[Classic Owner]

Repair Cost: Trade the POS to the dealer and get something that won't cost you thousands in repairs continually......

$3500-5k is about normal, assuming it doesn't need a head as well.

 

[Classic Owner]

I think that selling/trading is probably a common way to dispose of a problem vehicle. Makes a person wonder how many posts on here are are for the exact same "problem vehicle" over and over again..... Might need to start logging VIN numbers..... Hahahahah

In general there's only 3 reasons people sell/trade vehicles.
1. They're the type of person who ONLY keeps vehicles a couple years/xxmiles.
2. They had some lifestyle change that they no longer required said vehicle.
3. It has some problem they don't want to pay to have fixed.

Buying something from someone known to change vehicles on a regular schedule whom maintains them meticulously in that time period is your best bet.
Buying from someone who had a life change that caused them to sell/trade might get your something decent, it might not.
But the majority are someone else's problem that got sold/traded because it was failing.

 

[Classic Owner]

I will add most one owner vehicles that are 2-3 years old are most likely from a private lease or a former rental.

Both my 2019 Pacifica and my 2018 Grand Caravan were from private owners who just traded vehicles every 2-3years, but you're likely right.

 

[Classic Owner]

I believe what a used vehicle seller tells me about as far as I can throw them...

Receipts, records, and owner history don’t lie.
But go off.

 

[Classic Owner]

I used to be pretty trusting also. Deception happens at an even larger scale in real estate. You know how you can look up a lot of information, for instance on Zillow about a properties history and most people trust that everything is accurate such as how much a previous owner paid etc. The truth is that everything can be manipulated. I know of several deals where a flipper bought a house and paid 100k for a house but the recorded deed etc shows he paid 300k (using a technique taught by a certain guru) and the unsuspecting buyer "believes" that he is getting a great deal at only 400k since the flipper put some lipstick on the pig for less than 10k. I cannot confirm or deny that I have done this myself LOL. Used cars are a much easier target for deception than real estate, just not quite as much incentive since the dollars are much lower but it happens. Just part of the game...

Man, y’all need to change your hats….. The tinfoils getting rusty.

 

[Classic Owner]

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment. Cowboy guide to life

Wisdom comes from using that judgement and realizing you might not know as much as the person you’re trying to argue with, so instead you keep your mouth shut.

 

[Classic Owner]

Guess that will be the last Chrysler I buy.

Just don't buy another Pacifica.
The Grand Caravan, Town and Country are still perfectly reliable vans on the used market.