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OK, enough of that, now back to my story. I talked to the credit union when I got in from work and found out they approved me for a $7k loan. I'm pretty sure that it will be enough. So i went out to the dealerships on gratiot b/w 21 and 15 mile roads. Not surprisingly, the Milne and Dorian Fords were the only ones that had any number of Focii. But I checked the others, just in case. A couple of the places I stopped at had only 10-12 used vehicles on the lot--how do they expect to make any money????
Milne had one dark blue 4dr SE that would actually be within my budget, so that's not a bad start. Dorian had a white ZX3, and I loved the seats and interior--it felt great. But the price was a little too high, and would only get worse after tax, title etc. They also had a 4dr for $5k, but its felt really cheap. And the lack of a center console really made me uncomfortable--oh, and the lack of power windows was bad also( I will crank windows no more!!).
Anyway, I'm going to stop by the dealerships around 18 and Van Dyke on my way home from work tomorrow. We'll see what happens. Stay tuned.
Paul's NEW '01 Focus ZTS
45k miles and counting!
K&N drop-in and Silverstars
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I wouldnt go for an SE or an LX... cause they have the SOHC engine (SLOW!) get a ZTS (if you want the sedan) or a ZX3. if you want another zetec... You could also look into getting a newer used Contour 
98 Corolla LE 1.8L DOHC 1ZZFE
TEIN H.Tech Springs
Tokico HP series Struts
Short ram air intake
Tsudo Axel Back Exhaust
... if a jelly fish stung me.. would you pee on the wound?
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Their is a reason they call them stealerships...and it's not just on repairs/parts
Check autotrader...
-Black '96 GL 160k
-Car #30953
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Joined: Aug 2004
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yea check autotrader and cars.com
dealerships inflate the price, and they always lie about history of car.
you got a loan from a credit union, so it doesn't have to go through dealer.. it could be private sale.
i searched for a focus before getting my contour, and there were a lot of cheap ones on autotrader and local papers, with low mileage. i guess the only thing you might get from slealership is warranty on the car which is nice.
00 CSVT
#390
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 21,197
I have no life
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I have no life
Joined: May 2000
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Originally posted by irda:
dealerships inflate the price, and they always lie about history of car.
you got a loan from a credit union, so it doesn't have to go through dealer.. it could be private sale.
i searched for a focus before getting my contour, and there were a lot of cheap ones on autotrader and local papers, with low mileage. i guess the only thing you might get from slealership is warranty on the car which is nice.
  I'd rather buy from a dealer. They have a reputation to up hold and aren't going to sell you something that's going to have known issues. Also if you do have an issue with the car you somewhere to bring it back to. I'm talking Ford dealerships not mom & pop places. Now having the car properly repaired thats another story.
-'96 SE MTX 3L
-'98 SVT 1,173 of 6,535
-'05 Mazda 6s, loaded, g/f's ride
-Need a 96-00 manual on CD? PM or email me
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Captain Impound Boy
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Captain Impound Boy
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Originally posted by janostak:
But the price was a little too high, and would only get worse after tax, title etc.
Then don't pay for that crap!!! 
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a friend of mine had an accident, traded his car in for a new one at the dealer.
a month later, after his original car was fixed by dealer they had the car up for sale. a guy he knew went to dealer and asked if the car's ever been in an accident, knowing it has. dealer (who actually handled the trade-in) said no, no accidents ever. i've also been to dealers that didn't know what they were talking about. i've been through 7 cars used and new.
that being said, i should revise my statement, dealers don't 'always' lie, it's just from personal experience and from what other people have experienced. Also they weren't from Ford dealers so i guess Ford dealers might be better. so revision, 'dealers are hard to trust from personal experience'.
private sellers lie / cover-up just as much as dealers, so I rather pay $1k less for the same car.
00 CSVT
#390
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Originally posted by todras:
I'd rather buy from a dealer. They have a reputation to up hold and aren't going to sell you something that's going to have known issues. Also if you do have an issue with the car you somewhere to bring it back to. I'm talking Ford dealerships not mom & pop places. Now having the car properly repaired thats another story.
or, you could have the best of both worlds! buy it from a private individual, AND pay out the ass for it!
02 Mustang GT... Tuned by Nelsons. Low 12's, anyone?
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Joined: May 2002
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Hard-core CEG'er
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Hard-core CEG'er
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Originally posted by irda:
a friend of mine had an accident, traded his car in for a new one at the dealer.
a month later, after his original car was fixed by dealer they had the car up for sale. a guy he knew went to dealer and asked if the car's ever been in an accident, knowing it has. dealer (who actually handled the trade-in) said no, no accidents ever.
Well that's your responsibility to carfax ANYTHING you buy used... shady on the dealers part sure, but still your responsibility.
Quote:
i've also been to dealers that didn't know what they were talking about.
Not all salesmen are perfect, and I would guess it was probably a salesman who "Didn't know what they were talking about" regarding a car that the dealership does not sell. Acura dealers aren't required to know the first thing about Subarus.
Quote:
i've been through 7 cars used and new.
And I've owned 6, and the ONLY ONE i've ever had trouble with was my Contour, bought from a private individual.
Diesel owns you
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well i started to correct mbtdi's ASSumptions, they're all wrong but forget it. first mistake on the board, to give your opinion or past experience just to say you have to watch out at dealers - some are good some are bad.
this thread is about janostak looking for a car, hopefully he finds a nice car.
00 CSVT
#390
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