Is this a good deal for a 2008 hatchback?

[PBJ]

Hey everyone, new member here. I'm really interested in buying a Yaris, and I found a person selling their 2008 3 door hatchback for $8,600. It has almost 70k on it though. They're firm on the price. It's an automatic, base model with manual doors and windows. No ABS either. The car seems like it's been taken care of but I plan to have a mechanic check it out.

This sounds like a really good deal to me but I'm hesitant because of the high mileage. What do you guys think? Thanks!

[talnlnky]

that is high milage for an 08.... my 08 is only at 38k (bought december 27th 07). Sounds like they do a bit of interstate travel... or live about 50 miles from work. As them about their driving habbits... city or highway... I imagine the high miles won't be too much of a bad thing because it's probably mostly from highway driving... and highway driving is very gentle on the yaris.

Check KBB.com to get a better idea what the car is worth if you haven't already. Shame its the base model.... I think if it had any options that'd be something i'd consider. Spark plugs will have to be replaced within 30k, and those are a bit spendy I believe (iridium plugs).

[PBJ]

It's right around the kbb value for private party selling. Also, the car does have a few options that I neglected to mention: rear wiper/defroster, alloy wheels and a mp3 player.

The seller says they owe $9,000 on the car which is why they won't go lower (and they claim they were offered $8,600 by the dealership though I'm not sure this is entirely true since this is about $1,200 -$1,400 more than the kbb trade-in value).

But it sounds like you aren't overly concerned about the high mileage? It is mostly highway miles as it was used to commute to work, as you guessed, about 50 miles away.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by PBJ

It's right around the kbb value for private party selling. Also, the car does have a few options that I neglected to mention: rear wiper/defroster, alloy wheels and a mp3 player.

OK now it looks a little better.
I like that rear wiper / defroster, that's a nice feature.

I'm not overly concerned about the high mileage (mine was a 2007 with 55K miles on) if they can prove to you that they kept up with maintenance and if your mechanic tells you it runs like clockwork (mine does, knock on wood).

Do you do a lot of driving yourself?

(and by the way, welcome to the forum!)

[PBJ]

Originally Posted by tomato

Do you do a lot of driving yourself?

(and by the way, welcome to the forum!)

Thanks for the welcome. My daily commute is about 15 miles each way, all city, lots of stop and go. I was driving it in a jeep and got about 11-13 miles to the gallon. Spent about $200/month on gas. My jeep finally died last week and I'm definitely looking forward to driving something more fuel efficient.

[MadMax]

My 08 HB has less than 10K on it, and I've had it over 13 months now; but I too have a Jeep and one of the reasons I bought the Yaris was to offset the lousy gas mileage it got.

As long as it is in good shape, and they have the maintenance records, I think it is a decent deal...

[PBJ]

Thanks for your opinions. I emailed the seller and said that $8,600 was a tad too high for me but if their price does go down I'd be interested. They emailed back with $8,500 and said that it was as low as they could go. They're polite people and I don't want to haggle so I think I just may go with it.

They are advertising the car at $8,999 and I have a feeling they've been trying to sell it for a while now so I kind of hoped they'd counter with something a bit lower but I feel it is nonetheless a fair deal.

I'm just wondering why no one else has bought it yet. When I asked how many people have looked at it they said not too many....

[why?]

It shouldn't be surprising, the car has far too many miles for the model year. That is over 30,000 miles per year. I don't really think you can believe what they are telling you. For that mileage it sounds like they used the car for some type of delivery business.

Did you ask them why they are selling?

[jambo101]

The high mileage would turn me off especially if kbb gives around the same value for a car with half the mileage,i'd also be thinking of future resale value as this car is always going to have way too many miles on it..

[PBJ]

Originally Posted by why?

Did you ask them why they are selling?

They recently had a baby and are looking for a larger vehicle.

Originally Posted by jambo101

The high mileage would turn me off especially if kbb gives around the same value for a car with half the mileage,i'd also be thinking of future resale value as this car is always going to have way too many miles on it..

The kbb value for a car with half the mileage is in the $10,000 range. I'm not too worried about the resale value because I'm likely to own this car until it stops running. But I am now suspicious of the accuracy of kbb because in some other threads people have said they'd been able to drive brand new cars off the lot after paying ~$11,000. An incredible deal to be sure, but several people have managed to get it. So how could a car with 30k on it on kbb be almost as expensive?

[MadMax]

A daily 100-mile round-trip commute would easily explain the mileage. If there was abuse it should be evident, but from what PBJ says it is in good shape. Sounds legit, and used Yarii are going for much more than that in this area (look at Craigslist for an idea of local prices).

If the car looks to be in good shape and they have the records, and mileage isn't an issue (I too like to drive cars until they die, so on average we had our last two cars for ten years each); I think it is a good deal.

[RUFFSTUFF]

WALK AWAY

[RUFFSTUFF]

BUY IT

[YarisOwnersDad]

BUY IT AND THEN WALK AWAY

[tomato]

Originally Posted by PBJ

The kbb value for a car with half the mileage is in the $10,000 range. I'm not too worried about the resale value because I'm likely to own this car until it stops running. But I am now suspicious of the accuracy of kbb because in some other threads people have said they'd been able to drive brand new cars off the lot after paying ~$11,000. An incredible deal to be sure, but several people have managed to get it. So how could a car with 30k on it on kbb be almost as expensive?

You know, I don't know how people get these kinds of deals, and I suspect they're few and far between.

[RUFFSTUFF]

lol

The methodology behind getting a good deal in a car purchase begins with the realization that as the consumer, you have the power to make or break the transaction. So make it under your terms. Figure out (on your own) what a fair price for the vehicle is (including any + or - equity) and make that offer. Do not discuss payments, just the price of the vehicle. Be knowledgeable about the vehicle you're interested in as well as competing vehicles and their prices and current deals. Know your credit score and/or have your financing in place before you even walk into the dealer. Don't rely on dealer financing as your only payment plan.

I bought my 09 sedan with minimal haggling ($11,500 everything included) because I knew the vehicle, I knew how much I wanted to pay, I knew the deals Nissan was offering on the Versa at the dealer across the street as well as other cars and I had the check in hand. Never be afraid to walk away.

Seriously... it is not your responsibility to relieve someone else of being burdened by negative equity on their vehicle. No way in hell would I give up $8500 for that car with 70k... regardless of what KBB says.

Rear wiper on a HB is an option? Hmmm... I thought things like that were standard!

[tomato]

Originally Posted by RUFFSTUFF

Rear wiper on a HB is an option? Hmmm... I thought things like that were standard!

No, it's optional.
The factory radio is optional, too.

[PBJ]

I still haven't made up my mind and have started looking at some other cars as well. Only found one other used Yaris in my area being sold by a private seller, I don't want to buy from a dealership.

I'll post an update if I do buy the Yaris.