Another Utah guy, new to CNG

[snoobies]

Hey everyone, I'm a new CNG driver here in Utah. Actually, I haven't even purchased a vehicle yet, however I'm right on the verge, debating on exactly which model to get... most likely between a Civic and a Cavalier, or a Camry if one falls within my price range. I'm a Toyota lover above all else. I'm from Utah County and am currently attending BYU in both Provo and their SLC center, so my main motivation for purchasing an AFV is for reducing commuting costs. I'm very interested in learning more about CNG and am excited to be a part of the forum and hope to be a good contribution some day when I become more familiar with it all.

If anyone has suggestions as to who to get in contact with who can help me find an 04 Cavalier or Civic, I'd much appreciate it!

[freedml]

Re: Another Utah guy, new to CNG

I'll assume your budget is under $10k

04 cav -- goverment auto auctions
GX --eBay
Camry -- dream on...

[cngacrossusa]

Re: Another Utah guy, new to CNG

Now is a great time to be buying a used CNG car as prices are depressed. First EDUCATE yourself on known problems with specific models of cng vehicles - - ie (a)some Honda Civics may have CVT transmission problems ; (b) Fords may have CompuValve problems (pickups or cars) (c)older cng vehicles may have tanks nearing expiration (thus soon may have to spend big bucks for updated tanks), etc.

Constantly scour Ebay (must have an account to look at Completed Sales) and Craigslist to see what everything is selling for - - use Google to search CL with model you want - - ie type in:
civic cng site:craigslist.org (. . . . or)
camry cng site:craigslist.org (. . . or)
ford cng site:craigslist.org (. . or)
cavalier cng site:craigslist.org

Good luck. Don't rule out dedicated cng Camry (1999 to 2002) as I recently saw one on CL with 70K miles near Palm Springs, CA that only was selling for under $5K - - - that was a bargain!! Let us know what you end up with. GO CNG !!

[snoobies]

Re: Another Utah guy, new to CNG

Now is a great time to be buying a used CNG car as prices are depressed. First EDUCATE yourself on known problems with specific models of cng vehicles - - ie (a)some Honda Civics may have CVT transmission problems ; (b) Fords may have CompuValve problems (pickups or cars) (c)older cng vehicles may have tanks nearing expiration (thus soon may have to spend big bucks for updated tanks), etc.

Constantly scour Ebay (must have an account to look at Completed Sales) and Craigslist to see what everything is selling for - - use Google to search CL with model you want - - ie type in:
civic cng site:craigslist.org (. . . . or)
camry cng site:craigslist.org (. . . or)
ford cng site:craigslist.org (. . or)
cavalier cng site:craigslist.org

Good luck. Don't rule out dedicated cng Camry (1999 to 2002) as I recently saw one on CL with 70K miles near Palm Springs, CA that only was selling for under $5K - - - that was a bargain!! Let us know what you end up with. GO CNG !!

Well I was familiar with most of those common issues, but dang... that craigslist tip was invaluable! I was unaware you could use google like that. I wish I would have seen that Camry, since they're pretty much on the top of my list if I can find one within price, and $5k well that IS a steal. Maybe I'll have to wait until a good deal comes along vs. paying 9-10k for one right now.

[snoobies]

Re: Another Utah guy, new to CNG

I'll assume your budget is under $10k

04 cav -- goverment auto auctions

Is Manheim Auctions the only venue through which the government auctions off their vehicles? Or are there other entities that auction them off as well? I checked autoauctions.gsa.gov which led me to the Manheim Auctions, but then I saw gsaauctions.gov on which Utah doesn't seem to have much of anything. Other than that I'm not seeing any other government auctions.

[Hughes]

Re: Another Utah guy, new to CNG

If I were you... I'd jump on this one.

http://eugene.craigslist.org/ctd/1544790950.html

[Hughes]

Re: Another Utah guy, new to CNG

If I were you... I'd jump on this one.

http://eugene.craigslist.org/ctd/1544790950.html

Looks like it's still there... and it's at a regular used car dealership too.... probably offer him 4,300 to start.

[snoobies]

Re: Another Utah guy, new to CNG

If I were you... I'd jump on this one.

Actually I do remember seeing that one but I guess I was turned off by the mileage/price because I wasn't really struck by the ad. 6k seems pretty high for 87k miles doesn't it? I mean, I'm thinking 5k in the area of 40-50k miles. Then again this is a dealer, so I guess I should expect higher prices. From most opinions I see, 150k is the average mileage one can expect from these cars, so I guess by estimation it'd have almost 70k left in it, but I'd much rather get one with still lower miles - I'm just not sure how rare it is to find those. I don't necessarily want to be waiting 6 months to a year to find the right car.

Oops, didn't refresh the page to get your last comment. I like the $4300 idea much better lol.

[Hughes]

Re: Another Utah guy, new to CNG

You got nothing to lose by offering less. He's a used car dealership with a mark up of some sort. In a place where CNG isn't as available or cheap as here in Utah. It must have been sitting there for a while since he took the trouble to put it on craigs list.

The milage? Well, I don't know. I've seen cavaliers with higher than 150K so I'd think they last longer than that. However, I think it's true with any used car. It depends how it's maintained/used/abused etc... And (edit) most of these cars come from State Fleets and have usually been maintained pretty well... I know that's a big generalization.

[thackj]

Re: Another Utah guy, new to CNG

Have you checked out CNG Utah, right there in Orem? I bought a 2004 Civic GX from them. Although, they tend to have lower mileage Civics which may be more than you want to spend.
I believe they bring in Federal fleet Civic Gxs from auctions back East. They also have lots of higher mileage Cavaliers. Maybe you can do better searching on your own on the Web??
I was very impressed how CNG Utah doesn't add on a big $300 documentation fee, at the last minute, like some Dealers do.

[thackj]

Re: Another Utah guy, new to CNG

I assume you are aware of the $2500 tax rebate for clean fuel vehicles that are registered for the first time in Utah??
The cheaper the car you buy, the less you get on the rebate (I forget all the numbers). I just got $5000 back for buying two Ford F150 Bifuel trucks last year (they were around $8500 each).