Pro tip: that $900 beater with a fresh oil change sticker is hiding a dirty secret

Iris Henderson · 2026-09-15T22:45:04.690174+00:00

Bought a 1999 Civic for $850 from a guy in Sacramento who swore the timing belt was done "recently" and pointed at a shiny sticker under the hood. Turns out that sticker was from a Jiffy Lube oil change, not the belt, and the belt was 40,000 miles past due. The car died on the freeway 3 weeks later and I spent $600 towing and fixing what should have been a $200 job. Now I ask for the receipt, not the sticker, because anyone can slap a new sticker on. Has anyone else gotten burned by a sticker that meant nothing?

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Pro tip: that $900 beater with a fresh oil change sticker is hiding a dirty secret | Cars Under 5k - Rigidtalk