Major Ledfoot ^ The one I had checked out in Sydney had a cracked coolant reservoir, but the coolant level was also below the minimum mark. Reckon I dodged a bullet with that car! Seems the seller did manage to move the car on - my offer was the asking price less anticipated costs of repairs, but the seller wanted more.
Yeah, the cost of used cars is sky high, which is why we see so many rusty 240s with no rego going for 4-figure sums these days. It's not as though there's any new cars of interest under nearly 40 grand any more.
Sounds like a good idea to walk away if the seller didn't give you confidence about the coolant issue. The lack of coolant warning paired with dopey drivers can of course mean much more trouble than a $70 coolant bottle.
So far as used prices being sky high, I don't agree. I think they are still well below fair value when compared to what's on the market new these days - gone are the days when a really well built brand new end of series Commodore or Falcon could be had for just over 30K, now you get less for 50-60K.
I think used prices had been way below fair value for way too long, simply because of the throwaway society and lack of men who know how to fix issues. A perfectly good Volvo that was 70K new is apparently worthless the moment it has an engine or transmission issue, that makes no sense at all.
If you find an immaculate C30 T5 for around 12-13 I think you'll be getting great value.
