advice when shopping for used cars thread

Sankofa · Post by **Sankofa** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:34 pm

So Grimace died, now Jenn and I are seeking a used/reliable/late model V4 4 door, any advice is thusly welcomed in this thread.

echosauce1 · Post by **echosauce1** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:02 pm

I had to buy a car in January after 12 solid years w/ my old one. I was dreading going to a car lot and had to even walk out of a couple because of the high pressure sales bs. I ended up buying one at Preferred Auto. My experience there was awesome. I never felt pressured and I was happy with the deal I got. I sent a friend there a month later and she had the same good experience I did. It's worth checking the place out imho.

bassjones · Post by **bassjones** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:20 pm

Private individual w/ maintenance records will net you the best deal. Honda Accord or Toyota Camry, depending on whether you want sporty or more comfy. Both will get around 25 mpg around town and 30-35 on the hwy depending how you drive it. I'm 6'5" and big and the Honda's not too bad except on longer (4 hours plus) trips. Wife, I, kid and dog on road trips fit pretty comfy with luggage in the trunk. 100K plus miles on it now and the only thing we've done is routine maintenance and replaced the timing belt (recommended by Honda at 100K). GREAT car!

Got to jump on them quick though. They don't last long when people put them up for sale.

adam atherton · Post by **adam atherton** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:38 pm

if you're looking for a 4cyl, 4 door, you CANNOT do any better than a used Toyota Corolla. i had an 85 with 225,000 miles on it, and it still purred like a kitten when i traded it in (for 2x the book value- oil changes, wash the salt off in winter, and simple maintenance!).

jones is right, however, the camry is the expensive model of the corolla, as is the acoord to the civic. big price jumps, but you pay a LOT more for the little extra space. so unless you are a oversized bass player with way too much gear, go Corolla or Civic.

depending on your budget, i would FULLY suggest looking into a 2-3 year old Honda Element...i looked at those when i was trying to get rid of the 95 Jeep Grand Gasguzzler.

(bought a 2005 Jeep Grand Muchbetteragas).

then again, come to think of it....i may have a 2001 Mitsubishi Galant, fully loaded that i may want to sell.

bassjones · Post by **bassjones** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:27 pm

adam atherton wrote:if you're looking for a 4cyl, 4 door, you CANNOT do any better than a used Toyota Corolla. i had an 85 with 225,000 miles on it, and it still purred like a kitten when i traded it in (for 2x the book value- oil changes, wash the salt off in winter, and simple maintenance!).

jones is right, however, the camry is the expensive model of the corolla, as is the acoord to the civic. big price jumps, but you pay a LOT more for the little extra space. so unless you are a oversized bass player with way too much gear, go Corolla or Civic.

depending on your budget, i would FULLY suggest looking into a 2-3 year old Honda Element...i looked at those when i was trying to get rid of the 95 Jeep Grand Gasguzzler.

(bought a 2005 Jeep Grand Muchbetteragas).

then again, come to think of it....i may have a 2001 Mitsubishi Galant, fully loaded that i may want to sell.

I'm only getting started

Adam's right though. The Civic and Corolla are also great cars. Also, the newer (2003 and up) Civics and (2002 and up) Corollas are about the same size as the older Accords and Camrys.

MynameisJenn · Post by **MynameisJenn** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:35 pm

what about those scion xb things?

bassjones · Post by **bassjones** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:41 pm

MynameisJenn wrote:what about those scion xb things?

Made by Toyota so I'm sure they're great, but they're a little quirky looking (I personally like them) which may hurt resale value down the road if that's important to you. It's a style which probably won't be very well liked 5 years from now... I've heard they're pretty cramped inside too - then again, I'm a big fella.

adam atherton · Post by **adam atherton** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:43 pm

i'd suggest you look at what owners (at least 2+years) have to say.

same for any car you're interested in.... consumer reports is a GREAT place to start. also, do a google search for forums on what you're interested in.

(i'd pay real close attention to the scion forums. my .02)

jewlee138 · Post by **jewlee138** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:13 pm

i'm a fan of corolla's. i got my first in college and it's made it through my ravers days and is still kicking as the premise thunder mobile, so you can rest assured the things are built to last.

i'm on my second one now and have no complaints

zenmandan · Post by **zenmandan** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:40 am

My wife and I recently bought my PT Cruiser GT Turbo off of EBay. Best car deal I've ever been involved in, hands down. We got the thing for a song because they weren't looking to make a profit, they only wanted their payoff. There are plenty of deals like that on Ebay, but you have to look for them. Car dealers search Ebay diligently for a deal like the one we got. In fact, I put a down payment on it about 10 hours after they listed it...within an hour of me doing this (about 8 in the morning) they got 9 other calls (7 were from dealers).

Private parties are the best way to go most of the time, regardless of what you're buying, unless you know how to work the used car dealers. It can be done fairly easily and successfully if you know a few things going into the deal process. If you want more help, let me know. I used to sell cars for a time (hated every minute of it) and I can give you some pointers on how NOT to get screwed.

The_Dude · Post by **The_Dude** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 9:51 am

Great thread. I'm planning on trading my '99 Grand Prix GT in this weekend. I want something with a little less miles and better gas mileage. Preferrably under $8000 (prior to trade-in).

Krieves · Post by **Krieves** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 9:57 am

I agree with the positive comments about Hondas and Toyotas. We've had 3 Hondas and my wife currently drives a Camry. They are all good cars.

My only advise in getting a used car is not to get emotionally attached to a car. If you don't get the deal you want, walk away. The dealerships will try all kinds of tricks to get you to make a deal. Do your research on the car (know what it's worth and what you are willing to pay) before you talk to a salesman.

WBOB · Post by **WBOB** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:05 am

might be worth checking out a used Saturn, if you
can snag an SL1 between 1998-2001, the price
range could be what's desired.

good economy, no frills though, have had (2) separate
purchases with good luck both times on these.
Maintenance costs on these tend to be low.

plus the closest you might get these days to "American Made"
Bonus!

MrSpall · Post by **MrSpall** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:06 am

The number one most important thing I've learned in buying a used car. Figure out your budget and stick to it. I recently went to a dealer and bought a used car. I decided ahead of time that the MOST I could afford was $300/month. I told the guy this and we only looked at cars in that price range. I ended up with a payment of $297. Then he added in tax and some other miscellaneous crap and my payment rose to 312.97. I questioned it and he tried to sluff it off as some sort of formality. I pushed back, saying that $300 was my limit, and that I didn't think he really wanted to lose the sale over 13 dollars. After some number crunching, he came right back down to $297. These dealers CAN make you a deal if they want to try. But you've gotta force their hand.

bassjones · Post by **bassjones** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:27 am

NEVER tell the salesman your monthly payment plan! He will then sell you on payment and you will likely pay too much for the car. Go to your bank or credit union, tell them the payment you want to stick to and get pre-approved. Then tell the dealer you're pre-approved, but DON'T tell them how much for. Find the car you want and negotiate the price down to what you want to spend.

Also, don't trade-in your old car. You'll get a lot more selling it on your own and you will then have cash toward a down payment.

And WBOB, my Honda is more American made than 99% of GM/Ford/Chrysler products. Toyotas are built here too - although long-time Honda and Toyota drivers will tell you the old Japanese built cars were better.