Would you buy this car?

[cmosdes]

I've located a 2005 Corolla CE with 9,189 miles on it and a clean carfax report. I called the DMV and they said the title is clear. It is pretty much just a base model, with cruise, power locks and a 5 speed manual transmission. Sounds great so far, right?

The problem is that the car is listed for $10,500. That seems way undervalued to me. I've spoken with the guy on the phone and he sounds on the up and up. He says he doesn't need the car anymore since he doesn't need to drive much anymore (he is retired).

My worry is that if I hesitate someone else will buy it and I'll lose out on a great deal. On the flip side, I'm thinking that if I'm feeling pressure to move fast I should probably just walk away. Am I just being too hesitant? A 2005 with 2 years of factory warrany left, a clean car fax report and just 10,000 miles can't be the big a risk, can it? My inclination is to jump at this.

[chiroptera]

I can't imagine a downside to it. Maybe he doesn't really know what it's worth, or he wants to unload it fast, whatever. If everything is legit, how could you go wrong?
Sounds like a great deal.

[chiroptera]

Oh, wouldn't hurt to take it to a mechanic to have everything checked first. If everything is on the up & up, the seller won't mind. If he refuses, then I'd have second thoughts.

[cmosdes]

He said he would prefer that he be the one to take to whatever mechanic I choose, but preferably one near him. Since we are 60 miles apart, that means I'd need to find a mechanic near him. That wouldn't be such a big deal except for the fact that I feel like I need to buy the car *today*, or he'll have a better offer by Monday and I'll SOL.

Once again, he says the car has the remainder of the 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty so there really shouldn't be a problem.

[A.R. Cane]

Offer the seller a $100.00 deposit to lock in the deal until you can get it inspected, say 2-3 days. You should be able to locate someone who does inspections in his area by going to the Yellow Pages. The inspection will be about $80 to $100. So if there's something wrong w/ the car you're out around $200.00, but that's not bad. Besides, if he's willing to have it inspected by a third party, it's probably going to be OK.

[cmosdes]

I ended up buying the car today. I looked it over and it looked clean to me. No wrinkles in the body, good pain color throughout, the engine looked clean, the oil looked good, etc. I'm not mechanic, but there just didn't appear to be anything up with this car. If he was pulling a scam, he went to some elaborate lengths to pull it off. I had him sign a bill of sale that specifically states that the car was not in any accidents, no repair work has been done to the car, and it has never been in a flood. I really think I just got the deal of the decade on this car.

Wish me luck with this thing in the future!