The Car Hunt

The story goes thus -

PD and his roommate bought a 96 Toyota Corolla (what else!) in November 2007.
The car was a steal- low miles, great condition, well within budget.
All was great for 19 months. (:):))
But. All good things come to an end.
So did this.
A fateful trip on one day and a (terribly!) overheated engine and from then on, everything went downhill.
Thousands of dollars spent and loads of frustrated days, but things didn't improve.
Until finally, they decided to sell the car. Depression.
But this was easier done than said !!
On Day One, we put up an ad on Craigslist and half an hour later a guy was on the phone demanding that he'd buy the car tomorrow (negotiated the price a bit, but was expected!).
On Day Two, the car was test driven (phew!) and sold !!
PD's roommate bought a new car since he got an internship in the Village of Wolcott.
But life in Rochester is difficult without a car due to the terrible public transportation.
Still, we managed somehow.
But then finally, something (happy) happened which made buying a car imperative for PD too.
But he didn't have enough savings (thanks to repair jobs on the Corolla!)
So PD and I decided to pool in and buy a car together.
And so from June 1, 2009, the car hunt began.
And...it still continues.

We don't have a lot of demands- just a non-American car (read: Honda, Toyota, Mazda or Nissan) which has not more than 120k miles on it, is in good running condition, has well-maintained interiors and is less than $4000 !! (Well, I did have a CD-player and a sunroof on the list initially, but after seeing what's out there in the market, I had to leave those for when I buy my brand new car !! :(( Kidding !!) But honestly, in the past one month, we have seen close to thirty cars and only one has come even close to the final stage! That itself gives you an idea of how frustrating this has been. The hunt still continues and hopefully I shall have positive news in the next few weeks..

But if I were to look on the brighter side, then this has been a brilliant learning experience too. I, for one, have never been much into cars. I've admired their engineering of course, being a mechanical engineer, but I definitely am not the types who can rattle off their specs, given a car's make, model and year! These are some of my "lessons learnt" -

• It may sound like a typically "Indian" thing to do, but never trust American cars- especially with the economy in doldrums! For a grad student hunting for a used car, it has got to be Toyotas and Hondas all the way! We have included Nissan and Mazda only because we haven't been able to find a decent car within our budget.
• Craigslist is going to throw thousand cars at you. If any car seems too good to be true, then it probably is !! For example, if someone says they're selling a 1998 Toyota Camry with 106k miles on it and in excellent running condition for $2500, then there's probably something majorly wrong with the car! Good guideline to use is the Kelly Blue Book.
• There are these ads you'll find on Craigslist for cars being sold at lower prices. If contacted, a common story told by most sellers is that they're going through a divorce and so want to sell the car ASAP. Then they go on to say that they'll ship the car to you through eBay Motors (shipping included in the cost of the car!). You have ten days to drive it and if you don't like it, your money will be refunded! Absolute and total scam!
• It is always good to educate yourself about what to look for when you first see the car. PD's dad found this simple superb link which has an excellent description of how to look for potential problems- things like the oil levels, transmission problems, etc, which even a person with basic knowledge about car components can do. I was illiterate about these things at first, but now I can proudly say that I know how to check the engine oil levels or ensure the timing belt of a car has been changed or detect weird sounds from the muffler..
• In a place like Rochester, where it snows for eight months of the year, it is imperative that your car have good tires, good brakes and little or no rust, coz otherwise you're in for big trouble! These are little things which may not seem important at first, but seem crucial once you actually start using your car.
• The interiors of a car can reveal a lot about how well-maintained it is. Coz an owner who has spills all over the seats or didn't bother to use floor mats in his car probably didn't bother to change the oil every 3000 miles!
• Similarly, if dealing with a dealer, make sure to speak to him as much as possible about the car. Ask him all the info he has about it- maintainence, any changed components, since when is he trying to sell the car etc. Dealers usually quote a price much higher than expected, coz they know customers are going to bargain. But if a dealer readily agrees to negotiation in price, then there's probably something he's hiding. Also, one thing I've noticed- a friendly and approachable dealer is a much safer bet than a grumpy guy who just wants to fix the deal and get the car out of his shop.
• Before finalizing anything, make sure to check the car's records through a CARFAX report. It reveals a lot about the car's history- accidents, major repair works, past owners, inspection reports etc. I don't think they have such a system in India, but this is one must-do before buying a used car.
• And finally, regardless of how good you think the car is, it is always a good idea to have it inspected by a mechanic. We once nearly finalized on a Honda Accord- all seemed good, the dealer was a friendly chap too. We showed it to a mechanic and he told us there was a small crack in the rear tires, the AC condenser was leaking, and a bearing near the driver's seat was loose! One good thing about the incident was that we got hold of an excellent mechanic (we went to him coz he was the only one open at 6 pm!) who did a thorough job and actually took the time to explain every detail to us.

So you see, buying a car in the US is not easy. It is a long and tedious procedure and can get quite irritating at times! But I am happy that I am at least getting gyaan about cars in the process. Now to be fair, I know of guys here who're mechanical engineers no less, and don't even know the difference between a manual and automatic transmission! And there is one I met who didn't know how to open the bonnet of his car! He was looking at PD and me in awe when we were examining his engine !! So I am a lot better compared to them! After all, I worked on bonnets for eight months when I was in TATA Motors !! :) But all in all, this has definitely been worth it!

Now if only I'd get my car with a CD player and sunroof soon enough !!! :):)