Author Topic: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars  (Read 4829 times)

nereo

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Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« on: January 19, 2018, 08:35:16 AM »
New job and new rural location means (regrettably) that we'll be adding a car to our household.
But -  we found a rare mustachian deal from a close family member

2006 Honda Civic EX with just 62,000 miles.
It's never seen salt, never been in an accident and parked in a garage each day
New tires last spring and all servicing records, single owner.

This is literally a car owned by an older lady that drove it 1-2x week as part of her carpool to work. She and her husband decided they really don't need two cars.
$2k + a day spent moving furniture around (something I would have done anyway for them).

We actually tried to pay more but were told it wasn't much less than what the dealer offered for a trade-in, and she paid it off a decade ago and isn't comfortable with selling to strangers.  She also offered the car to two of my family members who both declined - apparently they wanted something new and fancy and leased. I'm being laughed at for buying "an old lady's car" but whatever - it's a Civic that looks brand new, and will get me from Point A to B.
« Last Edit: January 19, 2018, 02:46:56 PM by nereo »

Aelias

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #1 on: January 19, 2018, 08:50:09 AM »
Oh man, that's a sweet deal.  A Civic with less than 100K miles on it is basically new!  And I love that you threw in a little bartering for good measure.

Enjoy your new ride!

dude

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #2 on: January 19, 2018, 08:50:21 AM »
wow, that's a STEAL!

meghan88

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #3 on: January 19, 2018, 01:05:32 PM »
A steal indeed.  Score!

Car Jack

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #4 on: January 19, 2018, 03:54:37 PM »
Great score.  A buddy of mine bought a civic from a family of a guy who died in it (heart attack).  We called it "dead guy Civic".

dougules

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #5 on: January 19, 2018, 04:02:01 PM »
How is a Civic an old lady car?  I drive an '02 EX. 

nereo

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #6 on: January 19, 2018, 04:09:29 PM »
How is a Civic an old lady car?  I drive an '02 EX.
because it was driven by an "old" lady, and it wasn't built in the last 5 years.
That, apparently, is enough in the eyes of my fellow family members.

Zamboni

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #7 on: January 19, 2018, 05:28:10 PM »
Wow, that's a brilliant deal! Well done.

ketchup

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #8 on: January 19, 2018, 05:28:55 PM »
That's fantastic!  My first car was an '88 in 2012 with 46k on the clock.  Feels good.

Wintergreen78

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #9 on: January 19, 2018, 06:45:50 PM »
Nice! I also love that moving furniture for a family member was part of the deal. A friend drives a mid-90’s civic hatchback that still looks brand new. I think they are the perfect mustachian car.

Dicey

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2018, 03:37:58 PM »
Sweet!

clutchy

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #11 on: January 22, 2018, 09:56:25 AM »
New job and new rural location means (regrettably) that we'll be adding a car to our household.
But -  we found a rare mustachian deal from a close family member

2006 Honda Civic EX with just 62,000 miles.
It's never seen salt, never been in an accident and parked in a garage each day
New tires last spring and all servicing records, single owner.

This is literally a car owned by an older lady that drove it 1-2x week as part of her carpool to work. She and her husband decided they really don't need two cars.
$2k + a day spent moving furniture around (something I would have done anyway for them).

We actually tried to pay more but were told it wasn't much less than what the dealer offered for a trade-in, and she paid it off a decade ago and isn't comfortable with selling to strangers.  She also offered the car to two of my family members who both declined - apparently they wanted something new and fancy and leased. I'm being laughed at for buying "an old lady's car" but whatever - it's a Civic that looks brand new, and will get me from Point A to B.
 

Nice!  I always look for cars owned by ladies who have to get to work and make enough to maintain their cars. 

Generally it's mid-late 30's+ single women.... they don't like getting stranded so they spend money on their cars. 

I picked up a pristine BMW 528xi w/ 40k on the clock for less than 1/4 of new.  It quite an experience getting a great deal.

FireHiker

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #12 on: January 23, 2018, 04:51:35 PM »
That's a fantastic deal, congratulations! My car is a 2008 Civic with 50,000 on it (we bought it brand new for cash, so the miles are all ours). I plan to drive it forever. I figure with our current rate of driving I should get at least another 20 years out of it. :)

Dee18

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #13 on: January 23, 2018, 08:03:22 PM »
When my mother had to quit driving no due to vision problems, she gave her car to my daughter.  It was a 5 year old Honda Civic with 6,000 miles, garage kept.

nereo

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #14 on: January 24, 2018, 05:53:06 AM »
When my mother had to quit driving no due to vision problems, she gave her car to my daughter.  It was a 5 year old Honda Civic with 6,000 miles, garage kept.
awesome.  Sounds a lot like my grandmother's car, which was eventually sold to my cousin after her children ultimately pressured her into giving up her license because she was going blind. For reasons I can not fathom, the DMV in our state allowed senior citizens to renew their licenses online or by mail for ten years if they hadn't had a violation within the last 18 months.  My dad - a physician - ultimately settled the debate when he challenged her to a standard eye-chart test.  She failed in spectacular fashion. The only letter she got was the big "E" (and I think she just guessed). Her hearing was pretty much gone too, but that's not a requirement for driving.

Anyway, my cousin put more miles on her inhereted car in the first year than my grandmother had driven in the past decade.  Another "old lady" who only used the car to run some errands each Sunday...

jinga nation

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #15 on: January 25, 2018, 06:42:32 AM »
That is indeed a unicorn. Our 2006 Civic LX recently went over 100,000 miles. No rust, never seen snow. Never left the state of FL. We purchased it new.
At major service time we get offers to sell from the mechanics. I do all the minor servicing. At 60k it's a youngin. Mine just entered mid-life, have to replace engine gaskets, etc.

Just Joe

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #16 on: January 25, 2018, 08:47:29 AM »
That's great! I spent some time looking for "unicorns" one night online. They exist but never the kind of deal you got. Congrats!

It is possible to find a sub-75K mile car that is 10-15 years old. Might be what we look for the next time we need a car. The ones I found were still nice and cheaper than sub-5 year old cars.

MasterStache

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #17 on: January 25, 2018, 09:04:12 AM »
Good deal! Welcome to the Civic club. I also own an '06 Civic. Been my daily commuter for nearly 10 years now. Take very good care of it and car still looks like new. Will probably keep for another 3 years and hand it down to my son when he starts driving.

nereo

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #18 on: January 25, 2018, 09:11:49 AM »
That's great! I spent some time looking for "unicorns" one night online. They exist but never the kind of deal you got. Congrats!

It is possible to find a sub-75K mile car that is 10-15 years old. Might be what we look for the next time we need a car. The ones I found were still nice and cheaper than sub-5 year old cars.

I think this is one example of how the price is whatever people are willing to pay.  In our culture people want "new/newer" cars, and anything over about 7 years is considered old regardless of use.  Ergo, the depreciation on a 10 year old car with light use is about the same as a 5 year old car with about twice the miles, even though mechanically the older car has a lot more life left in it than the newer model with more miles.

Trucks seem to defy this trend, as do 'antiques' (cars >25 years old in good condition). but for all cars and small SUVs/station wagons I've looked at this is broadly the case - a 2006 with 60k is about the same as a 2012 with 120k across many makes and models. 

...my consumeristic sister's put-down when she learned I was buying the car went something like this: "...why! That car's too old to even have bluetooth!"  ... if I really cared about syncing my phone I'd just spend $200 to replace the receiver.  But I don't.

thingamabobs

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #19 on: January 25, 2018, 09:58:30 AM »
Oh no! You look have to plug the phone in to get audio thru your car, the horror! Why have I been suffering thru this in my 07 civic???

ketchup

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #20 on: January 25, 2018, 10:20:22 AM »
Oh no! You look have to plug the phone in to get audio thru your car, the horror! Why have I been suffering thru this in my 07 civic???
To be fair, the car audio purgatory between tape decks and aux ports is pretty annoying.  Roughly 2003-2008 year cars tend to have just a CD player/radio.  My sister's car is in that boat.  Luckily my present car is a 2001 and works with a tape adapter just fine.  Previous car was a 2009 with an aux port, and car before that was a 1992 with an aftermarket radio that had an aux port (which cost all of $40).

nereo

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #21 on: January 25, 2018, 10:30:34 AM »
Oh no! You look have to plug the phone in to get audio thru your car, the horror! Why have I been suffering thru this in my 07 civic???
To be fair, the car audio purgatory between tape decks and aux ports is pretty annoying.  Roughly 2003-2008 year cars tend to have just a CD player/radio.  My sister's car is in that boat.  Luckily my present car is a 2001 and works with a tape adapter just fine.  Previous car was a 2009 with an aux port, and car before that was a 1992 with an aftermarket radio that had an aux port (which cost all of $40).

FWIW car has an 'aux' port.  Simple $3 audio cable allows music to go through the stereo from an iPod/phone.  Good enough for me.  Changing the receiver with a BT model is $60 and up (new).
Yes, the car-audio world took a long time to catch up with the fact that most people used iPods, then their phone for listening to music.

AnswerIs42

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #22 on: January 25, 2018, 10:39:45 AM »
FWIW car has an 'aux' port.  Simple $3 audio cable allows music to go through the stereo from an iPod/phone.  Good enough for me.  Changing the receiver with a BT model is $60 and up (new).
Yes, the car-audio world took a long time to catch up with the fact that most people used iPods, then their phone for listening to music.
You lose some quality by streaming over bluetooth, too. Why would anyone want to pay money for something that sounds worse? Although admittedly an upgraded stereo might sound better for other reasons, like having a better amp.

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #23 on: January 27, 2018, 07:26:15 AM »
Oh no! You look have to plug the phone in to get audio thru your car, the horror! Why have I been suffering thru this in my 07 civic???

Your's has a plug?!  Lucky you!   My 06 Vibe has am/fm.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #24 on: January 29, 2018, 10:04:07 AM »
Congrats!  That is a great deal.

And yes, we old ladies driving to work do maintain our cars, because we do not want to be stranded.  Subaru Canada paid for the blown head gaskets in my Subaru because of my meticulous maintenance record. My Mazda dealership bought my old high mileage Mazda for a loaner because of my meticulous maintenance record. I am sure there are lots of us out there.

My present car is a 2010 Mazda and I have Bluetooth.  I plan to keep that car until it is truly old.  Right now it only has a bit over 250,000 km.

Dave1442397

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #25 on: January 29, 2018, 02:01:29 PM »
And yes, we old ladies driving to work do maintain our cars, because we do not want to be stranded.

And others, not so much :)  I worked with a woman in her late fifties who told me her Honda Civic had died on her. I asked her what happened, and she said it just stopped and wouldn't start, so she had it towed. Next time I saw her, she had found out that the engine seized with 56,000 miles on the car.

She said no one ever told her you had to change the oil. 56,000 miles on original oil says something about Honda.

ketchup

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #26 on: January 29, 2018, 03:06:21 PM »
And yes, we old ladies driving to work do maintain our cars, because we do not want to be stranded.

And others, not so much :)  I worked with a woman in her late fifties who told me her Honda Civic had died on her. I asked her what happened, and she said it just stopped and wouldn't start, so she had it towed. Next time I saw her, she had found out that the engine seized with 56,000 miles on the car.

She said no one ever told her you had to change the oil. 56,000 miles on original oil says something about Honda.
I know someone with a 2011 Kia that didn't change the oil between ~50,000 and ~95,000.  Somehow that thing still ran.  Last I saw it was up to around 120,000 (and finally getting regular oil changes).

MasterStache

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #27 on: January 30, 2018, 09:18:41 AM »
And yes, we old ladies driving to work do maintain our cars, because we do not want to be stranded.

And others, not so much :)  I worked with a woman in her late fifties who told me her Honda Civic had died on her. I asked her what happened, and she said it just stopped and wouldn't start, so she had it towed. Next time I saw her, she had found out that the engine seized with 56,000 miles on the car.

She said no one ever told her you had to change the oil. 56,000 miles on original oil says something about Honda.

Maybe they used ultra-ultra extended life oil?

dougules

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #28 on: January 30, 2018, 10:57:09 AM »
And yes, we old ladies driving to work do maintain our cars, because we do not want to be stranded.

And others, not so much :)  I worked with a woman in her late fifties who told me her Honda Civic had died on her. I asked her what happened, and she said it just stopped and wouldn't start, so she had it towed. Next time I saw her, she had found out that the engine seized with 56,000 miles on the car.

She said no one ever told her you had to change the oil. 56,000 miles on original oil says something about Honda.

That is pretty impressive.  I don't feel so bad about procrastinating my oil changes on my Civic now. 

acroy

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #29 on: January 30, 2018, 11:15:02 AM »
wow, badass. congratulations!

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #30 on: January 30, 2018, 11:55:38 AM »
Wow! What a steal.

I miss my 2001 Civic SO much.  I got rid of it because I couldn't drive it anymore due to some PTSD from an accident I was in where I was badly hurt, but the car wasn't.  The new Civics didn't work for me, and I really don't like the Elantra I settled on.  I want my old civic back. Great car.

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Re: Scored the rainbow-unicorn of used mustachian cars
« Reply #31 on: January 30, 2018, 04:36:23 PM »
I had an 01 Civic with 205k miles before someone totalled it, great car.  Also had an 06 civic, also a great car but had to sell due to lower back issues.  Sweet deal at $2k.

There is an casting issue with the engine blocks on 06-09 civics, the block was cast too thin and the block cracks randomly on a low percentage of cars.  Honda was replacing the motors last I checked a few years ago so hopefully they will continue to do so going forward.