dpric e%26sf2Nm%3Dmiles%26isDealerGrouping%3Dfalse%26rpp %3D50%26feedSegId%3D28705&aff=national&listType=1

[mmaragos]

I can check that car out - it is within about 5 minutes of my house. If I cannot make it today, I will go on Sunday.

[vnmsss]

I can check that car out - it is within about 5 minutes of my house. If I cannot make it today, I will go on Sunday.

Thanks so much!!!!!

K

[mmaragos]

I don't think this CR-V will fit the bill. It has a salvage title. I talked to the guy (Tony) that did the repair work. It was the front passenger door that got hit. The repair was OK. He replaced the door completely, but the frame around the door is a bit rough looking - not the best of repair and paint on that. The door gap on the repair was excellent, but there were other scrapes and scratches that should have been fixed. The rest of the car was aesthetically OK. It needs a complete and thorough detailing inside and out. I saw a couple signs of rust under the paint (two very small areas, dime size) and would guess these will become apparent within a couple years.

Mechanically, the engine looked and sounded great. All the seals, etc., look good, no signs of leaks or issues. It needs all the basic maintenance, oil change, etc. I opted not to take it for a test drive as I figured the salvage title would probably be an issue. Everything on the vehicle is functional and works (A/C, heat, windows, lights, mirrors, etc.). Stereo needed the security code put in, so I was not able to check that. Non-smoker vehicle.

It is missing the jack and lug nut wrench. It is also missing the driver side, side air bag. It deployed during the accident and was not replaced.

I would guess that this vehicle needs about $1500 to $3000 of parts (new air bag, jack, etc.) and labor (change all the fluids, fix the body and paint, complete detailing, etc.) to get it 100%, but it will still be a salvage title.

Might be a good car for ~$2000 less - if you are OK with a salvage.

Please PM me for my phone if you want to talk or find anything else you want me to look at. I will keep an eye out for similar vehicles that are in the same price range.

Thanks.

Matt

[vnmsss]

Thanks so much Matt! I would agree with your assessment of the car having a salvage title as a prevailing reason to pass on this one.....Really appreciate your efforts, and would be grateful if you could keep your eye open for something else that might become available in the area.

Best regards,

Karen