Car buying advice - how to proceed at this point?

[profmom]

Okay, so here's the situation! We're looking at a 05 RAV4 with 164,000 miles. The asking price was $8K and the salesman has dropped to $7K. (I told him my husband was wanting to stay within $5K to $7K, and I also mentioned a CRV that we are considering at another lot.) I had a mechanic look at it yesterday. He said it was in very good condition, except that there is some debris in the transmission fluid. He recommends that that is investigated and that it is serviced (filter, etc.) and flushed, which would probably be right at $300. (No shifting problems though.) Also, there is a small center hubcap missing and the HEPA air filter needs replaced. There was also a bit of oil on top that could indicate a leak, but the oil pan was dry. When I took the car back, the salesman wasn't there and I needed to get going anyway. So, I need to call him today.

 

We really like this vehicle and want to buy it. How should I proceed at this point? Should I ask him to fix those items? Should I ask him to drop the price further? How would you recommend handling it?

[gingersmom]

No advice but I am shocked a car with such high mileage would sell for so much.

[QueenCat]

I would require the fixes, and then check again for oil leaks. That is a high price for such high mileage. We looked at a RAV, think it was an 04, that had lower mileage than that, and they were asking around 5k. Granted, this was about a year ago. It was on a lot, not private. We didn't buy it but that was because of other factors, not the vehicle.

[MomtoCandJ]

Actually I'm not shocked at the mileage or price, Dh is looking for an extended cab four wheel drive truck that is automatic and the price range we are looking at (10000 or less) the mileage is usually over 100000. Looked up my car and even as high as my mileage is (175000) a dealership would want to sell it for over 5000 dollars.

[Miss Peregrine]

I would check kbb.com for a price. You can add in all the options the car has and to condition to get an estimate of the price. When I typed in the mileage and excellent condition it came up with $8690- ish.

Sounds about right to me.

It's a Toyota so it will hold its value pretty well.

[profmom]

Yeah, we were surprised at first at the prices for vehicles. Originally dh wanted to spend between $3,000 and $5,000, but those cars were even older and usually had well over 200K miles! So, we decided to go for a newer one with less mileage, but we're paying cash and dont want to spend more. It won't be our main vehicle.

 

I looked at Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds, and the $7,000 price is less than the dealer prices at either of those. It's not a steal at $7k, but its not unreasonable. I also checked 2013 Consumer Reports and an 05 RAV4 is listed as a recommended choice for a reliable used car -- interestingly, it's also in the $10,000 to $15,000 range column.

 

There's a '04 Honda CRV with 154,000 miles at another lot, and they've dropped the price to $7,500 for me so far. I might be able to get a Corolla or Civic for less, but so many of those had over 200K miles! There are a couple of 04 & 05 Camrys with lots of mileage for $8,900. I like the idea of a small SUV because of the visability -- sit up higher and can see well all around.

 

I haven't called him back yet because I'm not sure if it's reasonable to ask for more off at this point. You guys think it's reasonable to ask him to fix the things listed, but I shouldn't also ask him to drop the price??