Buying a car! Need opinion! ?

Question

Help!! I'm only 18, and need to buy a car. I had a car, but got into and accident with it, and now it's a little box. So I bought another car, and got screwed over in the deal. Have had the car for 6 months, only been able to drive it 100 miles... maybe. Keep breaking down. So I'm finally tired of it, and am going to buy a new car. What kind would u recommend? And Would u recommend buying one from a dealership, or private? Should I sell my broken down car first, or keep it and sell it after buying the new car?

Thanks so much!!!

Answer 1

First of all, Ming does not know what he is talking about.  I was in the car sales industry for years.  The best thing I can tell you is that if you choose to buy from a dealership go to a franchise dealer (toyota, honda, ford, chevrolet, etc).  Most of them do not  want you to be an angry customer and have inspected the car quite well.  You might even want to consider checking with BBB.  Even though they are not a government agency they sometimes have some infor you might find helpful.  Keep in mind that dealerships have the right to make a profit.  Just like you do, just like I do.  I do not know what your budget is but, go onto Kelly Blue Book.com.  Look in the Used Car section and do some research.  That site will give you a pretty good break down as to what you could end up spending.  Remember, dealerships get to go to auctions where they are buying cars below what KBB Wholesale prices are.  Domestic products (Ford, Chevy, Dodge) are what is called "way back of book".  This means that because they are typically such cheaply made cars and there are so many of them that, they are not worth much on the market.  Your imports (Toyota and Honda) are closer if not at KBB Wholesale.  That is because everyone wants them and they run forever.  If you are going to purchase through a private person, remember that the minute you buy it and drive off, if the engine falls apart you are on your own.  There is not much that you can do to a private person that sells you a lemon.  Oh, if your budget is beer don't walk into a deal looking for champagne.  I hope this helps.  Good luck.  Oh and as to your old car.  You could donate it and get the tax write off.  

Answer 2

I recommend that you bring someone else along who knows about cars to help you pick.

That would be a great start.

Some dealers have good deals, some private sellers don't.  I got my F150 from a small lot, but he urged me to get financing through the credit union as he did not like doing repos.  The big lot in town?  Trucks that were $4000 more expensive and up to seven years older for similar miles.

It can be a crapshoot.

Answer 3

I would Recommend you Buy a honda or Toyota, because they last a long time and their not extremely expensive. i would Buy it from a respectable dealer like Carmax.

Answer 4

do research and stick with used cars let somebody else pay the depreciation on the new car first new cars look great but they arent  always the smartest choice. dealerships sell easy not allways quility  

Answer 5

theres ways through the internet where you can check the cars history . as a rule i would never buy from a dealership as they want a lot of money for a lot of junk. don't buy ex rental cars as they have been abused . just get a nice clean low mileage car at a reasonable price

Answer 6

You pay a little more at a dealer, but you get a warranty. Get a Carfax report to.