00:00
I turned the key over and it flashed some kind of crazy warning lights at me that made this
00:08
I remember you called me after that happened.
00:12
You were like, distraught.
00:13
You were like, what do I do?
00:14
Look, it made this noise.
00:15
I was like, is it running?
00:16
You were like, it did start.
00:17
I was like, yeah, drive it.
00:20
Welcome back, listeners, to the Life Plus Cars podcast.
00:27
For this week's episode, we are going to be talking about buying a car and what that whole
00:33
process looks like.
00:34
Brendan has a lot of experience in that field as he's going to talk about.
00:39
I've bought and sold quite a few, yes.
00:42
As I mentioned, I think in an earlier episode, I've always seen Brendan's garage as a revolving
00:47
door more than anything, so.
00:52
That's a good way to put it.
00:55
I think you were the one that had the famous phrase of, I always love when you show up because
01:00
you never know what you're going to be driving.
01:05
It's always something new.
01:06
For the listeners out there, Brendan and I live about two hours apart, so whenever
01:11
I do get a chance to come up and visit his garage, I'm always like, what's going to
01:16
It's got to be something new.
01:19
Leading into today's conversation, it makes me think of a car that I bought, which
01:23
was a 2011 Volkswagen GTI.
01:27
And I bring it up because this was 100% an impulse buy, though I bring it up because there were
01:33
definitely things that Brendan's going to talk about today that I should have done in
01:37
that moment and thought about it.
01:39
I mean, it was the bright, shiny new toy moment for me when I went from a 2009 Nissan
01:47
Versa, which was blunted to an extent, named Clarence, we'll save Clarence for
01:51
another episode, but then I went and did a 180 to buy this bright tornado red VW GTI that
02:01
I just fell in love with, had to have it and then discovered it like, oh, there's some
02:08
things that I should have been aware of and just doing more due diligence when it comes
02:14
So I bring that up.
02:15
I do, I did love that car for what it was.
02:19
Especially what led me into my current car, which is a 2019 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack.
02:25
In a way, it was like the bridge to the car that I'm in now.
02:28
Yeah, but no, but you have to give more, like you got a backup.
02:32
So go to the beginning of the GTI.
02:36
So it's like you had Clarence, right?
02:38
And then I remember talking to you about it years ago and you were like, I want
02:44
So you got to tell that story of like you found the red GTI.
02:50
So, so I got to hear it.
02:52
So, OK, so setting the scene, my first car out of college was a 2009 Nissan
02:58
Versa, which in its own right was a great car, did everything I needed to.
03:03
It was a little tractor.
03:04
It ran in spite of itself.
03:08
Like it was, it was a four speed automatic practical, practical, very practical.
03:13
Like that's why I do still love that car for what it was.
03:17
It was so practical, got me to where I needed to be.
03:20
Didn't have to give it a second thought.
03:22
So when I got to a point where I'd owned that car for three years and I had
03:28
at the time I just paid off my student loans.
03:30
So I was in a mode of like, you know what I should do?
03:34
And so I was then searching and then it was that summer.
03:39
So searching for a new car.
03:40
And so I've been listening to podcasts and reading articles all about
03:44
like hot hatches, the idea of like a fun turbo charge, stick shift,
03:49
hatchback that was like the do it all while also being a ton of fun to drive.
03:53
So I had that in my head.
03:56
Yeah. Oh, I'm Olivia.
03:58
And so I'd test driven lots of different options in that segment.
04:02
That summer, just try a little bit of everything within like that kind of
04:06
drivers focused segment of cars.
04:09
And I landed on like, OK, I really like the GTI and I actually
04:15
test driven a brand new one.
04:17
And it was it was almost leaning into buying a brand new one at that time.
04:23
And then on Craigslist, this this this 2011 GTI pops up.
04:29
It's bright red, 31,000 miles on it.
04:32
So I thought, oh my gosh, like, look at this, like I was looking at a brand
04:35
new one, but this one's like half the price and went to find it.
04:38
And car was in really good shape, like very well taken care of.
04:43
I test drove the car, had a ball with it.
04:46
Now granted, this was also me early on in my stick shift driving career,
04:51
if you if you will.
04:53
And so I was still like fumbling a bit with driving a stick.
04:56
And this was my whole motive was that, OK, I want a stick shift car.
05:00
So therefore I'm going to buy a stick shift and have to live with one.
05:03
And then I'm going to master it.
05:05
Because prior to that, I had driven a handful of stick shift cars,
05:08
but hadn't really gotten the hang of it until I really just leaned
05:13
into this car buying season.
05:14
I was in at this point that summer and said, I'm just buying one.
05:17
I just want a stick shift car and I'm going to buy one.
05:20
And I'm going to push myself to actually work.
05:23
So that was the whole motive there.
05:25
So back to this GTI and I I test drive it really and taken with it.
05:30
It's got the plaid cloth seats in it, like the golf ball shifter.
05:34
This thing like I mean, just signature GTI elements.
05:38
If for those of you out there who are familiar with the GTI or GTI fans,
05:42
like that that is like that's just the wicked fun.
05:45
I want to have like those 18 inch like Detroit alloys.
05:48
Like, I mean, now if you if you know, you know, the good looking car.
05:52
It was a good looking car, very good looking car.
05:54
So I came at it from like, wow, look at this like shiny, bright,
05:58
as I said, like the brand new toy moment.
06:00
And I just like have that moment like I need to have this.
06:03
And so I went forward with it.
06:07
So what I did not do was get a pre-purchased inspection,
06:10
just went for it and bought it.
06:14
A week later, showed up, completed the deal, drove the car home.
06:18
That day, I was still like elated to like look at this car.
06:21
I mean, this is like this was a complete 180 from my Versa.
06:26
My Versa was dark gray, black cloth seats.
06:30
Again, like four cylinder is very mundane, like but very practical
06:35
Versa to now this screaming red
06:39
GTI with the big, like shiny alloy wheels and the plaid interior.
06:46
I mean, this thing just was such a different car.
06:50
And I just was beside myself like, wow, like, no, this this is an enthusiast car.
06:56
Like, yes, I've done it.
06:58
I have like crossed over into the enthusiast realm
07:01
because that was the biggest thing that like I was like, I kept I'm like,
07:04
I want to be an enthusiast so bad.
07:06
And I have like the antithesis of an enthusiast car with the Versa of like,
07:11
so I'm going to just like fully commit and buy this GTI, which I did.
07:17
So, yeah, and so I as I came to learn more about the GTI
07:24
and did my research post purchase where I read more about the
07:29
and this goes to the 2011 GTI.
07:31
So and they had this issue between 2008 and 2012
07:35
where they had this timing chain, tensioner issue where they could fail
07:39
and basically grenade the engine.
07:41
And I didn't find this out where I didn't do this research
07:44
until after I bought the car realizing, like, oh, my gosh,
07:48
like, do I is this engine just a ticking time bomb at that at this point?
07:52
Because I was reading they're like, oh, it could go at 40,000
07:54
or it could be fine and so 120,000 miles or anywhere in between.
07:58
And so mother software, I bought the car realize like, oh, my gosh,
08:02
like, what have I done?
08:03
Needless to say, I then developed worries around this car
08:07
so that every time I'd get into the car, key in the ignition
08:10
of like, is it going to be fine?
08:13
It also had an issue with the pressure plate with the clutch
08:17
that it made this horrible wine like sometimes when I'd let the clutch
08:21
out. And that was that was another known issue that I had discovered
08:25
about it. And all these so those are the two main things.
08:30
And so the as I got to know the car more, I was realizing like, OK,
08:35
yeah, it was shiny and it was well kept.
08:37
However, under the surface, there's some big
08:40
mechanical things that shouldn't have been overlooked.
08:44
Now, it was certainly it was drivable.
08:47
Like it was not like the car like ever let me stranded,
08:49
but there was still always in the back of my head that is it going to
08:53
is it going to turn over?
08:54
And so one morning, I remember this vividly that I got in and I turned
09:02
the key over and it like flashed some kind of crazy warning lights at me.
09:08
And it was like kind of like made this scary clunk.
09:11
I mean, granted, I remember you called me after that happened.
09:16
Rod, you were like, how do I do this noise?
09:20
I was like, is it running?
09:21
You're like, it didn't start.
09:23
I like can't drive it.
09:24
See what happens? You were like, my God, my God.
09:28
Like the engine just went and just went.
09:32
Oh, my gosh, like, what do I do?
09:34
And it's funny because I was like, it was funny.
09:37
This was at the point like I was still privately selling the Versa.
09:40
So this was I had both the Versa and the GTI at this point.
09:45
So I just went and hopped in the Versa and took that to work that day.
09:50
Because you shelf out.
09:51
Yeah, I was like, I'll just take them.
09:53
I'll just take the Versa.
09:54
So then I was like in this moment of like, why do you buy this?
09:56
Like I have a car that just runs and I'm like, I it's fine.
10:00
So and and and Clarence is just a reliable car.
10:05
And and so that I just distinctly remember
10:08
like calling you about it that day.
10:11
I'm like, what do I do?
10:13
And and I was like, it was also like it was like a 10 degree
10:17
January morning, so the cold didn't help things either.
10:21
I remember when that happened specifically
10:24
when it had like that starting thing and you freaked out.
10:27
But like, it was pretty shortly after that, like you sold it.
10:31
Like, did you you privately sold it, right?
10:34
You didn't trade it in.
10:35
The GTI. Yeah, the GTI.
10:37
Like, pretty shortly after that, right?
10:39
Well, I know I I held on to the GTI
10:45
until that following September, actually.
10:47
So that was you had it all summer.
10:50
So I bought it in November, 2018.
10:54
I sold I sold Clarence there that February.
10:58
So it was like 2019.
10:59
And then that following fall, 2019, that September is when I saw
11:04
the news of the Gulf all track being discontinued and decided like,
11:08
oh, that's such a better car for me.
11:11
And you get a six speed.
11:14
Yep. And I had that at the time they had that bumper to bumper warranty.
11:17
Six year seventy two.
11:19
Pretty glad to beat that.
11:22
So yeah, so to answer your original question,
11:24
I had that car had the GTI through that winter, spring.
11:29
I did get to enjoy a whole summer of driving with it,
11:32
which I'm grateful that I could have like one summer of just fun, spirited,
11:36
driving and after after that, like whatever that that morning was with the
11:41
clunk where it sort of self out and then came to find afterwards,
11:46
I did I did privately sell it and the guy I bought it from actually had
11:50
one of those OBD to readers that he plugged in and like could then like
11:54
do an app and see like the chain stretch even like where like because
11:59
the mechanics look at this like they judge like what percentage of chain
12:04
stretching could they determine if it's too much.
12:06
And it's like, oh, this this car could have the tensioner issue.
12:10
And he looked at it like, oh, yeah, it's not even close to like that danger zone.
12:13
And so yeah, because I was very interesting with like,
12:16
you know, the ZTI has had the tensioner issue.
12:19
I have had the pressure plate issue off and on.
12:22
And but he had been looking for a GTI and similar to me.
12:27
He was like, oh, my gosh, this. Wow, this is a good one.
12:30
And it's true that miles and well kept.
12:33
Exactly. At that point, I'd only put 10,000 miles on the car in my ownership.
12:38
And yeah, and it was also like, which is also it was bone stock didn't.
12:43
And it wasn't I bought it stock and I sold the stock.
12:46
So you see so many of these Mark six GTIs that are just modded
12:51
like crazy and they're barely running. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
12:54
It felt good that because I sold it to a fellow enthusiast
12:58
who I could tell like really was excited, was going to
13:02
knock knew what knew going in like just some of the things to look out for.
13:06
So like he'd clearly done his homework.
13:08
I was happy to be able to move on from the car and know that it was like going to a good home.
13:13
Oh, yeah, when you could sell a car to someone, you know,
13:15
it just appreciates it and they're going to enjoy it and take care of it.
13:18
That to me is the best. Like they're going to a good home.
13:22
Yeah, it's funny. Like you talk about the GTI and like my memories of it.
13:26
Like I remember the red, right? Obviously.
13:29
And I remember when you called me about that issue
13:32
because you were like freaking out.
13:34
And then the other thing I remember is I think I wrote in it once or twice.
13:40
And my favorite memory is I will always remember it as the Abracadabra car
13:46
because you had it was either your iPhone or your iPod hooked up to it.
13:50
And every time you started there, started the car
13:53
would automatically come up on the iPhone, like alphabetically, the song.
13:57
And it was Abracadabra by Steve Miller Band,
14:02
We get in and start it just be Abracadabra.
14:07
I'm going to reach out and grab you.
14:09
I was like, oh, my God, this is fantastic.
14:12
Every time you started like the theme song of Lana. All right.
14:16
Oh, my gosh, it was built in 2011.
14:18
So it had like the hookup with an iPod touch of that era.
14:23
So it was like the iPhone for era connector.
14:26
If you remember, it was like a wide one.
14:28
So it was like wide.
14:29
Yeah, it came from the factory with that plug-in.
14:32
So I had my old iPod touch that I just plugged in and left in the car.
14:37
But yeah, it would start at the right at the beginning of my song library,
14:41
which was Abracadabra.
14:46
What are my favorite memories about that?
14:48
Start up and do do do do do do do do do do do.
14:52
And like every time it was that was that was a signature GTI work of that car.
15:00
I mean, that makes me smile.
15:03
And I also think about the time that I.
15:06
Yeah, I think I took you for driving it once or twice.
15:09
And I remember you having to push the seat all the way back.
15:14
And even then just like pretzel yourself into.
15:18
We haven't talked about body types like Ian and I are both pretty tall,
15:22
but I'm I'm six, six, about 300 pounds.
15:26
So I'm I'm a big guy, like a big guy.
15:29
And you're like, what, like six, two Ian?
15:31
Yeah, six, two, one, six, yeah.
15:34
You're a big guy. You're you're lanky.
15:38
But yes, like for me to get into the car,
15:40
like you should see me get into like the Corvette.
15:42
Like that is comical seeing that.
15:45
But yes, I do remember that.
15:47
It's well, and it's like any of those cars,
15:50
like Volkswagen's, et cetera, it's getting in and out is a pain.
15:54
But once you're in it, it's actually pretty comfortable.
15:56
Like I was always amazed at the golf,
15:58
like your golf and other Volkswagen's, like even Beatles.
16:02
Like I love the Beatles because the two door,
16:05
like you just open the door up nice and wide and get in.
16:07
And those things are roomy, like every roomy.
16:10
So a lot of space to work with.
16:12
Oh, yes. But yes, I do remember that.
16:14
And it's not just your car.
16:16
It's any person's car.
16:18
I have to before I try to get in,
16:21
I like make sure the seats all the way back
16:23
and then all the way down
16:24
and then lean the seat back a little bit.
16:26
I'm like, all right, now I can try to get it down.
16:29
Unless it's a pickup truck or something.
16:31
Yeah, it's like, all right, take it easy.
16:33
I think it's it's a perfect segue from like your story
16:36
about your GTI and you buying it
16:40
and then what you ultimately ended up doing with it.
16:43
And you got your all track, like that's a perfect segue
16:45
into when it comes to buying a used car, right?
16:48
Like and correct me if I'm wrong here,
16:50
but just to kind of do a quick summary or recap it.
16:55
Like you had this Nissan and you always wanted to pursue
16:59
like you wanted the manual, you wanted the fun car.
17:01
So you wanted the GTI.
17:04
So you saw it and you you you fell victim
17:07
to what everyone does where you like saw something you wanted.
17:11
It was shiny. It was beautiful.
17:13
It's what you want.
17:14
And you just jumped at it.
17:15
You were just a little bit impetuous
17:17
and you were like, I got to have it.
17:19
Like if I if I don't buy this,
17:21
like someone else is going to get it.
17:22
So I have it and there's nothing wrong with that.
17:25
But it's just like that.
17:27
You didn't necessarily go through all the steps
17:30
of like what I would recommend
17:33
or what I'm even going to talk about coming up very shortly.
17:37
And, you know, I got just got a preface to everyone.
17:40
Like I've done it, too.
17:41
Like I bought stuff that I have regretted.
17:44
I've bought stuff that I have been over the moon.
17:48
Like I can't believe how good a shape it's in.
17:51
And I mean, I bought stuff where it's been like 50 50
17:54
where it's like half regret, half. It's OK.
17:56
You know, it's the important thing is knowing
17:59
what you're getting yourself into.
18:01
That's like with any purchase, big or small,
18:04
it's just having that reasonable expectation, right?
18:08
To jump right into it, like, I mean,
18:10
I've probably bought and sold since I've turned
18:14
like 15 or 16, easily more than like 50 cars, like easily.
18:19
I mean, I'm 35, but and I probably could have done more.
18:24
But it wasn't up until very recently that I got
18:27
my used car dealer and the ability to buy cars pretty much
18:31
on a whim, like whenever I want to a degree, obviously.
18:36
So when it's come to like me buying a car,
18:38
the best advice I can give people is number one, do your homework.
18:43
So like you talked about you and about like you later did the research
18:48
on what the problems were with that era of car.
18:50
So like just, for example, say someone's like, oh, I want a Volvo S 60
18:57
or I want a Cadillac, blah, blah, blah.
19:00
It's like go on Google, go on forums dedicated to those cars
19:05
and look up what the common problems are.
19:08
And you would be amazed at the plethora of information
19:13
that is out there on people that have had issues or this or that
19:17
that is available to you to just understand
19:21
these types of problems that they may have.
19:23
Not all of them have them, but pretty likely they will.
19:26
If there's a bunch of people complaining about it, right?
19:29
So that would be number one is do your research, like find out what the problems
19:34
are, find out what their values are, you know, longevity, any of that.
19:38
And then number two would be, OK, you find the car you want,
19:42
you set up a time to go look at it, right?
19:44
And then this applies to whether it's a dealership,
19:48
it's a person, family member, like I don't care who it is,
19:52
like set up a time to go look at it.
19:55
And then the very first thing that I have all,
19:58
like this took me a lot to learn this one.
20:00
But the very first thing I would say is what I call the true cold start.
20:05
So even before you show up to like look at the car,
20:10
and I'm talking like a day or two before when you talk to the person,
20:13
is tell them don't start the car.
20:16
Like I do not want you to warm it up.
20:18
I don't want you to move it.
20:20
Just don't start the car.
20:21
And lots of times, especially dealerships, right?
20:25
Like they'll go out, make sure the car starts,
20:27
like pull it up for you, like make it like it's ready to go with the dealer
20:31
plate on it, right?
20:32
Like, and that's pretty standard practice.
20:34
But the reason that I've come to really like what I call the true cold start,
20:39
quote unquote, is when a car has sat for like a day or two without being
20:44
started or even longer than that, if possible.
20:48
And then you start it, you learn so much from a vehicle
20:53
from that initial start when it's really cold,
20:56
just in terms of sounds like the exhaust,
20:59
like what's coming out of the exhaust pipe,
21:01
like if there's a lot of smoke or blue smoke or black smoke,
21:04
like, you know, it's burning oil or it's burning coolant, right?
21:08
If it's got rattles or if it's got piston slap,
21:12
like you hear the engine, it's like, OK, and then it goes away.
21:16
It's like, you know, like it has leak down in the oil pressure.
21:19
And there's there's so much you can tell from that.
21:23
So I could go into that much deeper.
21:24
But to move it forward, like to the true cold start.
21:28
Yeah. But that is that's like you're on your way to look at the car.
21:33
Make sure you tell the person not to start it.
21:35
But when you first to back up just a little bit,
21:38
when you first show up to look at the car,
21:41
the first thing you do, obviously, is the walk around, right?
21:44
So you're looking at the finish.
21:46
You're looking at the paint.
21:47
You look for how the tires look.
21:50
See if they're worn at all.
21:52
You know, don't be afraid to get your hands dirty,
21:54
like rub your hand over the tire tread back and forth
21:57
and across the face of it.
21:58
If they feel choppier, the tread feels uneven.
22:01
You know, there might be something with the alignments out.
22:03
Look at the brakes.
22:04
If they look all rusty, like, OK, you know, there's something else.
22:08
Maybe does they have big grooves in the rotors?
22:11
You've got to look for that.
22:12
Like the brakes might need to be done.
22:15
Look for things, dense scratches and all that stuff.
22:18
I mean, superficial stuff is to be expected on any used car, right?
22:22
Like slight scratches, little dense rock chips.
22:24
That's to be expected.
22:26
But anything glaring, I mean, like me buying, for example,
22:30
like I love like the 2000, like 2006 range GM trucks.
22:35
And then the rust belt rust is so prevalent.
22:39
So like, I always go and like check cab corners and rockers.
22:42
You just take like your hand and you can tap the metal.
22:45
And you know, if it's Bondor, if it's sheet metal in there,
22:49
So you're going to do stuff like that.
22:52
And then before you start it, before you start it on your cold start,
22:57
you got to check the fluids.
22:59
You have to check the engine oil, see if it's up to level.
23:03
Check the viscosity of it.
23:05
Like, see, does it look thin or not?
23:06
Get a little on your fingers.
23:07
Don't be afraid to rub it around.
23:09
See what it feels like.
23:11
Make sure brake fluid is good.
23:13
Coolant always check the make sure the car is cold,
23:17
but always check the radiator fluid, the cooling system.
23:21
That's another one that's just that's a telltale
23:23
for how well the car has been taken care of.
23:26
And transmission, if you can get to it, see if it smells burnt.
23:30
I mean, this is all pretty basic stuff.
23:32
And then start it up there for the true cold start.
23:35
You start it up, see how it sounds, see what it does.
23:39
And if everything seems to check out that far or, you know, up to that point,
23:43
then you take it on a test drive and on the drive, turn the radio off.
23:51
And and listen to the car.
23:52
Listen down down the road, listen to the motor, listen to the transmission.
23:57
And just listen for any kind of weird squeaks, rattles, groaning noises.
24:01
You I mean, maybe there's a wheel bearing.
24:03
You're heading down the road and you just do a couple gentle,
24:06
like left to right turns with the wheel.
24:08
And if there's noises that come and go, it could be a wheel bearing.
24:11
Like there's there's a lot of things you can tell just from simple noises.
24:16
Really, it comes down to just trusting your gut.
24:18
I mean, it's it's hard.
24:21
A lot of this I've learned from over the years, right?
24:23
Of buying and selling cars.
24:25
And I've had my fair share of really good buys.
24:29
And I've actually, I mean, knock on what I've been very lucky that I've only had
24:33
like two or three cars that are really
24:38
Let's just put it that way.
24:40
And I mean, you try your best to buy something that's going to be
24:43
a good vehicle that's represented well, supposedly, right?
24:46
But you just never know.
24:49
And there are ways that there's, you know, buyers are protected with bill of sales
24:53
and as is cause and all this and sellers can be protected with at least new cars
24:58
with like lemon laws and stuff.
25:00
But use cars is it's you have to do your homework on use car buying
25:05
because you just you never know.
25:07
And this applies to not just like if you're going to go buy like a
25:11
four or five year old Audi.
25:13
It also applies to if you're going to buy a classic car.
25:15
Like we talked last episode about getting into classic cars
25:20
and in different ways people can pursue the passion.
25:23
Like if you're looking at buying your first classic car,
25:26
what I've talked about so far is all stuff that you should be doing.
25:30
You've got to check it all over, do your homework, listen to how it sounds.
25:34
I mean, and the one nice thing I'll say about buying a classic car
25:39
is most people selling collector car or older cars are actually a lot
25:45
better about maintenance and history and keeping track of that.
25:50
So like, for example, if you're looking like a 75 Buick Riviera or something,
25:57
you know, someone like that would be like, Oh yeah, like, you know,
26:00
the motor was redone in like 1998 and then this,
26:05
like I redid the master cylinder and then we did bought, you know,
26:08
like they actually have a record of it because they care about the car a lot.
26:12
But, you know, you buy a five year old Toyota RAV4 with 100,000 miles on it,
26:18
then it's like, well, I don't know when that was done.
26:21
I think it looks good, you know, go for it.
26:24
You know, like it's just, it's different.
26:26
It's very different by experience there.
26:30
And then so, I mean, it to kind of come back to like my list about it.
26:35
So it's like, so you walked around the car, you've checked it out,
26:40
you checked the fluids on it, you did the cold start, you drove it,
26:44
you listened for sounds and then so say you decide like this is the car for me.
26:49
Like, you know, you're, you're put a painted with the car, right?
26:53
You got to have it.
26:55
So it comes down to like you negotiate with the person you buy it.
26:58
You say you want to buy it.
27:00
I would just say right there for the big hold, right on that moment,
27:05
big hold and just say to the person and anyone, any self-respecting person that wants to sell you
27:12
the car, if you say to them, I want to buy it, but I want to take it to a mechanic first or a
27:19
trusted inspection place or whatever before I pull the trigger, anyone should say no problem.
27:26
Like that's no problem.
27:28
Like if anyone says like, no, you can't do that, then that is a huge red flag.
27:33
I mean, there should be no reason that anyone trying to sell you a car, unless of course it's
27:39
like a car that's all torn apart in pieces, right?
27:43
Like someone's like, here come buy this project car.
27:45
Yeah, like my father and I, yeah, my father and I tore it apart and then you have to put it
27:50
But no, I mean, 90% of situations, if you want to buy it and let's go back to the RAV4,
27:56
like a five-year-old RAV400,000 miles.
27:58
It's like I'm interested, I want to buy it, but I want to bring it to this place or this
28:03
mechanic and have them go over it.
28:05
Like anyone should say like, yeah, that's no problem, like let's arrange to do that.
28:08
And maybe you have to give them a deposit or something or whatever, but you absolutely
28:15
There's just no question.
28:16
And I mean, I even do that for an example with me.
28:21
So with my used car dealer, I buy a lot of cars from an auction, right?
28:26
And this auction actually has a thing that you can pay them once you buy the vehicle.
28:35
You send them the vehicle and they inspect it and they go over everything and they will
28:41
look at frame, they'll look at any type of rust, engine noises, interior scratches.
28:47
I mean, you name it, top to toe, like 150-point inspection and they will give you a report
28:53
on it and I think it's like 150-200 bucks or something they charge to do it, right?
29:00
But it's so worth it because what the auction house does when they do that is if I get the
29:07
car to my facility and I look it over and I go, well, they didn't disclose this and
29:14
they didn't talk about like there's a hole in the frame or any of that, you can send
29:18
it back to the auction, no questions asked and they'll just refund you the purchase
29:24
So for me, that type of thing is just so worthwhile because if I decide not to go to the auction
29:31
because it's pretty far away from me, you have that ability to rely on them and it's huge.
29:40
It's huge to have a trustworthy inspection on a vehicle like that.
29:45
It's just so worth it.
29:47
I mean like Ian knows that I bought a great example, like real life example,
29:52
as I bought a 2016 GMC Yukon by mistake from an auction and it has 210,000 miles on it
30:02
and I bought it from this auction and after I bought it, I was like, oh no.
30:07
So I had them inspect it and they said it was fine.
30:12
Like it had a little bit of wear from having 210,000 miles on it but it checked out and I
30:17
got it back to my shop and they were right.
30:20
Like it was actually in really good condition considering its mileage and I actually,
30:26
I just sold it yesterday.
30:27
So, you know, plus there a local guy, he was like, my suburban won't pass inspection anymore
30:35
and it's like, this thing's really good looking.
30:38
You know, I detail it up, it did, it looked good.
30:41
Oh, beautiful Denali.
30:42
It's like, yeah, that's like, that's your rig right there.
30:45
Yeah, that's the one.
30:45
And we tell you, so he's literally gonna, he's gonna drive it and then put like his three
30:52
giant dogs in the back of it.
30:54
So it's like, okay.
30:57
Boy, those dogs are going to be just living in luxury there in that Denali.
31:02
Oh yeah, I was like, that's like, that's really what you're going to use it for?
31:05
It's like, yeah, teacher on, teacher.
31:09
But yeah, but I mean, but to come back to it too, I mean, buying a used car, it is amazing.
31:15
Like, I also want to say this, like most people, when it comes to buying a car, whether it's
31:20
newer used, they look at it like it's, it's a burden.
31:25
Like it's like, oh my gosh, we have to go car shopping like, because no one wants
31:31
to deal with salesmen.
31:32
No one wants to deal with negotiating.
31:34
No one wants to deal with it.
31:36
Like I totally get it because going to especially car dealerships, depending on the dealership,
31:42
can be a nightmare.
31:43
It really could be a nightmare.
31:44
Like you feel like a number and all they're trying to do is just sell you something in.
31:49
But I just want to say like, it should be fun.
31:54
Buying a car should be fun.
31:56
You should enjoy the process.
31:58
You should enjoy the people you meet while you're doing it.
32:02
It's just, it should be this fun thing to do.
32:05
So taking these steps of, you know, doing your homework and checking out the car in person.
32:13
And I mean, go with a friend and do the cold start, give it a drive, negotiate.
32:18
And it's just, that's the best you can do to try to help mitigate any type of risk or
32:24
anything like that.
32:25
And to, to basically to, to end that whole section on like buying a car is the best
32:33
advice I have ever gotten.
32:35
And this is especially true when it comes to buying classic cars.
32:40
A friend of mine that has a used car dealer told me years ago, because I was hot to trot
32:45
on this one car going through the auction and he was at the auction.
32:49
And I was like, just buy it for me, buy it for me.
32:51
And he, his famous words, he's like, Brendan, Brendan, there will be another one.
32:59
You don't have to have this one.
33:02
And that really resonated with me when he said that.
33:06
And to this day, it's true.
33:08
Like you could be so hot to trot on a golf GTI.
33:13
And it's like, yes, it's a nice example, but there will be another one someday.
33:19
It's like, just, just hold your powder, keep your powder dry.
33:24
You'll be able to get one.
33:26
So it's like, I always think about that in the back of my mind, like say,
33:30
because people get frustrated.
33:31
Like just the other day I talked to a guy that bought this Lexus SUV and he's like,
33:38
And I bought it from this guy and didn't like it blah, blah, blah.
33:42
And I'm like, well, then why did you do that?
33:43
And he's like, because I got fed up with looking for used cars.
33:47
So I just said, I just literally said this next one, we're buying it.
33:50
I don't care because I'm getting tired of it.
33:52
And I was like, that's, that's just horrible.
33:55
I don't like hearing that, but the key is there's always another.
33:59
So if you're looking for specific car, you think you found the one,
34:02
but there's something about it that doesn't feel right, whether it's the person,
34:05
whether it's the car, whatever, you can walk away.
34:09
You have that power to just say, no, no, no, let's just walk away.
34:14
There will be another one at another time.
34:16
So yeah, it should be fun.
34:19
Make sure it's fun.
34:21
So to give the listeners an example of a car that I've bought.
34:28
So I'm going to, I'm going to tell two separate car buying stories.
34:31
And I'll try to make them quick.
34:33
Of that, that were like, just kind of like funny instances, right?
34:37
So give some, some, yeah.
34:40
So it's like, because like, yeah, one where like, I got,
34:44
personally think I got screwed.
34:45
Then one where like, I think I did really well, right?
34:49
So the first one that I will always remember this.
34:52
So I had, I had this Buick Lucerne, a 2008 Buick Lucerne.
34:58
And I had that thing for sale forever.
35:01
I paid too much for it.
35:04
And then when I sold it, that was actually the only,
35:06
like one of the few cars that I've lost money on.
35:09
Like I think I bought it for 14-5 and I sold it for like 11.
35:13
Like I got hurt on that car, right?
35:16
Like I bought it at the time when I bought it.
35:18
I was like, man, this thing's like a 40,000 miles.
35:20
Like it's beautiful, whatever.
35:21
So I sold that car, the Buick.
35:24
And then this was years ago.
35:26
So like typical like 20-something-year-old me,
35:29
I'm like, I've got 11 grand in my pocket burning a hole.
35:32
I was like, I've got to, I was like,
35:34
I've got to go buy another car to sell, right?
35:37
So I find up in like the middle of nowhere, Vermont,
35:42
this 2004 Pontiac Bonneville GXP.
35:47
So they made like the Bonneville Sedan
35:50
and they had the North Star V8.
35:52
And it was like their performance one, the GXP.
35:54
And it was a one owner, like 50,000 miles on it.
35:58
And I was like a dark gray, beautiful car.
36:01
I was like, I have to go up and look.
36:02
I called the guy, older guy, go up, look at it.
36:06
I mean, I'm in love with it, right?
36:08
Like I go through a full list
36:10
and I did the cold start and checked it out.
36:13
And the only thing I found on it
36:16
was the trunk was full of water.
36:18
So me in my mind, I'm like jackpot, right?
36:22
Like, there's a thing I can negotiate down.
36:27
So he was asking, I think he was asking,
36:30
like nine grand for it or 9,500.
36:33
I go in and talk to him, right?
36:35
Sit down at his table and I'm like, listen,
36:38
I was like, I really want the car.
36:40
I was like, but I just, I can't do more than 7,500.
36:45
It was like the fair market value on it.
36:47
It's like between seven and eight in a private party.
36:51
I was like, and it is a nice example.
36:53
And you have kept it up.
36:54
I was like, but the water in the trunk,
36:56
like it smelled moldy and everything.
36:58
I was like, yeah, you know.
37:00
And he was like, nope.
37:01
Like I won't take a penny under eight grand,
37:06
And I was like, I just can't, I just can't do it.
37:11
So I actually sat there and like, I talked to the guy
37:18
at his kitchen table for two hours,
37:21
just not about cars.
37:23
Just sat there and talked to him about like whatever,
37:25
just like how long you lived up here.
37:27
And he was asking me, like what'd you do down
37:30
and like where you live and you know, blah, blah, blah.
37:32
And then I just remember at the end of it, I was like,
37:35
I was like, well, listen,
37:37
I was like, I really do want the car.
37:39
I was like, but I'm not doing set eight grand.
37:42
It's gotta be 7,500.
37:44
It's like $500 difference.
37:46
And he like looks at me and he's like,
37:49
oh, you're not going to leave, are you?
37:52
I was like, well, no, I'll leave if you asked me to.
37:55
And he's like 7,600 and it's yours.
37:59
And I was like, okay.
38:01
So anyway, I gave him 7,600 and then picked the car up.
38:05
And anyway, that car was a goodbye.
38:09
That car I actually made the most money on
38:13
in the shortest amount of time that I've ever had a car.
38:16
So the only issue I had with it was
38:19
the AC compressor quit working every time you'd drive it, right?
38:24
And it wasn't like it ran out of free on charge or anything.
38:27
It ended up being that if you like full throttled it,
38:30
you know, front engine, front wheel drive car,
38:33
the motor would rock.
38:35
And when it rocked, like the wiring harness
38:38
would hit a stud in the engine compartment
38:40
and short out the wiring to the AC compressor.
38:43
So I had to track that down.
38:45
So I had it for almost exactly a month.
38:48
I fixed that after totally troubleshooting
38:52
the wiring harness.
38:54
And I think I had to put new tires on,
38:58
maybe on the whole thing.
39:00
I can't remember, but I put it for sale.
39:03
And this Pontiac Enthusiasts,
39:04
it had like trans-AMS and GTOs and all that called me up
39:07
and he was like, I just, I have to have that.
39:10
Like, oh my God, that's what I've been looking for.
39:12
And I sold it, I think I sold it for 12.5 or something.
39:16
So, you know, I mean, I was just,
39:19
I actually, it was one of those fluke things where I was like,
39:23
I really liked the car and I was going to keep it.
39:26
So I just put it for sale for some like, you know,
39:29
I like 14 grand or something in an attempt to be like,
39:32
if someone wants it for this much,
39:34
like I'll give it to them, right?
39:36
So anyway, made good money on that car
39:39
in a short amount of time.
39:40
And there was a, I think there was something else
39:42
that I had to fix on it
39:43
that ended up being a little bit of a pain.
39:46
What was the deal with the water in the trunk?
39:49
Was that just storage?
39:50
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
39:51
So no, that was, I'm happy you reminded me.
39:53
Yeah, so that ended up being,
39:55
there was a seam where the wheel well
39:59
of the right rear tire met the trunk
40:02
that wasn't sealed right from the factory.
40:04
So when you were driving the car,
40:06
it would literally just spray water into the trunk.
40:10
It took me forever to find that.
40:11
I'm out in the driveway with a hose
40:13
like spraying down the top of the car.
40:15
And I'm like, nothing's leaking.
40:17
Like I don't, like, is it the sunroof
40:20
and like the sunroof didn't leak?
40:21
Like I checked all the sunroof drains.
40:23
Like, I'm like, what is this?
40:25
But every time you drove it in the rain,
40:28
it would just fill the trunk up.
40:30
So finally after, how I found it finally was,
40:35
oh, you're jogging my memory.
40:39
What else over here, Mark?
40:41
Yeah, my brother, my brother helped me.
40:43
So I got in the trunk and closed the trunk lid
40:48
and he was laying underneath the car
40:51
with a super bright light and just shining it
40:55
like up through the underneath.
40:57
And I was like, let me out of the trunk.
41:00
He's like, no, probably not.
41:04
Well, I can just picture that scene.
41:06
What, like, a comedy of errors there.
41:10
So that story, a little bit of a long-winded story,
41:13
but like that was a car that it's like,
41:15
I did my homework and I bought it.
41:17
And like it was a good result, right?
41:20
I mean, it did need a little bit of work.
41:22
And now I can just get a quick one about like,
41:24
I bought a Jeep that destroyed me.
41:31
Yeah, so what was it?
41:34
Right out of college and I got this job right
41:36
where I was supposed to like drive around to England
41:38
and like upsell accounts and do something.
41:41
And I was like, well, I don't really have,
41:43
I sold the car I had.
41:44
So I needed something that was going to be
41:47
good for driving around the winter.
41:49
And so I found a 98 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited,
41:56
which I've always loved those.
41:58
My aunt and uncle had a 98 Grand Cherokee.
42:01
And I've just, I've something about the look of those ZJs.
42:07
And with that motor especially, that's...
42:10
And I mean, they only made like 14,000 of those 5.9 Limited.
42:14
So there's a guy not far from where I was living
42:19
at the time at my dad's house that had one for sale.
42:21
It was like 100, I think it was like 160,000 miles on it.
42:26
And he was the second owner or something.
42:29
And he was asking like two grand.
42:31
I was like, oh man, like perfect, perfect.
42:34
Like the body looks good in the picture.
42:35
So I go and look at it, right?
42:37
He seemed like a nice enough guy, but this is one of those
42:40
moments where like, like I said before with Ian,
42:42
like I was kind of twidapated.
42:44
Like I've always wanted one of those.
42:46
So I'm like looking at the Jeep and I'm like, oh man,
42:49
like the interior is nice and like the body looks pretty
42:53
And like, oh yeah, it's just what a nice looking ZJ.
42:57
So he starts it up and it's got like this horrible
43:03
I mean, just horrible.
43:05
And he's like, yeah, I think the exhaust needs work.
43:07
And I'm like, I look underneath it and he was right.
43:10
Like the muffler was pretty much falling off of it.
43:13
But I remember, like even to this day,
43:16
I remember standing with him in the engine
43:18
compartment and like that Jeep was old enough,
43:20
like, you know, I'd reach into the engine
43:22
compartment and like flip the throttle body,
43:24
like you could rev it in park with the hood open,
43:28
And I was just like, boy, that rattle is,
43:31
I can't believe that's exhaust, you know?
43:33
But then like we drove it and like,
43:36
I fell in love as soon as we drove it.
43:37
And I was like, I just, I have to have it.
43:39
So that Jeep listeners was the biggest mistake.
43:43
That thing was riddled with problems.
43:47
I mean, we are talking thousands of dollars
43:51
And I mean, I should have known like I negotiated
43:53
the price down to I think like 1200 bucks.
43:56
And the guy was like, okay, great.
44:01
He seemed pretty eager to get rid of that for that much.
44:05
So it ended up, what was it?
44:07
I mean, just off the bat, it needed
44:09
discus coupler in the transfer case,
44:12
front differential rebuild, brakes all around,
44:16
tires all around, exhaust from like the headers back,
44:21
come to find out that the body looked great,
44:24
but it had these giant plastic covers over the rockers.
44:28
Underneath those were totally rotted out.
44:30
Rockers rotted out.
44:33
And then the big one was that rattling was actually rod not
44:38
that that motor was shot.
44:40
And it was the most sludged up motor I've ever ever seen.
44:46
Like I pulled off one of the rocker covers
44:48
and it was just scooping piles of sludge
44:51
out of the top of the valve covers.
44:54
And like, oh my God.
44:56
So I put like engine cleaner in it.
44:58
And then the noise got worse obviously
45:00
because I started to clean up the oil passages.
45:03
So I dropped the oil pan and look at it.
45:06
And I did the plastic gauge thing where you put in
45:08
like these little pieces of paper basically
45:11
and cork it down and see how bad the bearings are.
45:13
And every single rod bearing was shot and that thing.
45:17
What I did was I patched the metal work
45:21
with the help of my father's best I could.
45:25
I fixed the brakes on it and the differential.
45:28
And I pretty much fixed everything on it
45:31
to get it to pass inspection except for the motor.
45:34
That was the one thing I just could not afford to fix on it.
45:37
Anyway, I got all that done to it and I listed it for sale.
45:43
And this guy came up and looked at it.
45:45
And I think I was asking like for grand for it.
45:50
And I had quite a bit more than that in it at that point.
45:53
Told the guy straight up.
45:54
I was like, listen, like it's sitting here.
45:57
Like I started it up for him.
45:59
And I was like, it has a little bit of a knock to it.
46:02
I was like, but I put like two quarts of Lucas oil
46:06
stabilizer in it, which is for the listeners,
46:09
it's a really, really thick oil with just some other
46:14
regular oil in it to make it so it doesn't knock as much.
46:18
And I told the guy that I was like, listen,
46:21
like this is what I've done to it.
46:22
But like I'm pretty sure the motor is done.
46:25
It's like, so that's what's in it.
46:27
And he was like, oh, don't care at all.
46:29
He's like, I'm, I'm literally buying this to like,
46:32
it's going to be like my woods rig up at my cabin.
46:35
And I'm going to like drive it through the woods and stuff.
46:38
And I was like, you give me four grand, man.
46:41
And he's like, all right.
46:42
So he bought it and he seemed to like it.
46:44
But yeah, that that Jeep was like bought it for 1200.
46:48
I think I put like six into it or something like that.
46:52
And then sold it for four or 3500 or four.
46:56
That, that was a, that was a tough one.
46:57
But that was an example of like, I did, like I said,
47:00
I got twitted with the idea of like,
47:02
I've always wanted one of these EJs and I overlooked
47:07
everything that was like in the back of my mind being like,
47:10
you should check for rust and you should,
47:12
you know, check for the motor more.
47:14
And like, I didn't check any of the fluids.
47:15
Like I didn't do any of it.
47:17
Like I just saw it, it looked good.
47:19
Like it looked good.
47:21
It just had all of these problems riddled around it.
47:24
So it, you know, I'm not impervious,
47:27
but the one plus I'll say to that is I learned from it.
47:30
Right. Like I learned, I was like, okay,
47:32
like I will never make that mistake again,
47:34
no matter how much I like the car or want it.
47:38
Right. So anyway, that would, that would be my,
47:43
my advice to anyone looking for a used car is just do,
47:47
really it's just do your homework, be diligent
47:50
and just don't fall in love with it ASAP.
47:54
Like that, that's really the simplest way to put it.
47:57
So. Yeah. Wow. Well, thank you, Brandon,
48:00
for sharing your expertise here on today's episode.
48:03
It's gives the listeners and everybody out there
48:07
some really tactical advice.
48:09
I know I've certainly taken note of some, you know,
48:13
the big points here to always keep in mind.
48:15
And yeah, but again, like bringing it back all around.
48:18
I took note in your story just like with the Bonneville GXP
48:23
and how like you sat down and like chatted with this guy
48:26
for two hours and I just,
48:28
I like how you spoke to the human side of car buying.
48:30
And I mean, that's a big part of like life plus cars here
48:33
is that, you know, the human element that we bring
48:36
into the life of the car and vice versa.
48:40
And so how like that made the difference of like just
48:43
getting to know this guy, like his story,
48:45
where he's coming from and all of that.
48:46
And it just bridged where you were like you were too,
48:49
like pretty distant, you know, people in the transaction.
48:54
And then it could became more of a connection rather
48:56
than just a transaction.
48:57
I feel like that's just, so it's missing for the most part
49:01
when it comes to car buying,
49:02
which is why people just despise the whole process
49:04
as opposed to like, as you said, it should be fun.
49:06
Like this is a car you're gonna spend day in and day out with
49:10
like you have to live with it,
49:11
but more than just live with it, like actually love it.
49:13
Like that's, I mean, that's really what it should be about.
49:16
Oh yes. And I thank you for bringing that up
49:19
and that to elaborate just a little more.
49:21
I, but I remember like we talked about like him growing up.
49:25
It was like Northern Vermont, just north of Burlington.
49:28
He's like, yeah, I grew up here and like my family's
49:30
still around here and I've worked at this place for years
49:35
and they work over here and I've got a cousin
49:37
that works at the dealership and I was telling him
49:39
about like me and my dad and all that.
49:41
I mean, it was, we had a good time, a good conversation.
49:44
But yeah, he was funny at the end.
49:46
Like I said, he's like, are you ever gonna leave?
49:50
But yes, yeah, it's good.
49:52
And that's, you know, and that's the other thing
49:54
to look at it, right?
49:55
Like what you said about the life plus cars aspect of it,
49:58
like you go and look at a car for sale,
50:00
even if you don't buy the car, whether it's a classic
50:04
or collector car or it's a newer one,
50:07
just try to strike up the combo with someone and see.
50:10
I mean, you know, you might learn something,
50:12
you might create a new friendship, but you just don't know.
50:16
So that doesn't hurt to just go into it with an open mind, you know?
50:21
Keep the channels open and be pleasant, be kind
50:25
and considerate of their time and know that,
50:28
like you also want to honor your time
50:30
and make it worth it for everybody.
50:35
I mean, like think, just think about that
50:37
with like you, Ian, with the Mustang, like with this.
50:40
Just think of the enjoyment we get about talking about Dave
50:44
and how he had the Mustang and that whole interaction with him.
50:48
It's just fantastic.
50:50
If you bought it from like some dealership,
50:52
you wouldn't have had any of that.
50:54
No, and that's so true.
50:56
That's a part of the car's history
50:58
and now my life with it is in part my experience I had
51:03
buying it from Dave and hearing his life with the car
51:07
and just and yeah, that's a core part of the early history
51:12
with it and with my time with it.
51:17
But yeah, but that's good.
51:19
We touched on a lot today.
51:21
Thank you listeners for bearing with us here.
51:24
We hope that any of this information
51:26
will help you when it comes to buying a used car
51:29
and stay tuned for next episode
51:33
where we're going to talk about another fun life
51:36
event that has to do with cars.
51:39
If it helps people that is like a 50s jingle
51:43
attached to the email address to remember it.
51:46
I'll see if I can do my best here.
51:47
Be like L I F E P L U S C A R S at gma.com.
51:58
Wow, Brendan Bailey everybody.
52:01
Did I spell that right?
52:02
I think I think you got it on the first time.
52:06
I did not know that Brendan was hiding this talent
52:10
for most of the time.
52:12
I'm here all Tuesday.
52:16
And I think you may have a career in jingles
52:18
like moving forward.
52:20
Maybe don't quote me on that.
52:25
Well, Brendan, as always, it's been a pleasure
52:28
and I look forward to our next conversation.
52:32
Of course, about life plus cars.