Hey guys, I'm new to the site and I'm looking for a little info befor I make the 6 hour trip to buy 2012 cruze 1.4l. It's located in New Hampshire. It has 132xxx miles on it and it comes with a full list of service repairs. 47 to be exact. It was under a full service warranty and was serviced at the dealership that's selling the car now. It looks like it had a rough last 6 months with the previous owner based off the car fax and service records. It looks like me and the dealer are close to agreeing on a price of $6000. This will be my most expensive car purchase to date and want to make sure I'm making a good choice after reading some horror story's. My family is on a tight budget due to the cost of child care and can't afford to repair a car constantly. Any info will be greatly appreciated.
This is a matter of opinion. My opinion. It doesn't mean that it's your opinion or anyone else's. It also doesn't mean that it will work for you or anybody else. But it works for me.
Given that caveat I am hanging on the following: "...can't afford to repair a car constantly."
Then why are you considering a car with 132,000 miles? Especially one that: "...looks like it had a rough last 6 months with the previous owner..."
I know a lot about cars. An awful lot. An automobile is a consumable. Think of it like a tube of toothpaste. When new the tube toothpaste has a value. But everyday and every squeeze that tube becomes less and less valuable. Until that day when you're really squeezing to get the last bit out of it. And then it's worthless. It's trash for the landfill.
The absolute longest warranty GM has ever offered is 148,000 miles. That means that in a perfect world the car your considering only has 16,000 miles left in it. So after that point start thinking about repairs that will be necessary to extend that vehicles life. Adding more toothpaste back in the tube, if you will.
In my personal situation I have a wife who has a service dog and I can no longer drive. But I found a way to buy a Cruze that came with a 100,000 mile manufacturer's warranty. That way if anything goes wrong I don't pay to repair it. At all. No unexpected bills and the car starts every time. No anxiety about getting stranded or missing an appointment. Just one easy to plan for payment.
Maybe you want to find a way to afford something with more toothpaste left in the tube?