I recently moved from Connecticut to South Carolina, and I was noticing how sued cars are so expensive down here. I have looked on ebay and craigs list, and im noticing people trying to sell cars with 250,000 miles for 2,000, even a Saturn with 335k for $1500. Is there any reason why used cars are so expensive down here? Any car (esp American cars) with 200k on them up north would always be a few hundred bucks, yet down here, they are four figures.
Two factors to look at. First is most southern vehicles have seen li’l or no salt, so it is a safe bet that there is no (well less) hidden under body rust.
The other thing is people are trying to make a profit on vehicles they have driven into the ground these days. I look at vehicles from all over the country on a regular basis. I do not see that much difference in price between vehicles in the same condition. I actually believe the internet sales market has served to drive up the prices. People look at places like auto trader to see what cars like theirs are "selling for" and then list theirs at the same prices as ones that have 2/3 the mileage.
on the other hand, I bought my first car in Alabama for 1500. It was 6 years old with somewhere around 50-60k on it. Over a decade later my cousin bought the same model of car for around 1000 in Wisconsin with close to 100k on it.
If you think the price gouging in the car market is getting bad, you should look at motorcycle prices. people are constantly selling 7-10 year old bikes that they have put 60k on and trying to get nearly the same price as a new bike.
Thats the way it is. Different places things are different prices. I live in southern cali and everything is expensive here too.
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The blue Book value would not be so different. There is no harm in asking. The only legitimate thing I can think of is that cars from Connecticut have had a harder life due to the climate and traffic. Check in Hemmings for antique cars, if a car is from a southern climate and being sold in Ohio it is always mentioned. Ever seen a 10 year old beater in Cleveland?
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Road salt from northern states means those cars typically have more rust problems.
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Two factors to look at. First is most southern vehicles have seen li’l or no salt, so it is a safe bet that there is no (well less) hidden under body rust.
The other thing is people are trying to make a profit on vehicles they have driven into the ground these days. I look at vehicles from all over the country on a regular basis. I do not see that much difference in price between vehicles in the same condition. I actually believe the internet sales market has served to drive up the prices. People look at places like auto trader to see what cars like theirs are "selling for" and then list theirs at the same prices as ones that have 2/3 the mileage.
on the other hand, I bought my first car in Alabama for 1500. It was 6 years old with somewhere around 50-60k on it. Over a decade later my cousin bought the same model of car for around 1000 in Wisconsin with close to 100k on it.
If you think the price gouging in the car market is getting bad, you should look at motorcycle prices. people are constantly selling 7-10 year old bikes that they have put 60k on and trying to get nearly the same price as a new bike.
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