1999 Olds Alero GLS Trade-In

[dreese9859]

I spent about six hours skimming most of the posts on this forum. I must say I'm very impressed with this site. I have a few questions about a possible trade-in I'm doing. I should be getting a CR-V this Thursday. Most people here seem to be import car freaks, so you've never felt the pain of owning an American car. When I say "pain", I mean spending more on repairs than the car itself. Anyways, here are the inquiries:

1) I did a "Black Book Online Trade Appraisal" for Coggin Honda (Central Florida area) and the estimate value they gave is $2,060 - $3,360. Does anybody know why there's a huge difference in the estimate value? I entered in that my car had minor chipped paint, flaws in upholstery, etc. and I figured it would have spit out a better approximation than a $1,300 difference.

2) Should I vacuum the car and give it a bath before taking it in? (Yes, I know ... I'm a car newbie). (I'm in college and this is my first purchase.)

3) What fees should I expect on the trade-in? I.e. license plate transfer fee, and such.

4) How thoroughly do they inspect the vehicle before accepting the trade-in?

[mrtn]

always clean it and apply cheap and easy wax for a temporary shine.

i get your drift, having a company alero 2001. had replaced brake rotors and 3 wheel bearings in 30K miles... steering shaft joint shot a while ago, apparently a manufacturing defect. nothing you'll experience with a Honda.

[dreese9859]

i get your drift, having a company alero 2001. had replaced brake rotors and 3 wheel bearings in 30K miles... steering shaft joint shot a while ago, apparently a manufacturing defect. nothing you'll experience with a Honda.

That's all that was wrong with it? I guess you got a good one heh. Here's a quick list of what I experienced (by no means is it exhaustive):

1) Transmission axle seal leak.
2) Security light comes on twice a week and car will not start for 10 minutes ... really embarrassing, especially at the gas station. If it doesn't start after 10 minutes, then you wait another 10 minutes. The security system shuts off the fuel to the engine so that's why it won't start.
3) Driver side window motor quit working.
4) Defogger broke.
5) First two settings on A/C intensity quit out.
6) Had the rotors flipped very early (similar to your issue).
7) Warning light fell INTO the vehicle when it was pressed (was pretty funny seeing a hole in my car until I got it fixed).
8) Driver side mirror fell off and cracked.
9) etc., etc., etc.

There's plenty more but I'll spear you the time :). Funny thing is: ALL of these problems are NOT exclusive to me. They're common problems LOL!

[sleeksilver]

i get your drift, having a company alero 2001. had replaced brake rotors and 3 wheel bearings in 30K miles... steering shaft joint shot a while ago, apparently a manufacturing defect. nothing you'll experience with a Honda.

That's all that was wrong with it? I guess you got a good one heh. Here's a quick list of what I experienced (by no means is it exhaustive):

1) Transmission axle seal leak.
2) Security light comes on twice a week and car will not start for 10 minutes ... really embarrassing, especially at the gas station. If it doesn't start after 10 minutes, then you wait another 10 minutes. The security system shuts off the fuel to the engine so that's why it won't start.
3) Driver side window motor quit working.
4) Defogger broke.
5) First two settings on A/C intensity quit out.
6) Had the rotors flipped very early (similar to your issue).
7) Warning light fell INTO the vehicle when it was pressed (was pretty funny seeing a hole in my car until I got it fixed).
8) Driver side mirror fell off and cracked.
9) etc., etc., etc.

There's plenty more but I'll spear you the time :). Funny thing is: ALL of these problems are NOT exclusive to me. They're common problems LOL!

Gotta love GM quality!!! :)

I will never in my life purchase a General Motors automobile.


100% wax your car before trading it in.