Efficient, cheap beaters! Used car ads: 35 mpg highway or more for $1500 or less

[MetroMPG]

Why was it painted white, but used to be red? Ex-taxi?



Why is the tow hook access hole on the bumper uncovered?



Mysterious!

[Xist]

I think that you need to buy it to ask those questions. The title is "Read ad!" but all that it does is yell at you.

Wouldn't a taxi have a couple times as many miles? I am guessing they towed it it at some point and discarded the cover.

[MetroMPG]

I realized recently that I may have kicked my $1500 beater habit.

My lifetime vehicular pattern has been buying "as-is" beaters that need some repairs, fixing them up, driving them for a year or so and then selling them "certified" (meaning with an Ontario mechanical inspection) to make a few dollars profit or break even.

It's been an entertaining way to experience many different cars, learn how to wrench, and basically drive for free.

But I think the supply of cheap used Mirages is spoiling me.

I can buy a "conventional" $1500 beater and put $1k of work in it... OR... I can just wait for a $2500 Mirage to come up that's a lot newer, likely needs no significant mechanical repairs or maintenance, and will be infinitely more reliable (and more efficient) than the net $2500 beater.

My guess is the Mirage will be cancelled in North America sometime in the next model year or two. So that means there's probably about a decade's worth of decent and cheap used Mirages to come.

After which I'll figure out Plan C.

[MetroMPG]

Taxi miles - good point.


Maybe the A/C quit working and they painted it white to compensate.

[Xist]

I am sure the owner can find someone to pay $1,000 without asking too many questions before I could get down there, so this will probably remain a mystery--unless we happen to have a Phoenician that picks it up, but I doubt it.

[Xist]

The cat-less Prius owner posted it again. There is less ranting, but also significant less information. There isn't anything about most of the car being painted or the dead 12v battery. Unless they bought a used one that is important information!

I didn't realize that the original ad said that it was salvage. There was a lot going on!

"I don’t have any more pictures."

Well, the second ad has different pictures. Here are all four:




They must have done something, the car is in a different spot, and I sure hope they didn't leave it on a street corner!

That is a dirty interior, but I wouldn't expect anything less.

The front bumper doesn't fit right, there are zip ties on the lip. Did someone cut the vertical part of the lower grill?

Does the hood close properly?!

The owner's manual is on the floor. That is a sign of troubleshooting.

Are those cigarette burns on the seats?

The catalytic converter was stolen, so the car is loud, but that is mostly due to the exhaust never reaching the muffler, right, the thieves left the muffler, right?!

I am not saying that it is ever right to replace the cat with a straight pipe, but they don't do emissions testing up here. The seller says that a new CC is $114 on eBay, but a test pipe would be much less than that and you can save your ears while you fix everything else.

"Car runs and drives engine light and Abs light on."

I am not taking an entire day to find out what else is wrong.

As long as the traction battery is currently good, how much is this hot mess worth?
https://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/c...270716509.html

[RedDevil]

It runs, that's why the tow hook hole cover is missing /s

[Stubby79]

50 bucks.

[JSH]

The check engine light would be on for any OBDII car missing a catalytic converter. The ABS light could be something serious and very expensive or just a low 12V battery. The 2nd gen Prius throws all sorts of crazy warnings when the 12V battery is low.

In place with emission checks I wouldn't touch it with the missing cat. Who knows what got screwed up when they were cutting the cat out with a sawzall. I really doubt a generic $114 replacement catalytic converter from ebay is going to work and clear the codes.

[MetroMPG]

I have a theory. My theory that belongs to me is as follows:

They took those pics of the car on the very corner where it broke down. Thus the odd positioning in the street, the hood not shut, the owner's manual out for troubleshooting.


Also: these cars are troublesome to do some brake work (ABS). EG: bleeding fluid is a pain due to the design of the blended hydraulic/regen system.


If you have to bike more than 10 minutes to see this car, I'd not bother.