Recently a family friend passed away (berkeleying cancer). He was a physician who maintained his possessions obsessively. His car was a 2002 Avalon which saw country road and interstate use to get to 226,000 miles. His widow is wanting to unload the car for about $2,500 and my step grandmother is in need of a car so mother allroad pitched the idea of buying it to her siblings. This pitch has been shot down by car neglecting northerners who can't conceive of a car being totally rust free and quite reliable at a quarter million miles. So short of buying the car herself (mother, not me) and gifting it. What to do? None of us quite need a DD but this seems like too good a car to pass on.
WWGRMD?
Harvey
Dork
10/15/15 8:28 a.m.
So, grandma needs a car, why doesn't grandma buy the car?
In reply to Harvey: A lifetime of poor financial decisions.
Sell it to me???
(Depending on how far the car is from 80305.)
If I had the $2,500 and the woman was "worth it", I'd buy it for her and reap the resulting good karma.
Harvey
Dork
10/15/15 10:54 a.m.
KyAllroad wrote:
In reply to Harvey: A lifetime of poor financial decisions.
I see.
What are the decisions here exactly? Buy car, give to grandma yourself or don't? I guess it really depends on whether you have the money and whether you want to do it or not.
Tyler H
SuperDork
10/15/15 11:14 a.m.
My experience buying a 232k mi Avalon (for it's engine,) were overwhelmingly positive. Strut tops are the only weak point I know of on Avalons. Sludge can be an issue for neglected or short-tripped engines. I've owned two high mileage MZ series Toyota V6 cars and they were faultless.
Northerners: It's not normal for cars to rust, at all. A modern car should never rust anywhere during it's service life. The rust belt sucks.
Drive the car to Gainesville next week. The Avalon is eligible for The Aristocrats awards.
Compete in the $2015 Challenge and upon its successful completion, I will buy the Avalon from you for $2015.
I will have my buddy drive the Avalon home.
I will pay for your rental car to get you home, or, you can hitch a ride back with an Ohio, Indiana or Illinois Challenger.
Really, if it is as nice as you say, I may be interested for my Fleet business.
