Its a friend of a friend of a friend.

They want it for the teenage daughter and want to get all the issues fixed before she starts driving it.

I asked for 500.00, but she wouldn't give me more than 300.00 really, I guess that's as good as it gets for a crappy car.

I am actually going to miss it.

Toyota Echo
 

I decided I didn't want to wear out or put gas in my pickup driving to school this summer so I picked up a used Echo. The bad news is I just paid $1.87 per gallon for gas the good news is that even in hill country I got 42mpg with the Smugmobile.

Fuel is expensive.
Moterbikes rule =D Sure we're 10 times as likely to be roadkill but it so much *fun*

case do they know how much it's going to cost? May be cheaper for them to buy a more expensive car without all the issues, all those together are gonna add up for a fair amount.

Actually I sold the car to them yesterday. They have a mechanic friend who is going to do all the work for cheap. I don't know much else, though. I am sure that retapping the spark plug is going to be a chore, though.

Helicoil.

That means drill the hole bigger, tap it, install the helicoil, hope it holds, hope it doesn't create a hot spot for preignition and clean the debris out of the cylinder. I'd say that's a chore. :)

Good thing it isn't my problem anymore :D

spoken like a true car salesperson. once the taillights pass the curb......
:)

Yes, and one of those was missing too. Say, maybe I should make a career change...:D

What's the deal with milage on a car sold as new? My friend purchased a car with ~250 miles on it and before signing the papers, he asked about it. They replied with some bullshit story about, "Oh, some woman bought this car but she didn't like the color so she brought it back and we swapped it out." I find this to be somewhat... doubtful.

So are there rules to selling a car marked "new" that are milage-based?

as long as it has not been titled, there are no rules. Dealers frequently put cars into Demo service, and drive them up to 5000 miles or so. the warranty begins, but apart from having to disclose that fact, there aren't any rules ) in PA atleast). Banks sometimes treat them differently. And dealers also let people take cars home over the weekend to try it out, which can put some miles on it, or dealer trade a car, which also puts miles on. shouldnt be a big deal for most customers, but some DO care about it.

Re: Toyota Echo
 

Hmm, I've had a toyota Prius for about a year now. My MPG status screen is telling me I am getting 36.2 MPG.

What I notice though is that the car seems to get crappy milage until it warms up, then phenominal milage after that, but since I tend to make short trips, it kills my average.

might want to have it checked. I don;t know a WHOLE lot about it, but I believe that may be an indication of bad rings or plugs. how many miles on her? last tune up?

cars generally have relatively poor gas mileage until they get to around 3500 miles, by then the rings have seated properly, and mileage improves. just food for thought. anyone more knowledgeable know if i'm close on this?

Everybody uses Moly coated rings now. They're seated before it gets out the factory door. The mileage improves because all the things that move, driveline, undriven wheels, steering, brakes and such, get all the rough edges and high spots smoothed out so there's less resistance. Also the fuzzy logic of the onboard computers increase their knowlege of your quirks and style so the car gets better at anticipating your next move. The less corrections it has to make the better the mileage will be.

I'm wondering how long the Prius takes to warm up? Modern cars are designed to heat up as rapidly as possible to reduce emissions and improve mileage and driveability. I'm sure when they designed the Prius that was factored in to the Nth degree, just because of what it is. You might have the dealer check the emissions system and how long it takes to go from open loop to closed loop operation. It could be something as simple as a stuck thermostat.

i knew it would be you, ya motor head.