I just bought a 2000 Buick Regal with about 80K miles on it for about 4000 bucks.
Basically, it's a ghetto barge with a CD player and a sunroof.
I'm waiting for Sam to call and berate me for what I bought, well, not exactly berate, more like insult the car itself. J/K.
But I can't yell too loudly, the guy that sold it to me sold my dad his Ford Ranger, the one that's falling apart but still runs as good as the day he bought it six years ago, he's also sold my parents numerous cars over the years, and we've never had a problem with any of them at all.
Anyway, I probably am a sucker, but I couldn't resist...sun roof, air, nearly everything you could want on a car, and it all still works. It was either this car or a Grand Am that looked like it'd been through a war. All this car really needs is a little interior cleaning, as far as the carpets anyway and floor mats.
I don't exactly like the color...but the car itself isn't bad, at least I don't think it is. A little touch up paint on the driver's side rear view mirror and I think it'll look damn good.

Shael

Sam CAN'T say anything against it... it's a GM... I'll never let him forget about it :p

you're not a sucker at all... let's go to the linky!
according to Kelly Blue Book, that car, in merely good condition goes for (private party sale) $5650
Excellent condition: $6125
Poor condition: $5015

so, there you go, you got a good deal... of course, I was ballparking the options and trim level...

But that gets you a good idea... and besides the Regal is the same car as my trusty Lumina (W-body).

Okay...I just wasn't quite sure about it.
My mom spotted it as soon as we pulled in and she kept going back to it. The owner's wife had had it out earlier today and had been using it for some minor errands and the guy really didn't want to sell it, but I think she figured since he'd been driving it himself, he'd trust it. He'd just taken it to Lake Placid last weekend for some errand himself. His wife is probably not going to be happy he sold it, but it was the pick of the four, at least in my book, with what it has on it anyway and the really nice sound system in it. He had three Le Sabre's, that car and the Grand Am. The Le Sabre's were in the same shape and he's really looking to sell those as soon as he can, he's trying to get into real estate as well as get a little further into the used car business.
The Grand Am wasn't worth shit, in fact, he told me it wasn't. He told me everything he'd put into it and that it still wasn't worth it.
That's the thing about this guy, he always comes clean and tells us what's the matter with a car we're looking at. My dad's truck, my mom's first Lumina, he's always told us if there's been a problem with the car, the amazing thing is he always makes it right with us. My dad's truck blew a clutch the first week he had it, he didn't even have to fix it, but he paid for it and put the clutch in himself.
Also Sam, I'm gonna want ideas to make it "pretty". You'll have to help me with that.

Shael

Only thing really wrong with the car is when the guy put it on the machine, it said it needed a new mass airflow sensor, and he's putting it in for me for free. The stupid thing is it didn't trip the dash light.
Otherwise, there's no problems with it.

Shael

Posted by Shael Only thing really wrong with the car is when the guy put it on the machine, it said it needed a new mass airflow sensor, and he's putting it in for me for free. The stupid thing is it didn't trip the dash light. Otherwise, there's no problems with it. Shael

a MAF sensor failure should trip a CHECK ENGINE light.
i'd bet the throttle body was just dirty...

or you could remove the MAF itself and clean the 'hot wire' with some carb cleaner then use an air gun to dry it. Even when you look at the wire with the naked eye it may look clean but put it under a magnifying glass and it will show otherwise.

He did that, it fixed it, the machine read clean, so he didn't order the sensor. My parents think he put a new one in. I'll let them keep thinking that.
He pulled the wheel to do the NYS Safety Inspection and it failed due to the brake pads, so it had to have brake pads all the way around, which is no big deal. He said the wear on them was normal, so nothing big, just the pads.
Also, I think he gave the interior a good cleaning too.
Hopefully I can find a nice set of floor mats somewhere, or my parents actually buy a good set, but we'll see. I told them they could get me that for my birthday.

Shael

Posted by Shael He did that, it fixed it, the machine read clean, so he didn't order the sensor. My parents think he put a new one in. I'll let them keep thinking that. He pulled the wheel to do the NYS Safety Inspection and it failed due to the brake pads, so it had to have brake pads all the way around, which is no big deal. He said the wear on them was normal, so nothing big, just the pads. Also, I think he gave the interior a good cleaning too. Hopefully I can find a nice set of floor mats somewhere, or my parents actually buy a good set, but we'll see. I told them they could get me that for my birthday. Shael

On a W-body, usually if the pads are shot, it's a swell idea to change rotors, too... we'll see if they're warped or not. Warped rotors generally produce a vibration in the brake pedal to a violent oscillation in the steering wheel. I hope he remembers to lube the sliders up on the rear calipers... on a W-body, those fuckers always sieze

I got the car, finally. After a runaround with the DMV over a digit incorrect in the VIN that was given to me on the inspection, we fixed it with the DMV, fixed it in the inspection computer, so now it's on the road, yay. NYS requires a valid current inspection when you register a car from a licensed used car dealer. Or else you can't register it and one letter was wrong in the inspection system.
I'm actually anxious for Sam to see it, it's in such good condition.
Sam's warning about the brakes came to nothing, there were no issues with the rotors, thankfully, just have to put some air in the tires because the tire pressure monitor is on. I may end up putting brakes and rotors on eventually, but for now, they're okay. My mom drove it home and other than the tire pressure thing, there's no problems.
My mom opened it up to 70 on Decker's Flats coming home with no problem at all. She just wanted to see what it'd do and this car will be very very very easy to get a speeding ticket with.

Shael