FocusCanada Forums

I'm interested in picking up an unmodified 02-03 ZX5. I have a budget of up to $4500 and would prefer something with less than 100K.

If it doesn't have to be certified I can hook you up with my friend who is a Ford dealer who could have his used car guy troll the wholesale auctions for you.

svtcanuk,Oct 12 2008, 11:36 AM Wrote:I'm interested in picking up an unmodified 02-03 ZX5.  I have a budget of up to $4500 and would prefer something with less than 100K.
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I've gone this route before and it's actually how I purchased my first Contour. My only concern is being able to see the car before purchasing it, IIRC only dealers are allowed into the auction, has that changed?

svtcanuk,Oct 12 2008, 01:51 PM Wrote:I've gone this route before and it's actually how I purchased my first Contour.  My only concern is being able to see the car before purchasing it,  IIRC only dealers are allowed into the auction, has that changed?
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No ... I think that's still the case (perhaps Philip could confirm or deny?) ... the best you could hope for this way is to give him the detailed parameters and then trust their judgement ... the only difference here is that this is a personal friend of mine (20 years now) ... a couple of members on here have actually purchased a new car from him ... and I can vouch for him.

Sounds like what I did in the past, except my friend, whom I have since lost touch with, brought me back to have a look at the cars before he bid. Does you friend apply the usual dealer markup or does he offer a deal like the cost of the car plus a predetermined fee?

there are couple of auctions around. these are all for dealers and i know this bc my dad is a dealer.

Manheim Milton, tuesday's. Dealers only, no guest unless they have the same last name as you and they can go in as family members.

Adesa Gorway, wednesdays. Only dealers, no family allowed in anymore :(

Manheim Milton, Thursday Nights. Dealers only with guest. Usually lot easier to get in. Lot of dealers will bring in some guest.

Out of these auctions, Adesa is the best bet for Ford. I have purchased my 3 Fords from there. Manheim doesnt really have many choices for Fords.

Adesa is great if you are looking for Ford. They also have internet bidding. I purchased my 1 car in that form. You can see all the required information in that. They only thing that does not tell you is smoker/pet smell. That usually needs someone to go in and verify that.

Let me know if you need any other help.

Regards, Mo

mo_focus,Oct 12 2008, 10:28 PM Wrote:there are couple of auctions around. these are all for dealers and i know this bc my dad is a dealer.

Manheim Milton, tuesday's. Dealers only, no guest unless they have the same last name as you and they can go in as family members.

Adesa Gorway, wednesdays. Only dealers, no family allowed in anymore  :(

Manheim Milton, Thursday Nights. Dealers only with guest. Usually lot easier to get in. Lot of dealers will bring in some guest.

Out of these auctions, Adesa is the best bet for Ford. I have purchased my 3 Fords from there. Manheim doesnt really have many choices for Fords.

Adesa is great if you are looking for Ford. They also have internet bidding. I purchased my 1 car in that form. You can see all the required information in that. They only thing that does not tell you is smoker/pet smell. That usually needs someone to go in and verify that.

Let me know if you need any other help.

Regards, Mo
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Adesa Kitchener has public auctions, and yeah we sell Ford Factory, Ford buy backs, Lease returns, and Ford Fleet cars trucks, and what not. The only thing is Adesa Kitchener is smaller then Adesa Toronto, so what they have is what they have, if your looking for the 2002 - 2004 ZX5, at auction a dealer car is more realistic, as it's getting rare to get 2004 and under for lease returns.

check out my work's website, I know there is also an adesa in the Ottawa region but I don't know if they have public days or not.

http://www.adesa.ca

one good thing is usually all cars in the coming auctions are pre-photoed before sale, and sometimes sold in the online auctions, but I don't know for sure if they are open to the buying public or not. Also any damage on the cars is photoed, and any major issues like hail damaged, accident repaired and what not.

The auction route sounds like a good idea except I wouldn't be able to see the car ahead of time and I have to admit that I am extremely picky about my cars. I guess the best bet would be to hook up with someone as picky as me who can buy from the auction. Would pricing from the auctions be that much better than a private sale? I ask because with a private sale I have the ability to see the car and pricing would be better than that of a dealer. BTW I checked out the Adesa website but without dealer access there isn't much to see.

svtcanuk,Oct 13 2008, 09:10 AM Wrote:The auction route sounds like a good idea except I wouldn't be able to see the car ahead of time and I have to admit that I am extremely picky about my cars.  I guess the best bet would be to hook up with someone as picky as me who can buy from the auction.  Would pricing from the auctions be that much better than a private sale?  I ask because with a private sale I have the ability to see the car and pricing would be better than that of a dealer.  BTW I checked out the Adesa website but without dealer access there isn't much to see.
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The only reason I mentioned auctions is because of your stated parameters ... the ZX5 only came in the "ZT" trim level (as in ZTS and ZTW) which meant Zetec engine, alloy wheels, heated mirrors, heated seats etc etc ... and just as often as not, leather and moonroof too, as Ford had a special price if you added the two of them together.

To get that vehicle with under 100k for your price point will be difficult to do at the retail level ... dealers are asking over 5000 for anything those years with low mileage - and that's usually for a more base SE which was not available in 5-dr hatch.

If you opened your search up to include sedans and wagons, you will be much more likely to meet the other criteria with a retail purchase.

Thanks for the lesson, I am completely unfamiliar with Focus models and I think I may need to do some more research. Unfortunately I am not interested in either a sedan or wagon and with the twins 4 doors is a must. I have seen some ZX5's on Auto Trader with approximately 60 - 70K in the $5000 to $5500 range, is that a good price point for these vehicles?

svtcanuk,Oct 13 2008, 10:59 AM Wrote:Thanks for the lesson, I am completely unfamiliar with Focus models and I think I may need to do some more research.  Unfortunately I am not interested in either a sedan or wagon and with the twins 4 doors is a must.  I have seen some ZX5's on Auto Trader with approximately 60 - 70K in the $5000 to $5500 range, is that a good price point for these vehicles?
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yeah thats a fair price, if it's a dealer price or private, more so a deal if private, as most people over value their cars when they try to sell them.

I can tell you that the lease returns often go for cheap. I've see a few mid range silverado pickup at auction sell for $7,100.00 with 70K on them or there abouts, and a few months back I saw a 2005 BMW X5 sell for $14,000.00 with 42K on it, and that was when we had the prestiege sale at my work back in march. it's usually the dealer cars that come in and sit for a while like hummers, cadilaics, ridgelines, and any utility/commercial van.

the best thing to do if dealing with a dealer is outright ask them how much did they pay for it at auction.