Add another vehicle to compare side-by-side
View this comparison or add another vehicle
View this comparison now

vLane Blog

RSS Subscribe
Digg del.icio.us Reddit StumbleUpon Facebook Google

How to Read the Car Classifieds

From Brian Sy, Featured Contributor
Posted on May 16, 2008
Filed under Industry, Classifieds, Humor

Unveiling the true meanings of some common terms.

We've all seen the euphemisms people use in singles ads, right? i.e. "healthy" (fat), "stable" (boring), "artistic" (broke), "good with kids" (pedophile), etc. Well, here's are some common catchphrases to watch out for when you're browsing the car classifieds:
  • Excellent condition = good condition
  • Good condition = the engine works
  • Fair condition = wheels are falling off
  • All highway miles = driven daily in bumper-to-bumper interstate traffic
  • Low mileage = wound odometer back
  • Slight odor = submerged during Hurricane Katrina
  • Professionally repaired = Taiwanese parts pasted on with Krazy Glue
  • Family owned = run into the ground by 16-year-old son
  • Female owned = oil never changed
  • Great on gas = no power
  • Selling as-is = you'll get to discover the nightmare for yourself
  • Hate to part with it = it's your problem now, sucker

Read More:

Accelerate your car search! Use the vFinder to find the ride that fits your life.

Brian Sy is a featured contributor for vLane.
Add a comment

Comments for this article

There are currently 0 comments

Be the first to leave a comment.

Create a poll

Share Your Opinion

See all polls
Create a comparison

User Comparison

  • 2006 Toyota Corolla
    2008 Kia Rio
    2008 Suzuki XL-7

    Fuel Efficiency

    Anonymous on May 27, 2008

    Out of these 3 cars I am looking for the most fuel efficient in the long run including overall maintenance issues involving the fuel system

See more comparisons

Recent Articles

See all articles...