expert opinions needed. (buying a used car)

quashu

Junior Member
Jul 19, 2007
3
0
0
I am going to buy a car tomorrow, I narrowed down to these 3 choices.
which one is a better choice?

(1)1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 4sp automatic with 200,000 miles.
http://www.cars.com/go/search/...cnum=5&leadExists=true

or

(2)1993 Acura Vigor 5sp manual with 130,000 miles.
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/car/375694589.html


(3) 1998 Civic 5sp manual with 50,000 miles. (but this one costs $3800 and has some dents on the exterior)
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/car/377153751.html

The guy selling the civic had so many typos, is there something fishy?




I know the 5sp is more fun to drive but on the other hand the MB is more comfy. Hard to decide. I think the maintenance cost will be about the same for the acura and MB, but I am not expert in cars. Help~
 

ViviTheMage

Lifer
Dec 12, 2002
36,189
87
91
madgenius.com
wow, it has headers and a muffler? I would say that acura...it sounds like they kept it in great shape.

have you looked at either of the cars?
 

j00fek

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2005
8,099
1
0
the civic will last longer, easier to fix, get parts etc... with 50K mi on it is a sure lock for me over the other cars.

i would offer 3400 for the civic, after you look at it and take it for a ride of course :)
ask for maintenance records as well if they have them
 

Dudewithoutapet

Golden Member
Oct 10, 2005
1,854
0
76
I'd go with number 2. The Acura Vigor should last a while longer. The MB is pretty old and very high mileage. The only thing that keeps me from the Civic is that they get jacked a lot here in CA, not sure about where you are from though. Not to mention they get modded and maybe they messed up somewhere.
 

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
0
56
D None of the above.

Mercedes has too many miles & too expensive to maintain.

Acura same as Mercedes

Honda, I dunno the ad looks pretty fishy, I'd want a VIN/carfax & an inspection.

One of my dad's favorite quotes "Never get in a hurry to spend money."
 

Zenmervolt

Elite member
Oct 22, 2000
24,512
22
81
Stay well away from the MB. $$$ to maintain.

Stay well away from the Civic, it doesn't seem like the current owner is taking very good care of it.

I like the Vigor. With proper maintenance it should run to 200,000+ miles and it looks like it really is in good shape. You can take it to any generic import mechanic for repairs too. Shouldn't be too bad, not really more expensive than a Honda.

My vote is for the Vigor. It should have a lot of life left in it yet. At most it might be about due for a new clutch (and a timing belt at the mileage unless they can prove it's been done recently).

ZV
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
1,378
126
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Stay well away from the MB. $$$ to maintain.

Stay well away from the Civic, it doesn't seem like the current owner is taking very good care of it.

I like the Vigor. With proper maintenance it should run to 200,000+ miles and it looks like it really is in good shape. You can take it to any generic import mechanic for repairs too. Shouldn't be too bad, not really more expensive than a Honda.

My vote is for the Vigor. It should have a lot of life left in it yet. At most it might be about due for a new clutch (and a timing belt at the mileage unless they can prove it's been done recently).

ZV

Yep. There are a TON of overlapping parts for Acura/Honda. Matter of fact, they don't even call Acuras that in Japan. It's all just 'Honda'.

MB and Acura are so different it's ridiculous. MB/BMW are $$$ to maintain, but Acura/Honda, not so much.
 

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
0
56
Originally posted by: Arkaign
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Stay well away from the MB. $$$ to maintain.

Stay well away from the Civic, it doesn't seem like the current owner is taking very good care of it.

I like the Vigor. With proper maintenance it should run to 200,000+ miles and it looks like it really is in good shape. You can take it to any generic import mechanic for repairs too. Shouldn't be too bad, not really more expensive than a Honda.

My vote is for the Vigor. It should have a lot of life left in it yet. At most it might be about due for a new clutch (and a timing belt at the mileage unless they can prove it's been done recently).

ZV

Yep. There are a TON of overlapping parts for Acura/Honda. Matter of fact, they don't even call Acuras that in Japan. It's all just 'Honda'.

MB and Acura are so different it's ridiculous. MB/BMW are $$$ to maintain, but Acura/Honda, not so much.

Ah, well then I guess I don't dislike the Vigor as much, I stand corrected. :D
 

natto fire

Diamond Member
Jan 4, 2000
7,117
10
76
I would get the Vigor just to say I have a straight 5. :p

Seriously though, the Vigor is probably due for a timing belt change, if done at the correct interval, and possibly a clutch, but this largely depends on how it was driven. The G25A is certainly a strong motor and will last just as long as any Honda 4 cylinder, but with the torque of an extra cylinder. Plus the low displacement (for a 5 cyl) makes an almost perfect rod to stroke ratio, for a very smooth rev range.

The MB is easily going to be the most ludicrous in maintenance costs but will have the smoothest ride, but then again the Vigor is still going to ride better than the Civic. The Vigor actually was criticized for it's ride compared to other cars in it's class, like the Lexus ES300, but makes up for it in handling and road feel.

Also, to add to Arkaign, Honda only pimps it's Acura marque in USA, not just markets outside Japan. It is that way for pretty much all the Japanese luxury marques, and they were trying to break they stigma that Japanese cars were cheap econoboxes. The letter/naming convention was popularized by European cars and Japanese manufacturers reluctantly followed suit. For example, the Acura Legend became the RL, the Vigor became the 2.5 TL, and the Legend Coupe became the CL. The last Acura to get this "treatment" was the renaming of the Integra to RSX, unless you count the TSX, even though the platform was not available in the USDM before. Toyota did the same thing with the renaming of their Cressida to ES 250, and then they started to introduce their better models. Infiniti went a different route by still offering the lower cost model as a Nissan brand, and it was until recently that they changed the sheet metal more dramatically to try to separate the brands.
 

quashu

Junior Member
Jul 19, 2007
3
0
0
ok it seems the anandtech forum people favor the vigor while the macintosh forum(www.mac-forums.com) favors the civic.
I also posted on another forum(actuarial forum) but they said save my $3000, go to vegas to play all in in roulette and buy a new car.

Seriously I narrowed it down to the civic and the vigor.. hard to choose.
 

CrackRabbit

Lifer
Mar 30, 2001
16,642
62
91
Im saleing my friend car for him.

This guy probably doesn't have the title. Stay far far away.
I almost want to email him... "ENGLISH MOTHERF@#$ER, DO YOU SPEAK IT?!"
Of those three I would say the Vigor, looks well mainatined but may need a clutch and timing belt in the near future as Captain Howdy said.
 

quashu

Junior Member
Jul 19, 2007
3
0
0
well, i just went to see the vigor today, the owner was pretty friendly to me and all, but it smelled like smoke inside so I decided not to get it.
I also went to check out the civic, man,.. there's something fishy.. i made an appointment and he didn't show up!! Must have thought I was a cop
 

natto fire

Diamond Member
Jan 4, 2000
7,117
10
76
Originally posted by: quashu
well, i just went to see the vigor today, the owner was pretty friendly to me and all, but it smelled like smoke inside so I decided not to get it.
I also went to check out the civic, man,.. there's something fishy.. i made an appointment and he didn't show up!! Must have thought I was a cop

Yeah that Civic deal seems pretty shady.

While it is pretty fair to assume that a smoke-smelling car has not been maintained, it is also not fair at the same time. For example, I smoked in my car all the time, but I also changed the oil exactly at 3K with Pennzoil high mileage oil, and a Purolator Gold filter. I had also changed my transmission oil and fuel filter. (This was all on a car that had less than 100K on the clock)
Not to mention I had converted the car from OBD0 to OBD1 and had zero problems with it, besides the water pump that failed at 72K, which was convenient considering I was going to change the timing belt anyways.

Long story short, in general, it is not the best idea to judge smokers as far as their personality/attitude towards auto maintenance. I will wholeheartedly agree, however, that cigarette smoke smells disgusting and can be hard to get rid of in a car, but not impossible.
 

simondedalus

Member
Jul 13, 2007
154
0
0
Originally posted by: quashu
I am going to buy a car tomorrow, I narrowed down to these 3 choices.
which one is a better choice?

(1)1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 4sp automatic with 200,000 miles.
http://www.cars.com/go/search/...cnum=5&leadExists=true

or

(2)1993 Acura Vigor 5sp manual with 130,000 miles.
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/car/375694589.html


(3) 1998 Civic 5sp manual with 50,000 miles. (but this one costs $3800 and has some dents on the exterior)
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/car/377153751.html

The guy selling the civic had so many typos, is there something fishy?




I know the 5sp is more fun to drive but on the other hand the MB is more comfy. Hard to decide. I think the maintenance cost will be about the same for the acura and MB, but I am not expert in cars. Help~


well i am not an experienced guy in this sector so i have to keep my mouth shut........:)
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,344
126
You can't find a mid-late 90's Accord or Camry in that price range? There should be a number of those cars in the 100k-120k milage range for around $4,000.

Second choice would be a mid 90's Maxima.
 

Zenmervolt

Elite member
Oct 22, 2000
24,512
22
81
Originally posted by: quashu
well, i just went to see the vigor today, the owner was pretty friendly to me and all, but it smelled like smoke inside so I decided not to get it.
I also went to check out the civic, man,.. there's something fishy.. i made an appointment and he didn't show up!! Must have thought I was a cop

Smoke smell can be pretty easily removed by renting an ozone machine or by having the car professionally detailed. When my grandfather passed away I inherited his car and it stunk of cigarette smoke, but I just rented an ozone machine and left it on in the car overnight a couple times and the smell was gone. A professional detail shop should be able to get the smell out too, probably only around $100 to have it done.

If the smoke smell is the only thing about the Vigor that you don't like, ask the owner if he will let you take it to a detail shop and get an estimate on the cost to eliminate the smell (obviously he'd have to come with you) or just call around to a few detail shops and ask them what they can do to remove cigarette smell. That'll give you an idea of what the cost will be.

ZV