Should I pursue this high-mileage 2011 Camry?

[Xist]

The VA didn't schedule me for a week. CVS gave me an appointment within 24 hours.

CVS required my insurance information, which is weird, because the VA never had me fill out paperwork, or issued me a card, I just show my military identification, so it was a bit of a pain to log into VA's site, find my card, save the file, change it to meet CVS's strict standards, and input my information time and again each time that it rejected a jot or a tittle.

Then it made me start over once I had already lost 15 minutes of my life because they have strict standards for customers knowing exactly how to fill out forms when the instructions are incomplete.

I couldn't attach the file to a Gmail draft so I could print from my laptop correctly. It tried a few times and I couldn't get it to work, so I finally copied and pasted the image, which wasn't as flexible.

Then the printer didn't show up. I added the printer and it said that I didn't have the driver, but I eventually got it to print.

CVS sent me three different text messages and one linked to a video that I was supposed to watch.

I waited ten minutes behind one vehicle and then almost 3 minutes before the hired help finally spoke to me.

She gave me different directions than the video.

She also kept having me read my confirmation number, which started with a 0, and kept telling me that I had it wrong.

"This is the message that CVS sent me!"

"You're giving me the wrong number!"

Then I realized that everything was Mom's fault! You see, she was wholly unsatisfied with me getting an appointment for the next day, so she got me an appointment for the following day. I told her to cancel it, but the only thing that made sense was that Mom canceled the wrong appointment.

Actually, it turned out that each time that I said "0" the lady told herself "Yeah, he's totally saying 2!"

Even if you say the letter O and not the number 0, zero doesn't sound like two!

They tell you over and over to wear a mask, but all they do is talk through the intercom and then finally open their drawer. Sure, I would have been breathing all over the outside, but I didn't have any reason to touch the inside when I was finally able to grab my bag.

I just grabbed my bag.

Then she told me to make sure that I kept my window up the whole time that I shoved the swab up my nose.

She was talking into a phone. They could have had a sign "Call (928) 532-3200" and I could have used my phone with my window up while it was 34°.

Of course I had my engine off, I wasn't going anywhere!

I only use HVAC with passengers anyway. I just use the vent when the temperature is reasonable and turn it off when it is cold.

When I finally got my bag I needed to sort through it and read directions with fogged-up glasses, so I am sure that made the person behind me wait longer.

Then you roll up your bag and shove it in a box, except my bag was perforated, the top half ripped off, and couldn't seal it back up.

Hopefully the vials are properly labeled. I can't guarantee that my slip and my sample stayed together.

I had difficulty fitting my bag in the box. I don't know how many more appointments they had, but if I couldn't get in for 24 hours, they are busy, and it was 1500, so they probably had another couple hours of testing.

What do they do once the box is full?

Once place said that I will have results in 2-3 days, but a few others said 3-4.

Are they working as hard and as fast on the 24th and 25th?

If they give me results in 48 hours that will be a weird Christmas present. Seventy-two hours will be Boxing Day.

So, I may not know until Saturday, but I should absolutely know before I could have gotten into the VA to get tested, and if those results took 72 hours I would have received them on New Year's Eve.

While I was waiting my supervisor sent me some text messages, but I did not read them, I didn't want to make the whole process take one second longer than necessary. As it was it took a little over 14 minutes.

Yeah, she doesn't want to stay up late on Christmas.

That is why she is paid the large dollars!

[Xist]

It looks great, but it has a cracked windshield, and the blue book on one in excellent condition--I argue that it isn't in excellent condition if it has a cracked windshield--is less than $7,200.

$6,541 in very good condition.
$6,062 in good condition.

The ad is 3 weeks old.

https://showlow.craigslist.org/cto/d...243960761.html

[Fat Charlie]

Forget about excellent. The cracked windshield means it isn't even roadworthy here. I'd look awfully conspicuous in that thing without an inspection sticker on the windshield.

[Xist]

Very good? $6,500
Good? $6,000

I always try to include necessary repairs in the price, but I haven't successfully negotiated since buying the Civic!

[Xist]

The banged-up Corolla with leaky struts finally sold. How long did that take?!

It took 5 weeks.

Sweet! The family that didn't connect last night also didn't connect this morning! One more and they go on probation!

Someone posted some Saturn for $2,000 a while ago, but they say that it is only rated 23/27.

Eh. I already have a car rated 27 highway. Maybe 28.

[Xist]

Let's see. It is older, has 30,000 more miles, and is rated the same, but aside from needing oxygen sensors and the driver's door not working from the outside, allegedly it is a good car, and if I needed a random bolt to drive it or a new key, there is a Toyota dealership in-town!
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...1776380187165/

I would rather have a Corolla, but I haven't seen a good one around here.

[Stubby79]

Car prices suck there? Once something is about 20 years old and has 200k (kilometers, no miles), they aren't worth much here.

https://www.usedvictoria.com/classif...-1998_36981759

235km (147k miles), V6, good condition, $1600 canadian pesos ($1250 US). Door handles work and hasn't been painted by a teenager. Found in first search, not my usual patient method of checking every few days for a real deal.

Generally speaking, in similar econo-price range, I can find things in the early 2000s, around the 200k mark all day long...an older one needing repairs and having a rattle can paint job, like that one, I could probably find for half the price.

Just an observation and a curiosity. Different market, obviously. I'd like to see a gradient map of typical car prices all over north america.

[Xist]

Let's see what I can find 3.5 hours away within 10 minutes:
In no particular order:
2001 Accord sedan with a bad engine. "Everything else good." One picture shows a complete front end and another shows missing headlights, grill, and bumper. It was listed with 180,000 miles for $300 29 days ago.

1999 Honda Civic LX Sedan with 180,000 miles for $1,400. "0 mechanical issues."
2005 Civic LX with 215,000 for $1,650. I think that it is a dealership even though it says "By owner." The seller has terrible punctuation and says that he also has 05, 07, and 08 Civics.

Another example of how other people sell nonrunning Hondas, a 1997 Accord sedan with 262,000 miles for $700. Presumably the correct mileage, they include the VIN, and write "***STOP*** THIS CAR IS NOT RUNNING. Still interested? Keep reading."

The one picture looks pretty good.

The ad is 5 weeks old.

1998 Corolla with 212,000 miles for $1,650. It looks good for over 200,000 miles!

2003 corolla with 204,000 miles for $1,500. "No Mechanical Issues!"

2005 Corolla with 188,000 miles for $2,000.

2003 Ford Focus LX Sedan with 110,000 miles for $800. Needs tires and tags.

There are tons of vehicles for sale in the Phoenix area, but I don't know that the prices are better, just the selection.

[Stubby79]

The Focus is the only one I'd look at, depending on what Tags cost.

Not that Focus' are remotely on my radar, but the low price and mileage means it should have some life left in it.

The civics aren't bad, for the price. Nothing special.

The rest are "over the hill" or overpriced afaiac.

[Stubby79]

Here's my rough guideline:

@ $500:
Super econo car needing minor things (Geo Metro); econo car needing more significant, but not deal-breaking work (Driveable, or close); Something with decent resale value but needing major repair (that I consider worth the bother).

@ $1000:
Take the above mentioned vehicles and increase/decrease by one step. (Ie an econo car that needs minor things, something with decent resale value with non-deal breaking work)

@ $1500: Should be driveable, as-is, whatever it is, needing minor things and/or tlc; something with quite a lot of resale value (newer, low-milage, etc) with no deal breaking work; something on my list of must-have cars that runs and drives, if nothing more(what I was willing to pay for an insight).

@ $2000: Something that will last a long time and needs no more than TLC. (My echo, for example)

Above that, I expect to get more car for the price, and not needing more than TLC or one reasonable repair.

(OTOH, my wife's mid-sized, fully-loaded SUV was $5000, less trade-in, was under 10 years old and had/has low mileage. Most I've paid for a vehicle, save for buying a brand-new car. Has needed a wheel bearing and the timing belt was due/done, still going strong 6 years later. Can't complain.)