Here's the dealio
My gf's Mom is moving out of the country in a couple months and has a '97 Legacy GT Wagon AWD. She want to sell it to me since my '93 Concorde is falling apart day by day (180K miles on it). Her Subie is fully loaded: alloy wheels, leather, CD, etc. Exterior & interior in great condition.
Here is the catch: its got over 200K on it. She drove it in Asheville, NC (read: mountains) a lot when she did insurance stuff and put a lot of highway miles. She drives like a grandma most of the time. Suspension is supposedly still tight, no noises or anything. Probly close to a year ago, give or take, something went wrong w/the engine and it had to be rebuilt. She had it rebuilt at the dealership by the same mechanic who has worked on her car since she bought it @ that same dealership.
The only current issues with it that I know of are these:
(1) Engine is louder than before rebuild. Apparently her mechanic, who is supposedly a really nice guy, told her that is to be expected with a rebuilt engine.
(2) My gf said the brakes sometimes pulse a little when you are coming to a stop. I know she has had the brakes worked on previously as apart of normal maintenance, but do not know if the rotors have been serviced/replaced.
I am also worried about the tranny & differential. When the time gets closer I plan on taking it to a shop and having them go over it inch by inch, especially the tranny. I don't want to have to replace the damn tranmission anytime soon. Also, I doubt the differential has been serviced at all, but then again she HAS had the dealership service it 100% of the time. Would they change the differential lube? Is this something I should be worried about?
Every price I look up online says around $3K w/the mileage on her car, choosing "Good" condition. Supposedly she had a dealer price it and they said $5K. She has a ton of money and she loves me as a semi-son-in-law (dating almost 4 years), so I would get a good deal. I figure I wouldn't pay her more than $2K and she would even accept payments from me to make it easier on me; given I'm in my 4th year of college and I pay for all of my living expenses except car insurance.
Opinions/comments/recommendations? My other thought was to get a early 2000's Grand Prix GT for cheap. I hear the engine & tranny on those is very reliable, decently powerful, and fun to drive.
Regardless of which way I go, this car should only have to last me 2-3 years at most.
I just want something reliable, at least semi-fun to drive, and gets 20mpg or greater.
Thanks!
EDIT Forgot to mention it is an automatic
My gf's Mom is moving out of the country in a couple months and has a '97 Legacy GT Wagon AWD. She want to sell it to me since my '93 Concorde is falling apart day by day (180K miles on it). Her Subie is fully loaded: alloy wheels, leather, CD, etc. Exterior & interior in great condition.
Here is the catch: its got over 200K on it. She drove it in Asheville, NC (read: mountains) a lot when she did insurance stuff and put a lot of highway miles. She drives like a grandma most of the time. Suspension is supposedly still tight, no noises or anything. Probly close to a year ago, give or take, something went wrong w/the engine and it had to be rebuilt. She had it rebuilt at the dealership by the same mechanic who has worked on her car since she bought it @ that same dealership.
The only current issues with it that I know of are these:
(1) Engine is louder than before rebuild. Apparently her mechanic, who is supposedly a really nice guy, told her that is to be expected with a rebuilt engine.
(2) My gf said the brakes sometimes pulse a little when you are coming to a stop. I know she has had the brakes worked on previously as apart of normal maintenance, but do not know if the rotors have been serviced/replaced.
I am also worried about the tranny & differential. When the time gets closer I plan on taking it to a shop and having them go over it inch by inch, especially the tranny. I don't want to have to replace the damn tranmission anytime soon. Also, I doubt the differential has been serviced at all, but then again she HAS had the dealership service it 100% of the time. Would they change the differential lube? Is this something I should be worried about?
Every price I look up online says around $3K w/the mileage on her car, choosing "Good" condition. Supposedly she had a dealer price it and they said $5K. She has a ton of money and she loves me as a semi-son-in-law (dating almost 4 years), so I would get a good deal. I figure I wouldn't pay her more than $2K and she would even accept payments from me to make it easier on me; given I'm in my 4th year of college and I pay for all of my living expenses except car insurance.
Opinions/comments/recommendations? My other thought was to get a early 2000's Grand Prix GT for cheap. I hear the engine & tranny on those is very reliable, decently powerful, and fun to drive.
Regardless of which way I go, this car should only have to last me 2-3 years at most.
I just want something reliable, at least semi-fun to drive, and gets 20mpg or greater.
Thanks!
EDIT Forgot to mention it is an automatic
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