I love peeking at FB Marketplace in the hopes of finding some used car gems. The thing I notice is most cars on there are overpriced (and by quite a bit). That’s why we think the Value Score side of our scoring formula is just as important as the Quality side. What good is it if you find a reliable car but way overpay for it?
That brings me to this 2000 Toyota Avalon, which is a model I respect and think is really underrated. This car is a whopping 26 years old, “only” has 108K miles, but with an asking price of nearly $10K! Huh???
Now if you offered me this car for $3K I’d probably be intrigued, but I would definitely get it to a mechanic to get a sense of money I’d need to spend on it. The lesson for me to share with everyone is you need to have financial discipline and avoid any possible romantic sentimentalism for a car you or perhaps your parent drove. You’d be paying quite the tab to relive those glory days!
If you do your homework and really want to be a Toyota Avalon driver, you can find newer models with similar (or even less) miles for a comparable price. We are excited to be launching our car inspection score soon, where you’ll be able to run various cars on your shopping list through our data formula and see which one scores out well (which this example does not).
Here’s a much newer and better option (albeit at a higher price point).
Here & there
Speaking of the Avalon, I like to consume these videos and while I won’t hold them as the ultimate truth, I do like to take notes and see if their findings rhyme with other anecdotes I find out about the various Toyota Avalon years.
It's hard not to love this tweet I read the other day. But we all know not one used car is the same and just because it has a trusted badge on it means it’s a problem-free gem.
I think if I did the same math this person did for every car I was shopping for I would never buy a car again, and definitely not one that was gas-powered. The ultimate wet blanket of expenses defined, lol.
Getting back in the startup game with CarInspection.com after being out of it for the last several years makes me feel like a musician that’s gotten the band back together and wants to get in the studio to make some new material. It’s scary, while also exhilarating!
Thanks for reading everybody!
-Paul