Hey guys I'm looking into buying a '99 Avenger ES with the V6. It has 71k miles and the SRS light is on. What does that mean and can it be easily fixed or reset? Should I be worried at all that it's on? What other specific problems or areas should I look at on this car before I decide to buy it?

Thank you!

 

SRS is for the airbags. Has this car been in an accident, modified, or did the owner just remove the airbags and forget to put them back in or left unplugged? If none of those, then I'd have them checked. I'd hate for the airbag to pop you in the face going interstate speeds...worst case. Just have them checked, there's obviously a problem somewhere.

 

Oh yeah, other known issues are the lower ball joints (recall item and fixed/replaced for free). Ask the owner if he knows anything about it. What color is this car? Are there any signs of paint or clearcoat flaking on the rear or top?

 

Thanks for the advice Silver.

The car is at a dealership and came from an auction and the dealer claims to not know why the SRS light is on. Hopefully I can find somebody to Carfax it for me to make sure it wasn't banged up, although it does have a clear title.

Other than that light, it seems to only have a few minor problems: The buttons for the power windows are missing, there is no spare tire (but the dealer said he would get one), one wheel is missing a hubcap and the headlights have a bunch of little scrathes in them. The dealer said they would come out with some rubbing alcohol, but I find that hard to believe. None of these things are a big deal, it's the SRS light thing that's really bugging me, especially if it has something to do with the airbags!

The car is green, and no there doesn't appear to be any major paint blemishes or clearcoat peeling.

 

Tell them that you want to take it to an independant garage, if they refuse...walk away. That's with any car. I don't trust dealership garages, especially if any deal benefits them. If it's a used car lot, take it to be seen elsewhere. This is a bit over drawn, but if you deal with it at the beginning, you won't have to deal with it after it's bought. What are they asking for? Check the blue book value. I'm willing to bet that they are asking too much. Missing buttons = not well maintained, scratched headlights CANNOT be buffed out with alcohol! They are full of it. Even tiny scratches have to be wetsanded away.

 

BTW, 99 ES models didn't come with hubcaps...nor steelies for that matter, they came with 215/50/17 tires and 17" rims. Look at my pics in the garage, that's what they come with. The base models had 16"...steelies or rims.

 

Hey this is the real buyer of the Avenger. The guy is askin $3700 for it. He came down after the air conditioning doesn't work. It's not an ES model so it would have the 16" caps. Its darker green. Interior is good except for those window buttons. The SRS is the only major problem. Is that a fair price?

 

Kelly blue book says ~$3000. I wouldn't, not with the mechanical problems that the 99 already has. It's a problems waiting to happen is what I think.

Don't make excuses for the car if you really want to buy. I'm just forwarning you bro.
This car has enough to make me walk away from it and I love Avengers.

 

like silver said walk away. Too many issue for that kind of money. Take it to an independent shop I bet they find more.