What to watch for when/if I upgrade

[evelandba]

Hi all, I am looking to trade in my 94 SSEi for an 02 SSEi. What should I look for so I don't end up investing as much as I paid for the car in a six month time frame again. Thank you all.

(Paid $2399 for the 94 and ended up paying out more than that in parts and labor within 6 months of owning it)

[00Beast]

Find one with as low miles as possible, and that appears to be taken care of. Are you dead-set on an 02? There are plenty of good 00-01's and 03's around too.

[evelandba]

whats wrong with an 02? why the skip in years?

[00Beast]

Nothing is wrong with the 02, just don't hold yourself down to it. 00-03 is pretty much the same besides the upgraded console in 02 and different seats in 03.

[evelandba]

Oh, ok. Though there was something off or GM just did something weird for '02. I'm not "holding" myself down to it, but that's the one on the lot for sale. Up here in the inland northwest, they are kind of a rare bird to find. I just wanted some advise on what to watch for on the test drive and visual inspection before I sign the dotted line. Thanks for all the help thus far.

[00Beast]

Ahh, that's kind of what I figured.

Definitely check for bubbles under the gas door, make sure the transmission fluid is red and it shifts smooth, take it for a nice long test drive, make sure all the windows go up and down, burned out lights in the radio, listen for any steering shaft clunk, check the tires, look in the trunk, if it has heated seats make sure they work, all that kind of stuff. That will all be bargaining chips, and if a lot of it is bad, might be best to avoid it.

Also, look for sludge under the radiator and oil caps, and look at what coolant is in there (Dex is orange/red, if it's been flushed it's probably going to be green). If that's all there, you're going to want to flush the coolant as soon as possible if you get it.

[repinS]

Moved to General Chat.