Hey scotty, I found a 2011 chevy cruze with 130,000 miles for a $1,000 from a private seller on fb market place, she says it needs to be towed because the oil cooler is broken the mechanic fixed it then it almost instantly failed again so she is getting rid of it, is this a good deal or would I be buying a headache?
"Needs to be towed".
I wouldn't buy any car that starts with that phrase regardless of price.
The story you have been given, "the oil cooler is broken the mechanic fixed it then it almost instantly failed again" sounds very sus to me. More likely, the engine has had a catastrophic failure.
Who knows what other problems the car has.I would walk away.
Those were not built well to begin with, and at 130,000 miles with that issue (and apparently underlying root cause has not been addressed) - easily walk away!
You have no idea what's really wrong with this vehicle, other than what the seller told you. If you're a gambler with a lot of money, go for it. If not, your headache could actually be a nightmare.
I wouldnt get it if you plan to drive it.
However, if you want to, what you could do is buy the oil cooler from carparts(.)com, learn how to install it yourself, then sell the cruze right afterwards. You could make a few grand, IF it is the only thing wrong with it.
Especially if that cruze is the 1.4L engine, that thing may be worn out. If it has an automatic, unless it was an older lady who drive it, or if they drive very conservatively, I wouldn't spend any time with it, fix it and sell it as is.
No, I will not be liable if you mess anything up or if it does not work out, no I am not a mechanic or a financial advisor. This is just general advice.
