+1 to dag’s post.
In addition, a minute film of oil is intentionally retained in the cylinder’s “honing” (controlled scratches put there to retain a controlled film of oil) after the oil rings wipe the surface down, in order to lubricate the piston and compression rings as they pass, and that minute amount ends up getting burned. A minute amount of oil burning is, in effect, designed in.
As regards the vehicle, IMHO there are more red flags here than at the Kremlin… But you’re using your head and making good decisions. Keep us posted and we’ll keep talking. Stick with your current approach and you’ll greatly enhance your odds of making a good decision.
Just to add; it is said that “using” up to one quart of oil every 1000 miles is okay. I have to yet have a car that normally burns that much. The only one was one that had an engine that needed to be replaced.
In the case of this used car, we do not really know how much it consumes. But the major red flag is that the engine was already low on oil, this is considered abuse and would just add to the problem. The owner having oil ready in the trunk is also a sign that this is a routine occurrence.
When I buy a used car, I always take a friend or sometimes even my wife along. I tell them before hand, if they see any red flags, or they notice I am going to give a pass just because I am tired/frustrated and thinking/hoping I am getting a good deal, they have to step in and stop the deal. There is always a better car waiting.
the same mountainbike Speaking of designed in oil consumption. My 1991 Mazda RX-7 was using a bit over a pint between 3,000 mile changes. I asked an old friend who owned an independent shop specializing in Mazda rotary vehicles. His answer was “If it isn’t you should be concerned” I learned the 13B engines had oil injectors to cool the apex seals which are the equivalent of a piston engine’s compression rings and should consume about a pint every 3,000 miles.
A pint every 3000 miles is excellent for a Wenkle. Those engines were great on paper, but they never really did manage to get past the apex seal problems. Sounds like you got a good one.
@youngscrub1, I don’t recall reading how you found the mechanics for the prepurchase inspection. I would not use someone recommended by the seller. There is a possible conflict of interest. If you already have a mechanic you trust, great. If not, find one and use hem for your car inspections, maintenance, and repairs.
@galant @"the same mountainbike and everyone else who gave advice (which was a lot and awesome!).
I heeded everyone’s advice here and skipped on buying this car (I got called a flake in the process but hey, that’s what you get for shaking on a deal and then skipping off a few days later). Instead, I settled on a 2004 Mazda 3 hatchback, which I’m picking up tomorrow morning.
A few things I will say after going to a much better group of mechanics:
It has average repairs for a 117k mile, 10 year old car like
New tires in 10k miles
Front brake pads and rotors
power steering hose and fluid.
Fortunately, it’s not burning, leaking, or otherwise losing oil and is in great shape. It’s a 5 speed stick with a lot of kick to it and really fun to drive. I settled on 4900 dollars firm with the seller (I tried but he wouldn’t come down any lower than that). His original asking price was 5500, which he was quite keen to get.
One thing I wanted to ask, however, is about the engine mounts. The seller had after market mounts put in and they make for a louder ride. I didn’t quite understand at first but, in the seller’s and mechanic’s words, they’re made of a denser material and, from their contact with the body of the car, produce more of a rumble.
They’re totally safe (passed state inspection last month and my mechanic’s check) but I wanted to ask: is there any way to decrease noise? I guess I’d have to find the original factory made mounts or something similar. Or is this kind of a silly thing to want to fix?
Good for you. I’m not sure I would worry much about the mounts. See if you get used to the noise after a while. I wouldn’t worry about being called a flake either. I had a mortgage broker tell me I was living my life unfulfilled too because I said no to a big mortgage and all the extra stuff I could buy. That was when things were good and before the crash. I’m sure he found another line of work by now.
You could always replace the mounts with OEM replacements.
You might want to consider the exhaust too; is it all stock?
Aftermarket intake manifolds increase noise too; is this one stock?
Worst case, there’s always Dynamat! I’ve used it and it works!
By the way, I’d rather be called a “flake” than be a “sucker”!
I have a different opinion about the motor mounts . . .
He probably installed the aftermarket mounts, because the originals failed . . . leaked hydraulic fluid, which is common . . . and the original parts are expensive. So he opted for cheapo parts, which don’t dampen as well as the original
But it sounds like you did okay, in the end
I think you’ll be pretty happy with the car, for several years
@db4690 Being happy with this car for several years is all I want, truth be told. And I’m super happy with this – part of the price decrease was for the tires, which will cost about 500 bux.
I’m glad everyone approves! I certainly do.
And I’ve been called way worse things than a flake – sticks and stones, sticks and stones. Plus, it was over text and, seeing as I’m the god of my iPhone, I had no hesitation deleting the conversation.
The oil issue could be simply that 4-5K miles had elapsed since the last oil change, & it was time for it to be changed again. This scenerio would explain the low oil observation and wouldn’t imply the engine was burning oil, as loss of a quart in 4-5 K miles is a sign the engine doesn’t burn oil.
Even so, I’d still be reticent about buying this car. The owner seems to have little in the way of common sense, otherwise they’d have done an oil/filter change before attempting to sell the car in the first place. I guess at $3850 it might be worth a chance though. 6 of one, half dozen of the other. Your mechanic thinks it is an ok deal, that’s an important fact to consider. Go with your gut instinct I guess.
Edit: I just saw your post where you went w/a different car, a manual transmission version. If the first car had an automatic, I say you did yourself a big favor by deciding on a car with a manual transmission. More fun to drive, and much less likely to be on the receiving end of a big transmission rebuild bill. Best of luck.
Sorry, I just saw this. I made a huge mistake with the mechanics I found. I used a Midas (I can hear the groans now) that was two blocks from me, both as a meeting place and as a mechanic for the first car.
Funny enough, I looked at a Carolla the night previous and took it to a Goodyear that was a bit further away – they did a smack up job, great work (and prevented me from buying a car that would have taken nearly as much money in work as it would have to buy). I took the second Mazda (hatchback, which I’m buying) to the Goodyear, too and damn, there are some great guys there. Honest, truthful, and gave me one hell of discount after recogonizing me from before (as well as offering discounted rates for future work).
So yes, the terrible mechanics with horrible advice were my own fault. Funny enough, it’s easier to buy a car in Austin, Texas if you already have a car. Not having one has forced me to get nifty with public transport as well as Lyft and Uber.
I looked at the listing. It should be a good ride. I like the stick shift and have actually test driven one of these. You could look on mazda247 forums, but if my memory is correct, the original mounts on these model sometimes make a clunking noise and that might be the reason behind the change. The Ford Focus ST suffers from the same ailment.
No worries about being called a flake. I was once shopping for a used Dodge Caravan. Test drove one and everything was fine. Then before finishing the deal, over the phone the day after the test drive, I told the seller I want to close the deal at the DMV (this was because he didn’t show me the title on the test drive and also would not meet me at his house, rather at a mall, so I was a bit concerned). The owner then told me the title is in the previous owner’s name and he has just been driving it without registering for 1.5 years. I said no go and that is when all hell broke loose. He unleashed a whole urban dictionary on me. I hung up pretty confident that I didn’t want to buy a car from this idiot.
@youngscrub1:
Please don’t base your purchase decision on Carfax. It’s simply a marketing tool used to tell buyers what they want to hear, and all too often with very little in common with vehicle’s actual history.
Given what you’ve stated about the car’s oil usage, I would definitely walk away from this vehicle. I got burned by a very similar bad engine scenario when I was 19. It was an expensive way to learn a lesson.
Unfortunately, I’ve seen many over the years fall victim to “feel good sales pitches” as well.