Our new (6mths) car is being returned to the dealer under the lemon law, we have a chance to buy a 2001 Mercury Sable, wagon, we've test driven it and like it, it is high mileage, 110,000. Just wondered if anyone had any experience with this car, being British and new to the US it's an unfamiliar car for us.
Cheers Anne
Hi Anne, The best thing you can do is go to a library and look for the Consumer Reports Annual Buying Guide. The newer the better. It'll have reliability reports on just about every used car out there going back about 10 years. They rate 16 areas such as engine, brakes, transmission, body integrity, etc for reliability from excellent to poor.
The ratings are taken from their subscribers actual experiences. They don't take advertising so they aren't swayed by big corporation advertising money.
If you can't find a book you can subscribe to Consumer Reports online.
Anne, we routinely buy a Mercury with more than 110,000 miles on it every two years. That is really not high mileage for a Mercury, they seem to just go on forever. On the other hand, you need to know what kind of miles those have been. The ones we buy have been neither pampered nor abused. It may be possible for you to get a printed report of its care and repair. All the way back to 1983, our oldest Mercury's history has been recorded with the manufacturer and that beauty is still going strong. In Consumer Reports April 2007, the only trouble spot I see for the 01 Mercury Sable is the suspension with other little warnings about the brakes and climate control. As with a new car, it's a gamble. Find out all you can. Polly
Edmunds is good on reviews for autos, including pricing performan and sources for the autos
Anne, You can enter the vehicle identification number at Carfax and get a report on the specific car you are thinking of buying. they're located here:
Anne Rogers wrote:
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