Used cars everywhere and not one to own

I spent the last four hours looking at used car after used car in the hopes that I might find one that was just right. I didn't want some old stodgy model that guzzles gas, but I didn't want a tiny death trap either. Add to that my limited budget, and the range of available selections was narrowed down to cars seven to twelve years old.

I had thought I found a gem of a car in a 2000 Ford Taurus wagon. That is until I actually sat inside the car and saw what looked to be dried blood stains. Then I looked in the engine compartment and peeked in. There, I saw that the reservior for the engine coolant was a lovely rust color. Additionally, everything around it was rusted too, leading me to think that at some point, this engine had overheated.

That would have been bad enough. When I tried to open the rear window on the tail gate, I couldn't even get it closed again. As I looked closely at the rear of the vehicle, I saw clear indications that this wagon had been rear-ended and the bumper had been replaced. I looked at the cargo area, and I saw more blood stains. I told the guy selling the car that I could tell that it had been in an accident, and he told me to prove it. I pointed out what I had seen and he blew me off. Oh well, I guess the car wasn't a gem after all.

The next car I looked at, which was a Nissan Altima, smelled like something died inside of the car. I couldn't sit in the car for more than a few minutes. Later, when I mentioned it to the guy selling the car, he sheepishly admitted that the past owner had issues with incontinence. I drove to the nearest store and bought a can of Lysol to disinfect my clothes. That just about made my evening.

The next guy, who was selling a Saturn SL2, stood me up for nearly twenty five minutes. As I was about to leave the parking lot we had agreed to meet in, he pulled in. When I finally looked at the car, I could see crease marks in the engine compartment. This told me that the car had been in a front end collision. I passed on this car too.

I went to another "dealer" who was also selling a Saturn SL2, and when I got there, he told me that he had sold the car over the weekend. He showed me the rest of the cars on his lot, all of which were out of my price range. He told me that he was going to purchase some more cars at an action soon, and promised to give me a call. I don't know about this one. I intend to keep an open mind about it, but I suspect it was a bait and switch.

I stopped for a late dinner at a fast food restaurant, waiting for the next appointment. This was for a Toyota Camry. This one was in the same age range, but a bit out of my price range. I was hoping I could counter-offer it to a lower amount that I could afford. This was the first car I saw that looked like it was worth owning. Of course, the woman wouldn't budge on her price. Another strike out.

I went to another place and saw this black Infiniti I30 with tan leather seats. With a spoiler and sunroof. I fell for it immediately. When I asked the guy what he was asking for it, my hopes were immediately dashed, since he wanted nine thousand. Yep, he just about blew that idea right out of my head.

The last car I saw, was for another Ford, this time, it was a Focus. The first sign of trouble reared its ugly head when I saw that the owner was a teenager in his first year of college. I was wondering why he would be selling this car when it was still very much in good condition. I took it out for a test drive. That was when I found out that he had somehow wrecked the transmission. The car would rev for a second or two before it started moving. I am not sure if he knew what that meant, but I knew I didn't want a car that would cost two thousand more to repair the abuse it had taken.

I saw several cars today and not one of them was worth the time or the money. I need to stop paying $75.00 for a tank of gas in the beast (aka the van), but there wasn't a car to be had that met my requirements. Too bad I don't have a few thousand more to purchase something that was certified by a dealer.