2002 DHS anyone?

[Va Maddog]

I have been watching EBay closely for a newer SLS/STS or DTS. In doing so I came across a 2002 DHS off white interior, black exterior with 55,000 miles on it. Claims to be a one owner - non-smoker. The auction ends tomorrow night .(1/6/05)

I mention it because it is a no reserve auction with a starting bid price of $14,599. That is almost $4,000 under the average trade in value for that vehicle. Really a good price. I saw that it had a couple of small issues - a discolored drivers door panel and a couple of missing seat switch covers - but those seemed minor to me.

I have nothing to do with this car or the seller - just thought that someone here might be interested. I actually showed it to my wife and she said go ahead and bid on it (surprised me!), but I really want another SLS/STS or a DTS - anyway I don't see great deals like this come up very often so I wanted to share the opportunity with the members here.

I bought my SLS on EBay about a year ago now and so far it has treated me well -knock on wood...

[cardio-doc]

Found it. Next time save alot of people some time and post a link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=4516317419

Doesn't seem bad but have to see in-person. Remember - this car is out of warranty so that is why price is a little light. DHS is nice because you're getting a bunch of high-line stuff essentially for free on this car.

Your post initially attracted me when you called the interior 'off-white' - I was wondering what that meant. It's just the standard shale interior.

If this car gets a bid I'll bet it goes out at the open.

~Doc

[pats37]

There were a lot of cars affected by the 4 hurricanes that hit FL this past year. Many were underwater for a day or two. I would be very careful if you don't know any history on this one.

I saw on another thread where someone bought an STS engine and transmission on ebay and when he rec'd it it was full of water with considerable internal corrosion. Caveat Emptor.

Unless you can get a Vin# and check it out I would be suspicious.

[pats37]

VAMaddog

See thread "Beware Internet Scam"

[Va Maddog]

Supposedly this was an off-lease veh, and the timing is about right for a three year lease.

Again I know nothing about this car other than what you can also read and see about it, but I do know that it would be a very good price for that car if it went for the starting bid price. The car is in NJ and probably came out of the north east but one never knows.

It is always true that the buyer must beware any time they buy a used anything - but especially big ticket items like a car or house. On the other hand about 3/4 or better of the people on this board have bought their cars used so it can work out well and it can save a ton of money. That's the trade off - pay big time up front for new, or buy used saveing big dollars and face some risk of repair costs and the unknown. The best protection is to personally inspect a car before buying it, but even then the transmission could go out the month after you buy it - there is no guarentee outside of a warrantee.

Some for sale by owners will tell you anything you want to hear and/or hide important information - so the risks can be even bigger than with a dealer or wholesaler. At least a dealer or wholesaler has some interest in maintaining their reputation, an individual might care less about that on a one time sale to someone.

The whole Ebay experience is very interesting and there are certainly "tips" to finding the best deals. It is neat to be able to tap into a nationwide network of auto wholesalers - which is what 50% or better of the EBay motors sellers are. Every once in a while you can find a diamond in the rough - a very nice car at a great price - sometimes with some little isues that make it unlikely to sell for top dollar on a used car lot, but that can easily be dealt with by a savvy buyer.

These wholesalers stay in business by turning cars not by holding on to them so when they have a situation where they are not moving a car as fast as they had hoped to you can sometimes find one of these great deal opportunities. A person has to do the research and be somewhat of a risk taker to buy a car on EBay, but again I think that applies to any used car purchase.

I am amazed at how the values of some of these high line luxury vehicles drop after the first two or three years. Bad for the original owner - good for the second or third owner. My rationale is to let someone else eat all of the heavy initial depreciation so that I can get that really nice ride at 1/4 to 1/2 of the new car price. It really does make a lot more sense from a financial standpoint. I have purchased many new cars in my liftime, but I think that I am done with that now. My wife talked me into buying a new family van four years ago and I keep telling her that she better continue to like it because the only way that makes sense financially is if we hang on to it for 10 years.

Used cars still depreciate, but it is possible to occasionally find a great deal where you can actually drive a car for a year or two and sell it for close to what you paid for it. Even if you lose $1,200 a year in value - that is still only $100/month. With new cars you are losing $300-$400/month in depreciation. With cars like these probably closer to $500 or $600 a month in the first three years - ouch... that is a big hit.

[pats37]

VaMaddog,

I don't disagree with your logic but I have experienced "getting taken" in my life.

When it comes to cars if I can't drive it, look the owner in the eye, and have my mechanic check it out it is of no interest to me.

There are good and bad deals all over the place. It's your money so you can do as you choose. Best of luck to you.