Where are all the cheapish DD's???| $2000 Challenge Presented by Tire Rack forum |

dansxr2 Reader
4/29/10 12:46 p.m.

I have ~ 2000 in cash I'm looking to buy me a car. I drive ~50 miles a day to work so decent mileage would be a plus. I'd love a Mk3 Jetta, but everyone I find is either gone or the owner decided not to sell. Anyone in the NW FL/SW AL got anything dependable?

John Brown SuperDork
4/29/10 1:35 p.m.

See Cash For Clunkers. Remove a bunch of crap from the buyers pool and what you have left is overpriced crap.

I will let you have a Pontiac TransSport in Michigan for $700.00 this weekend ;)

VanillaSky Reader
4/29/10 1:52 p.m.

This isn't a cash for clunkers issue, this is a tax time issue. If you can hold out for a few months, prices on used cars will come down.

dansxr2 Reader
4/29/10 1:59 p.m.

I'm looking for a smallish car... I'd love to have a Miata, X1/9, Xr4ti, things along these lines. I found a Capri XR2, but not really wanting to drive 3+hours just to go look at it and be disappointed... Although I am still debating it. He said it has mushy brakes and they need bled...

slefain Dork
4/29/10 2:04 p.m.

Thanks to the wonderful C4C program a good chunk of the lower end used car market was removed from the Earth. What was left has become worth more because of scarce supply. It will be probably another year until the gap is filled back in with the next layer of used cars moving down the line.

It is pretty much up to lucking out on a car.

Bobzilla Dork
4/29/10 2:14 p.m.

VanillaSky wrote: This isn't a cash for clunkers issue, this is a tax time issue. If you can hold out for a few months, prices on used cars will come down.

You couldn't be more misguided. Anything worth having pre-C4C was 1000-1500. Post-C4C 2500-4000. Auctions are going nuts and what is out there is either junk overpriced, or overpriced mediocre junk.

RossD Dork
4/29/10 2:58 p.m.

Really? I would have thought the people that drive sub $2000 cars would be unable to afford a new car payment. Now the $3500 car is a different spectrum...

Paul_VR6 Reader
4/29/10 3:06 p.m.

Just because you drive a clunker doesn't mean you can't "afford" something nicer if you really wanted to.

See most of this forum for examples!

ClemSparks SuperDork
4/29/10 3:27 p.m.

I really hypothesize that a good portion of people who intended to take part in the C4C deal and weren't able to (because funds ran out before they pulled the trigger, for example) went ahead and bought a car anyway.

Think about it. You get folks into the dealerships shopping for cars thinking they'll get a big credit. Then they find out they won't get a big credit (but their "clunker" is certainly worht something, given the depletion of them). THey still have that new-car-shopper bug and look closer and decide they want to go ahead and buy anyway.

Just a thought...

But yeah...I think it's likely a combination of C4C AND tax time. I know for a FACT that used car dealers stock up on junky runners before Tax time. I've seen it first hand at the auctions. It happens.

Clem

dansxr2 Reader
4/29/10 3:35 p.m.

I'm looking for one from a private party rather that a stealership...

ClemSparks SuperDork
4/29/10 3:44 p.m.

Yeah...but if the dealerships are buying them all up...good luck finding one from a private party...

Not that they're not out there...but a lot of people only sell privately because they know they can get more than trade in. If the dealers are offering (perceived) better prices...that's where the cars go.

The dealers may offer more for trade ins because they know they can sell for more at the auction before tax time because the buy-here-pay-here guys will snatch them up for double (really) what they would any other time of year.

It's just one aspect of the whole situation...I'm not saying it's the reason you're not finding cheap cars...but it contributes, I'm sure.

Clem

Travis_K Dork
4/29/10 3:50 p.m.

I had no trouble finding a nice Mk2 Jetta for my sister a couple of months ago. There seems to be an excess of Mk3 Jettas for sale, they are mostly in terrible shape though. I have seen plenty of nice 2k-3k cars for sale recently though..

Bobzilla Dork
4/29/10 4:36 p.m.

Paul_VR6 wrote: Just because you drive a clunker doesn't mean you can't "afford" something nicer if you really wanted to. See most of this forum for examples!

I could afford a new Z51 vette. I drive the old cars we have because my wife tells me to.

Buzz Killington Reader
4/29/10 8:45 p.m.

oh, the C4C boogeyman. unless you're shopping for an old Explorer, i doubt it made a difference. the OP is looking for a specific car and having trouble finding it...he's not looking for just any cheap DD.

John Brown SuperDork
4/30/10 6:23 a.m.

I wish that was true. A lot of the old crap Explorers and Blazers are off the market leaving the same amount of Neons and Cadavaliers to be bought by more people in the buying pool.

I have sold three 100K+ mile VWs for $4000.00 OR MORE since C4C. The program worked well for me until I ran out of $500.00 starter cars to turn into $4000.00 product.