Thank you very much for all of your help ! 
I think it’s time to walk away from this car and not even consider it. This car should not have needed a new engine and the part about the little old lady driving it is the most over-used cliche in the book.
If you have enough cash to buy this particular car then with a bit of patience you should be able to find the right car for your needs without worrying about a loan.
Just some food for thought but have you considered something like a Ford Crown Victoria or a Buick? These are reliable cars that get good fuel mileage, have plenty of room, and one can often find a nice one for a good price from the original owner.
Agree; I once bought a Dodge Colt with only 20,000 original miles on it for $1700; the plastic coverings on the rear seat and door panels was still on it. It was, unfortunately also owned by an old lady who went senile, and wrecked the engine (no oil?). The replacement used engine put in was not the greatest and cetainly had more miles on it. I had a number of engine problems with this car; the rest was Ok, at least for a Colt.
The moral here was that $1700 was the right price, since that was all the car was worth. You should treat the Corolla likewise and not believe much the “mechanic” tells you.
As Joe Guy stated, the statement “it was owned by a little old lady” is the oldest lie in the book when someone tries to sell a used car.
However, let us assume for the moment that it really was owned by a little old lady who only used it for very short trips. If you recall what I told you in my earlier post, that type of use is the absolute worst type of driving that you can subject a car to.
So–whether this guy is lying or not, this car is not one that you want to buy.
Keep looking for something like a Chevy Cobalt, or a small Buick, or a Ford.
These will be relatively cheap, and they should be reasonably reliable as long as they come with maintenance records that allow you to verify that the car has been maintained properly.
As to your language usage, it is actually better than that of many of the native speakers of English who frequent this forum. Keep reading, listening, and learning, and your English will soon be top-notch.
The 2001 is priced below market (it’s a good deal). Take it for a long test drive (at least 30 minutes) and see if everything works perfectly. You should pay someone (not the dealer) to check it out to make sure there are no hidden problems. It’s a 9 year old car, and a lot can happen in 9 years. Even though I now know the location of the 1999, I still think it’s overpriced. It sounds like the seller of the 1999 Corolla is actin like a dealer. Ask to see his license if he is acting like a dealer. I bet he does not have one.
There’s also another angle here and that’s the use of the word “new”.
I’ve seen a large number of vehicles in which engine or transmission work was performed and the words “new engine” or “new transmission” was used when nothing could be further from the truth.
Replace a head gasket only, it’s a new engine. Install a salvage yard engine, it’s a new engine. Replace the front pump seal on a transmission, it’s a new tranny. Change the fluid/filter and repair a leaky tailshaft seal, it’s a new tranny.
The “new” word is one that is abused quite a bit.
The 2001 Corolla appears to be fairly priced, compared to the 1999 and in relation to the higher mileage. You may want to look at nadaguides.com or other used car auto website (kbb.com, edmunds.com) to get an idea of what a fair price might be. At nadaguides.com, I generally use a half way point between trade and the retail price, and then decide if I want to increase my offer, depending on an inspection of the car. For the 2001, that amount is much closer than for the 1999. The 1999 and its history ("new engine at 3600 miles) is suspicious.
You need to invest in a pre-purchase inspection by an trusted independent mechanic ($100 or so in my area, could be more in NJ), to at least attempt to validate the car’s condition.
A moon roof that age could be a candidate for leakage. When you test drive, run it through a car wash and see what happens.
Car wash?? Wow, I did not know that I needed to test so many things before purchasing a car !
Yeah it seems that everyone in here think 2001 Corolla is better than 1999 one. I will go see the car as soon as possible with independent mechanic ! Oh If you can let me know where I can find a trustworthy independent mechanic, I really appreciate that. Thank you !
He told me he has sold cars for over 40 years… well he is really nice guy but maybe not that trustworthy…
Its a bit sad though.
Hmmmm… actually I was going to buy a Ford car before since my bf ( American) has Ford and I like it.
But He told me to not buy Ford… He told me I need to be able to fix by myself if I buy used Ford cars. Chevy Cobalt is kinda cute. I should check it out
Well… so far, every single persons told me 1999 Corolla is not worth buying it…I think I should walk away from this car.
Btw thank you for the learning advice:) Fortunately I love reading, so it should not be too painful, haha
Oh wow, you also had heard similar “old lady” story form someone! But $1700 is sooo cheap!!!
Well… I think I should reconsider buying any cars from him…
Hmmmm yeah Im now scared to buy the car from him, or ANY cars from him lol
Thank you very much for your advice!
Yes, absolutely buy the car.
why you think so?.. I mean everyone except you are for the car… so I wonder
The Rest Of The Story (American Used-Car Fable) About A Car Being Driven By A Little Old Lady Is That “She Only Used The Car To Go To Church On Sundays.”
Your guy nearly got it right. " . . . she only used the car for going shopping near by or going to somewhere very close to her house. "
This type of story actually could be true (Sometimes cars do become available from these old folks), but most Americans hearing this being stated could finish the sentence for the speaker.
Another thing is that very small amounts of driving (infrequent, very short trips) are sometimes as bad or worse for a car than reasonably normal use. Most manufacturers consider it “Severe Service.”
CSA
This car was actually owned by an old lady. But maintenance was a foreign concept to her. Hence the replacement engine. The rest of the car was OK. She sold it to a neighbor, who did not really need it, and he sold it to me. The car was 12 years old at that time. The spare had never been used.
It had the original Japanese tires on it.
You might find a 2005 (1st year) base model Cobalt for $5000, but that’s unlikely. More likely you are looking at a 2005 or earlier Chevy Cavalier. The 2005 base Cavalier with auto transmission is right at $5000; the equivalent 2005 Cobalt is $800 more. You will have better luck finding a Cavalier in your price range. The 2005 and 2004 have decent reliability records.
Agree; my mother in law drove until she was 92 years old, and her trips were to the grocery store, library, hair dresser, etc. All short trips. She understood this to be “severe” service, and changed oil and filter every 1500 miles or so. We took the car out for a fast highway trip whenever we could.
Now 93, she has sold the car to an aquaintance, with the full maintenance records. After owning the car since new for 16 years, and accumulating only 55,000 miles or so, the engine ran flawlessly, and the rest of the car was trouble-free.
However, most seniors, as they age, think less and less about their cars untill they stop running. Then they are often indignant and blame tha manufacturer, since the “babied” the car.
Why does the car have low milage? Can you ask the original owner? Was the vehicle maintained ?
Check with DMV and check shop receipts for mileage documentation.Check Carfax also
I decided to not buy cars from him… He is my driving teacher but he told me yesterday that he cannot come to DMV with me on the driving test day… he said he was not allowed to do so lol.
He is nice guy, but he has too many “why” haha