Housekeeping: A Reminder About Used Car of the Day

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

I keep seeing comments -- and not just from one particular individual -- that suggest that not everyone fully understands the Used Car of the Day format, its purpose, and how I select the cars I do.

So let's do some learning.


Let's start with what the feature is not -- it's NOT a chance for the site, or me personally, to make money from a sold car. I make no money on any sales and I have no idea if our forums take a cut. I don't care if someone buys a featured car or not.

The purpose of the feature is to feature cars I think you, the B and B, would find interesting. Even if they are junkers that aren't running. Like yesterday's non-running diesel Merc. A two-year-old Camry in OK shape isn't interesting. A rare car that's a project? Interesting. A pristine IROC Camaro? Interesting.

I use an automated database that updates daily with new listings, and some days are better than others. Somedays, pickings are slim. So please bear with us.

It's also meant to be separate from Junkyard Finds and Rare Rides. JFs are cars that are about to be crushed and the Rare Rides feature is all about the overview of a specific make and model, with a lot of detail on its history. UCOTD is about cars people own that you can buy.

Finally, the other purpose of the feature is to introduce the forums our parent company runs to youse guys. We hope that you'll browse around and maybe become a member if applicable.

We aren't trying to sell the cars or give you agita. If a car doesn't appeal to you, scroll on by. Some days we'll have a better pick than others -- it just depends on what's on sale and how well I judge your tastes.

It's a fun feature -- not something meant to give anyone heartburn. So let's have some fun and talk about some of the cool cars that are out there in folks' driveways and garages.

Ok? OK!

[Image: hodim/Shutterstock.com]

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Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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2 of 35 comments
  • Daniel J Daniel J on Jan 29, 2024

    I've gone back to the last 4 UCOTD and they've all be ridiculous. That's on you, Tim.


    Maybe put something out there that's worthy of discussion?

  • Randy in rocklin Randy in rocklin on Jan 29, 2024

    I love the site so don't cut it. It's always the bad eggs that spoil it all.

  • Zerofoo No, I won't miss this Chevrolet Malibu. It's a completely forgettable car. Who in their right mind would choose this over a V8 powered charger at the rental counter? Even the V6 charger is a far better drive.
  • Offbeat Oddity Nope, I won't miss it. I loved the 2008-2012 Malibu, but the subsequent generations couldn't hold a candle to it. I think the Impala was much more compelling at the end.
  • Zerofoo An almost 5000 pound hot hatch that fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down? No thanks.
  • Tassos Jong-iL This would still be a very nice car in North Korea.
  • Jeff One less option will be available for an affordable midsize sedan. Not much can be done about GM discontinuing the Malibu. GM, Ford, and Stellantis have been discontinuing cars for the most part to focus on pickups, crossovers, and suvs. Many buyers that don't want trucks or truck like vehicles have moved onto Japanese and South Korean brands. Meanwhile large pickups and suvs continue to pile up on dealer lots with some dealers still adding market adjustments to the stickers. Even Toyota dealers have growing inventories of Tundras and Tacomas.
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