Have You Ever Bought A Car With Over 200,000 Miles On It?
Some cars are made to last for the long haul. But what do you do when you’re ready to have it hauled off?
Every year, the addiction returns and it's a little different. Last year, I seemed to buy ever Mazda RX-8 I could find at the dealer auctions. The year before that it was old Volvo wagons. Why? What compels me? I get this nagging feeling that I'd never see another good RX-8 or classic Volvo in the years ahead. So I bought seven of them that all turned out to be far more enjoyable than most modern cars.
But why did I bother to buy this?
This is a 2007 Saturn Ion with 203,000 miles.
Surprisingly clean inside and out. One owner. Everything works.
Then again, there isn't much to break. All the windows have roll 'em up manual handles on them. The radio is one of millions GM sold during the time, and the only way you can put this rolling dead brand into cruise mode is by blasting Surfin' Safari on the tinny speakers.
Nearly all the auto journos hated it back in the day. But now? it's hard for me to think of a better value proposition than a well kept 10 year old Saturn that has been depreciated to the absolute limits of the used marketplace.
This one with a brand new clutch and all cost me $1,025 out the door. It drives great for the daily schlepping that comes with driving near a major city that has too much traffic.
I think it will be a quick sale at $1800. Especially if I write into the ad these three magic words that make any stickshift car a magically sellable proposition here in the slushcar dominate USA
Se habla Espanol.
So what about you? Have you ever owned a car with more than 200,000 miles on it? What did you do to sell it and have it move on to the next beater owner?
