2004 Buick LeSabre Custom

[alphatarget1]

113k miles. The guy is selling it for a little under 5k. Car looks to be in good condition. Engine and tranny are smooth. Is it a good deal? Any issues I should watch out for?

EDIT: had the mileage wrong.

 

[Howard]

Yeah, see if it comes with the grandma.

 

[alphatarget1]

My friend is from China and she said young people actually drive Buicks there too... I was amused.

 

[ivan2]

yeah except buick has a hatchback and a much nicer regal there.

 

[StageLeft]

Absolutely not.

 

[Bignate603]

To me $5k seems high. Usually GM vehicles over 100k sell for very little. Personally, I think that some are a pretty good deal because of how low their prices go. For this one though the price hasn't dropped like you see on most GM vehicles to the point where I'd say it was a good deal. Edmunds agrees, it says that the private party sale price for this should be sub $4k.

Unless he's willing to come way down in price I'd pass.

 

[alphatarget1]

To me $5k seems high. Usually GM vehicles over 100k sell for very little. Personally, I think that some are a pretty good deal because of how low their prices go. For this one though the price hasn't dropped like you see on most GM vehicles to the point where I'd say it was a good deal. Edmunds agrees, it says that the private party sale price for this should be sub $4k.

Unless he's willing to come way down in price I'd pass.

I just checked the private party price and it's 5.4k. kbb says 5k or somewhere around there. Are GM vehicles not reliable past 100k? It seems like most cars' values drop off a lot around 100k...

 

[NutBucket]

It may be a grandma mobile but it has a solid drivetrain and should be very reliable. If you like it I think its a good vehicle.

 

[CurseTheSky]

I'd offer $3.5k, and go up to $3900 or so. Spending that little cash for a very capable and only 6-year old vehicle is a steal any way you look at it.

Just like European cars, domestics won't magically die after 100k miles. If it has been maintained well and seems to be running great now, it should be good for 200k or more without any major issues.

 

[Bignate603]

I just checked the private party price and it's 5.4k. kbb says 5k or somewhere around there. Are GM vehicles not reliable past 100k? It seems like most cars' values drop off a lot around 100k...

I just picked a color at random and the location is what it defaulted to for me. I assumed the condition was 'average'.

What did you put in to get 5.4k? Unless the car is pristine I wouldn't be calling it's condition 'excellent'.

I've had plenty of GM cars that have gone well past 100k without any major problems. However, public perception lowers the price that these GM cars go for. GM cars that were properly maintained should still have quite a bit of miles left in them. If it shows signs of neglect though I wouldn't touch the thing.

 

[alphatarget1]

I just picked a color at random and the location is what it defaulted to for me. I assumed the condition was 'average'.

What did you put in to get 5.4k? Unless the car is pristine I wouldn't be calling it's condition 'excellent'.

I've had plenty of GM cars that have gone well past 100k without any major problems. However, public perception lowers the price that these GM cars go for. GM cars that were properly maintained should still have quite a bit of miles left in them. If it shows signs of neglect though I wouldn't touch the thing.

The car was pretty nice. Very little dings and scratches... The guy said he sold the car to his MIL and now his MIL can't drive anymore so he is selling for his MIL. The car has a lot of options. Leather seats, traction control, a lot of things that added to the price a little.

Seems like the verdict here is to lowball the guy. I'll relay this info to my friend.

 

[MidBoss]

Be sure to check for leaking coolant, around 100k miles the lower intake gasket on the engines usually needs to be replaced. The part isn't terribly expensive(~$70), but if you want to pay someone to replace it, the labor can add another 400-600. It is possible the seller has already had to have it replaced, but its just something to keep in mind and possibly use to haggle.

 

[NutBucket]

Is that the 3.8 or the 3.4/3.1 that have that lower intake gasket failure?

 

[MidBoss]

3.8

Both the Series 1 and 2 3.8's have the gasket failure. I know, cause I've had to replace it on both. First in my 93 Bonneville with the Series 1 and just recently in my 98 Grand Prix. I didn't think newer LeSabres had anything but the 3.8.

 

[DietDrThunder]

I just checked the private party price and it's 5.4k. kbb says 5k or somewhere around there. Are GM vehicles not reliable past 100k? It seems like most cars' values drop off a lot around 100k...

GM vehicles are pleanty reliable, and if that buick has been maintained properly, should go well over 200K miles. I bought my Buick Regal GS in '93, put tons of miles on it, and sold it in January of 2009 (16 years) for $2,500. I've only bought GM vehicles and I keep them forever. But I also buy them new and keep them maintenanced.

If you are really interested, you should arrange to have it taken to an auto repair shop and have them completely look over this car before making a decision. Let the shop look for computer codes, look at brakes, hoses, everything, and pay for this complete inspection yourself. If the shop finds anything wrong, it can be a barganing tool to get the price lower, or it may signal that you should walk away. If the owner refuses, walk away.