My son found a car that he wants (his first car)

It's a Mazda 626 for $1000.00. The owner is around the corner from us. My brother in law and I know he babied that car. It's a 96.

My brother in law drove it. The engine runs great and tires are great (yes I know the tires will be expensive for that car)

It needs a paint job, but I just want a reliable car for him that is safe.

Is this a good buy?

try kelley blue book http://www.kbb.com/used-cars

I drove a mazda for years. Mine was a 92 Miata but it was a very reliable car........

correction...it's a MX-6

The fair private party value is $1625.

I just want to make sure it is a good car

we are taking it to a mechanic to look at it. But it would be a good first car for a 19 yr old boy?

I would certainly think so. My Miata is still going strong. I see my ex wife driving it every now and again......

I'm sure it will have some issues (it's old) but as long as it doesn't need a new engine or something big....it's good for a first car?

My son likes it because it's sporty. I want a safe, reliable car.

I was told the engine is better than what they make now for cars.

i sold mazda's right when they quit making the 626's... i say yea, if he don't buy it, let me know, i will... i do like the protege' better, but it is a nice, dependable car

i've found all mazda's are very reliable, as long as he takes care of it.

If the current owner is an adult or an older person, then chances are that he took good care of it.
By contrast, buying something thats owned by a kid is a disaster waiting to happen.

For example, never buy a Honda Civic or Mitsubishi Eclipse from a someone under 25...because you just KNOW that its been abused!!

Is this Mazda a manual or an automatic??...if manual, I could see it maybe needing a clutch, but thats about it for "major" repairs.

Sounds like a good deal.

we took it to a mechanic and it turned out to be more trouble than it was worth. Nothing HUGE but little things that would cost more than the car.

If he found the car, why he wants to buy it? Couldn't he just tell you, "mom, it followed me home, can we keep it?"

My mom used to say "good bye" to all rodents, turtles, snakes, vampires, albino rhinoceroses, and gargoyles that would otherwise eat her leftovers (only species know to man to do that) under the sun that me and my brother brought home.

When my brother showed up one day with a starving steam-roller in tow, mom said, "you bring that thing in my house over my dead body."

yeah that happens sometimes - you have to expect a few hundred
dollars a year in maintenance for an older car but it is a lot
cheaper than payments on a new vehicle any way you slice it.

keep looking and find one in better condition for you. ask around
to see if anyone has a gearhead friend who will take a look with
you.

i served as the friend/inspector for a couple of my friends when
they were buying used cars. it is by far the best way to go for
value for your dollar.

there are many places that rate used cars by their make and year.
the greatest values tend to be higher end autos which depreciate
rapidly but are well made and often even luxurious.

these days you should expect to get 250K miles out of any well
made and properly serviced vehicles. check to see if the owner
has good records for routine oil changes. this is one of the
most important things they can do to prolong the life of the car
and if it has received regular oil changes then it also likely
has seen regular maintenance.

i look for signs of major body work, bent frame, repainting,
engine or steering problems, radiator, AC, heat, brakes and exhaust.
i ask for a folder with all service and repair records and
usually check to see if it has had the water pump, alternator,
exhaust or timing belt serviced. i drive it and also try all the electrical switches, hood and trunk.if a friend or aqaintance is
the buyer i recommend they take it to the shop for a professional
assessment before handing over the cash.



keep looking. there are some excellent deals out there!
look for one which has high miles but is only 5-7 years old.
such a car has been running well but all the hardware and
interior should still be pretty nice. don't worry too much
about the tires. tires are easy.

a few hundred dollars I could understand, but it would cost a few thousand

I didn't think it was a safe car. Luckily he still listens to mom....especially when I told him don't look to me to put money into it

I used to work for an auto finance company (my ex still works there and is high up) and it occurred to me today to check out the auto auctions. I know that company gets employee discounts and there are some good auctions (reliable) here.

I worked in the post repossession dept there and I know the tow companies and auctions make condition reports....so that might be good.

I work as a auto technician for Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and I can tell you from experience, you get what you pay for.

A 1996 model is just that, a car thats 14 years old. At that age, its like flipping a quarter, heads you win, tails you lose. I wouldn't be as concerned at the brand of vehicle, as much as I would the age of the vehicle. I recommend, having it put up on a rack and being looked at. Some hidden problems such as a leaking rack n pinion (a.k.a. Steering Gear), a bad wiring harness, etc, can be very costly. If you don't take notice of those things, you could end up with a $1000 paper weight. Because at that age, they are more expensive to fix, than what they are worth to keep running.

No vehicle is ever perfect, even one right off the show room floor. I've worked on brand new cars not even a year old that had major electrical problems, bad sensors, and major factory defects that slid by and shipped. So I would also take note of any repair receipts he might have for the vehicle. Treating it nice at home, but dropping it off at a shop every 6 months to be fixed again and again, could go unseen.

Good luck, hope it works out.

you have to look for a used car in good condition
they exist and i have bought several. they have not
been money pits. just normal maintenance. i can do
the maintenance myself if i choose.

lots of good used cars out there at reasonable
prices. inspect them by all means. but no need to
fear buying used. like the gentleman says, even new
cars have problems. takes a lot of the sting out
if you are repairing a $7000 used car versus paying
for the same repairs on a new car you just paid
$27000 for.

Honestly .... a new 626 or equivalent car would be well over 20K.

so ... what is 1k dollars ... its like buying a car for 200 buck back in the 70's ... and what would you expect to get?

lots of work .... for young people [guys] that is what they should expect and maybe even want ... things they can fix themselves and learn how to fix a car and keep it running safely. Not just pay some mechanic 40 buck and hour to fix it for them when they don't stand a hope in hell at making 40 buck an hour themselves to pay for the repairs.


if a car is for sale cheap there is a reason its for sale
and a reason its cheap. If you can't be a solution to the reasons then you probably don't want the car.

rust ... is another problem that may go a lot deeper than the surface paint you are looking at.

if its gotten into the unibody frame then you have real structural problems and a very limited life to the safety of the car.


these days ... finding a good engin is easy ... its a good unibody that is harder to find.

maybe..but its still cheaper than buying a new one...