1999 was the last year of the straight line across the window line; the newer ones have a swoop instead. At that mileage, less than half the useful life is used up. Parts are relatively cheap, too.

But as it was stated earlier, if he is happy, and you made out some way. The rest is academic.

A little background. I used to inspect, appraise and liquidate vehicles for Capital One Auto Finance. At the time I averaged 200 a week, a little over 10,000 vehicles a year. Between that, buying on the side, and working as an auctioneer for six years prior I got plenty of experience when it comes to buying cars.

Miles aren’t nearly as much a concern in the Atlanta area compared to most northern markets. The roads are smooth here (smoothest in the nation actually) and the Atlanta area has always been at or near the top for the length of commutes. The average vehicle nets about 15,000 miles a year while most other non-Southern, non-Californian cities are in the 10,000 to 12,000 range.

Interior and exterior condition are heavy factors in Atlanta. Much more so than most other areas of the country. A garage kept car will look as fine as anywhere else. But one that’s left outside will often develop a variety of issues from scorched paint to excessive door panel, seat and dashboard wear. The Volvo wagon mentioned earlier would typically have the door vinyl scrunched up towards the A-pillar (biodegradable glue doesn’t hold up here) and the seats would be in dire need of reconditioning due to the creases and rips that would be at the front.

However, having said that you can also find a gem amongst the stones. In fact, I had a fellow fly in from New Hampshire not too long ago to pick up a 13 year old Volvo turbo wagon that had been diligently kept at a Volvo specialist. He met me one time in Concord, MA during my travels and we’ve periodically kept up with each other over the years.

In the beginning, Frank was looking at a pickup. But SUV prices being the way they are, you can pretty much get a far nicer vehicle with similar hauling capability for just about the same money these days. An uncomplicated and stout vehicle like the Tahoe was the perfect fit. But it was one of three or four potential buys at the sale. I would say that I only buy about 15% of the vehicles that I bid on and am less concerned about price than condition.

Most folks simply pay cost plus $500 when I do buy and their willingness to wait for the right one helps enormously. In a market like the one we have now patience is a fantastic virtue to have.

As for the most important things to look at for a used car… that’s simple. Condition, history, condition, history. People often buy with their eyes instead of focusing on the more important beauty within. That’s why 1990’s Volvo wagons still sell for discounts out here given their condition compared to most other import makes. A conservatively driven and well maintained car simply isn’t as important to most folks as having the car with the right emblem. I consider it a shame… and an opportunity.

My neighbor has a black Tahoe Sport with the monochrome paint job and 5-star alloys on it. Still a looker after 10+ years. If he ever sells it, I’ll be the first to make an offer on it.

Frank should be happy with it. The 5.7L Vortec is actually reasonably efficient if you keep your foot out of it. (I’ve flirted with 20mpg while towing the race car if I stuck to 100km/h.)

From my experience, I would rate this deal as fair, but not exceptional. I would have expected a bit better at a dealer auction.

I bought a 99 Volvo wagon, about the same specs, last year for $4k, from a private seller I found on Craigslist. And I saw newer SUV’s for about the same price. But I didn’t want an SUV.

Nice find, that’ll last Frank ’till hell freezes over.

I would likely bid this around 5,000 if it came to me as pre-owned car buyers tend to crap their pants over high km’s.