I'm buying a Used Car... Insights?

munoi

munoi

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Hey all as the title says I'm trying to buy a used car. What I'm trying to figure out is the basics such as negotiating a price, where to buy from (Private seller or Dealer) and also which make/year I can buy with the most confidence (Can a 15 year old car I.E 92 still get me from A to B), and finally does region play a significant role in pricing (Btw I'm from Michigan) I'm on a a very tight college budget so at most I can shell out 2700; so I'm expecting over 90k miles. Anyway any insight would be appreciated

To start things off how about this car?

http://detroit.craigslist.org/car/501300579.html (92 Civic)
 
I worked for a used car dealer for a while, Honda's and Toyota's seemed to last the longest, of course this all depends on the maintenance history and what not. The biggest recommendation I can give is to get a Carfax, whether you get it private or from a dealer.
 
Right, if the owner doesn't have a history of receipts for oil/filter changes or the recommended maintenance schedules, you're walking on dangerous ground.

One thing you should keep in mind, when you are spending $2k on a car, you are generally buying someone else's problems, even if that person is a dealer. Many times it helps to know who the owner is.
 
Okay Munoi, here's some advice to follow up on the other good advice.

If you find a particular make/model/year that you're interested in, go to:

http://www.carsurvey.org/

This site basically has anonymous reviewers who post about their cars. While you have to take the reviews with a grain of salt, if you find a lot of negatives that could be a sign of general common problems with that particular car.

The go to Edmunds as Shrike suggested and get the used car pricing.

I definitely would NOT go to a used car lot...if you can get it from a private party, preferably the first (and only) owner, and see that it was well taken care of by reviewing the maintenance records, that will help. Having your own mechanic (Auto Club/AAA used to offer this service at a pretty cheap rate, or they may be able to recommend a mechanic who does this type of thing) there to inspect the vehicle is always a huge plus.

And a carfax report will definitely help as well.

Get something cheap, economical, and RELIABLE. Don't go for anything rare, flashy, or exotic. You will have time for that later when you're not a starving student on a budget.
 
Definitely also take it for a test drive at the very least.

You also asked about region...yes that most definitely plays a part. You can get much better deals in areas with a very lousy economy...currently places like the rust belt, Detroit and the surrounding areas, because of all of the job losses/layoffs at the auto manufacturers and parts companies and whatnot.

People will be a bit more desperate - the foreclosure rate is HUGE out there, people are definitely desperate for cash and to get the hell out. As opposed to the more booming areas, where people won't be as desperate to sell for the most part (at least not at the present, though with the way the economy is faltering and the mortgage/foreclosure crisis continuing to mushroom...).
 
I would suggest looking for a used car in the Auto Trader (Thats what they are called here) magazines you usually see by the exits of gas stations (and it should be free). Anyways look around and if you see something you like, call the person who is selling it and arrange to look at the car.

Visually inspect the car. Try to avoid anything that has been wrecked and fixed, because that will often cause troubles down the road.

Check the engine. Make sure it is in proper shape . Make sure to check the fluid levels and the tires, since that will give you an idea on how well the previous owner treated the vehicle.

Millage is a big factor to consider when buying a car. For older cars be weary of any around 100K. With newer cars (90's), however have been known to go well past 100K if properly maintained.

Test drive the car with the radio off and the windows cracked so you can listen to the motor. While driving check to make sure everything works as well and see what sensor lights are lit on the instrument panel.

Ask the previous owner about the car (but take everything they say with a grain of salt, since they are trying to make money off of you).

If you are satisfied with what you find, get a Carfax report. Even if you are confident with the car you find, you never know what kind of troubles that car has faced in the past, and there could be alot the owner did not tell you about.

Also this page will help you determine a cars value so you don't over pay. http://www.kbb.com/kbb/default.aspx?trid=20&psid=1-114-6429-5-1-3&gclid=CKTRvo7Ll5ACFQGRPAodCnnR8Q
 
One more piece of advice. Ask the seller to take the car around the block a few times, while you follow him in your car.

You want to look for anything unusual coming out of the tailpipe, any sags or sways that might look weird, like a wheel that isn't true or a suspension thats sagging, and of course to make sure the brake and reverse lights (electrical) work as well.

Its a silly thing that alot of people dont always do but could be very important.
 
[quote name='munoi']Hey all as the title says I'm trying to buy a used car. What I'm trying to figure out is the basics such as negotiating a price, where to buy from (Private seller or Dealer) and also which make/year I can buy with the most confidence (Can a 15 year old car I.E 92 still get me from A to B), and finally does region play a significant role in pricing (Btw I'm from Michigan) I'm on a a very tight college budget so at most I can shell out 2700; so I'm expecting over 90k miles. Anyway any insight would be appreciated

To start things off how about this car?

http://detroit.craigslist.org/car/501300579.html (92 Civic)[/QUOTE]

If that guy has a new headgasket then something major must have happened to screw things up. You don't just replace it because you have some free time and nothing else to do. It's not a Do It Yourself type of job and a mechanic will charge $1000+ for it. Since he has a new water pump too I would guess it leaked coolant, overheated, died, and now there is probably warpage in the engine.

There are a few things which should immediately raise a red flag when you're checking out a used car. New headgasket (or any major part) is one but also things such as oil all over the place when you look under the hood and wierd noises when you test drive it. Listen to the advice in this thread and definitely inspect the vehicle before purchasing and you should be (most likely) fine. If you don't know enough about cars to know what to watch for then you can take it to a mechanic for inspection before buying. Most mechanics will do this and it shouldn't be that expensive.
 
Definitely sign up for CarFax. It's amazing, and completely worth it - ask for a VIN number, and if they won't give it to you, it's not worth pursuing.
 
Thanks guys, really this is some great info; and yeah I guess that civic isn't really a "deal" at all. I have one question in particular about older cars (92s,93s, etc) Though they're nearing 15 years are they still fairly reliable.


and mofo1555 thats for the offer I'll PM you
 
I'd go for 4wheel drive. A 4cylinder Toyota or Nissan pick-up, 4cylinder Jeep? My dad gave up on cars after he got stuck in his Supra. Its been 4x4 since.
 
[quote name='munoi']Thanks guys, really this is some great info; and yeah I guess that civic isn't really a "deal" at all. I have one question in particular about older cars (92s,93s, etc) Though they're nearing 15 years are they still fairly reliable.[/quote]
Depends. I've seen Honda's and Toyota's from around then go for 200K miles and run pretty well. Likewise, I've seen late '90's domestics die very early deaths. It all depends on how well they've been taken care of - an oil change and tune up go a long way if they're done regularly.

Generally though, imports tend to last a lot longer than domestics. Consequently, they're sometimes more to repair if something goes wrong.
 
Craigslist is a great free site with tons of cars for you to browse. Private sellers will always let a car go for a few thousand less than dealers and they're usually not as cryptic with the information, so I suggest you buy a car from a private seller. I suggest you get a car with no more than 110k miles on it, as the engine will start to wear down at this point. ALWAYS get the VIN number for the car and look it up on carfax. They have the most detailed history of vehicles anywhere. Be sure to NEVER buy cars that have a salvage or rebuilt title. A clean title is extremely important because its less likely that any hidden problems arise. When offering a price for a car just keep in mind that there's always the Kelly Blue Book. It has comprehensive pricing of private parties and dealership prices for every car with every feature. Run the car you're thinking of getting on that site before you consider making an offer. These few things should help you get a good deal as well as prevent you from being scammed.

Some helpful links for you:

Kelly Blue Book

Craigslist

Good luck finding a great car! It took me about 3 weeks of extensive searching but I found a great car that i'm happy with.
 
[quote name='munoi']Hey all as the title says I'm trying to buy a used car. What I'm trying to figure out is the basics such as negotiating a price, where to buy from (Private seller or Dealer) and also which make/year I can buy with the most confidence (Can a 15 year old car I.E 92 still get me from A to B), and finally does region play a significant role in pricing (Btw I'm from Michigan) I'm on a a very tight college budget so at most I can shell out 2700; so I'm expecting over 90k miles. Anyway any insight would be appreciated

To start things off how about this car?

http://detroit.craigslist.org/car/501300579.html (92 Civic)[/quote]

You might want to consider financing of some sort, with a loan you could use $1000 as a down payment on a $5K car and pay it off over 5 years so the monthly payment won't kill you. You'll be paying a large amount of interest over the loan period but much better cars will be in your price range and the monthly payments won't kill your college budget.
 
Make sure you check for visible wear on tires, cracked cv boots, check the oil. If there's any frame damage/warping you might just want to pass since that can lead to problems down the line and usually indicates the car was in an accident.
 
I've always gone by the old saying - Don't buy US made with over 100k miles.


Apparently its a rule of thumb in my area.
 
[quote name='D_Icon']I'd go for 4wheel drive. A ... 4cylinder Jeep? [/QUOTE]

Personally, I'd stay away from the 4 banger Jeeps. The early Cherokee models were underpowered and known to catch fire with the 4 cylinder, while the Wrangler 4 cylinder is underpowered and doesn't give nearly as good fuel economy to justify the hit in performance.

As far as the OP goes, personally I'd look for a 4x4 Jeep Cherokee with the 4.0 inline 6 engine. They can be found for pretty cheap and are the single most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. Keep a regular oil and air filter change on the engine and it will go well past 175k miles. The fuel economy is ok... I'm averaging 19 mpg city and about 21/22 mpg highway in mine. There were lots of 'em made, so prices should be good and if you ever need to repair it, the parts are really cheap. It provides some seriously nice interior space as well.

Jeep made them virtually the same way from 1984-2001, when some schmuck from the German side of the DaimlerChrysler merger thought it would be a good idea to retire it in favor of the Liberty.

Here's some good reading on the subject (click the picture):
 
I'm in college right now and picked up a 91 Honda Accord for about $1500. Its got well over a hundred thousand miles and runs almost perfectly. It has some quirks but it gets me to point a and b flawlessly.

I work for a dealership so I have a lot of first hand knowledge on the subject.

Everyone before me has given some great advice. Buying from a dealership and or an individual seller has its pros and cons. I'm in Texas so the advice I give might not apply to you. If you buy from a dealership here they are required to make sure everything is basically in tip top shape. In other words they cant sell you a run down piece of shit. If you wreck because of bad tires or brakes they might be liable for it. But individual sellers are not bound by this standard.

The best thing you can do is take to a mechanic. Either one from the dealership or and independent one. Drive it around also. Ask them if you can take it for a day to try it out. Most dealerships and sellers will let you do this.
Good Luck
 
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