Tips for buying a used car?

Question

I need some awesome tips for buying a used car. I need to know which brands to stay away from, what year I should I look for ( same with the mileage), etc. Thanks!

Answer 1

stay away from a used saab these cars are cheap when they are used and it seems to good to be true when you see the inside and say its so nice and its a good deal then soon after you buy it all the problems arise and you end up adding alot of money to fix things left and right

Answer 2

It really depends on your budget and how long you plan on keeping the car.

I have a Toyota Solara, but have had a Chevrolet Blazer,  A Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and a Dodge Avenger.

So far i was most please with the blazer and solara.

I would say stick to a small to mid-size car because of course gas prices will continue to rise. A four cylinder being the best option but as you'll tell from my list I've always had a V-6.

Things to look for are obviously any noticeable body damage like difference in paint shades meaning the car had been wrecked. If it appears the dash is cracked or damaged from air bags deploying.

You want to test drive the car and listen for any strange sounds you're not used to hearing in a car you normally ride in..like popping, clicking, etc.

If it's a dealership ask for a free Carfax report. If they won't provide one (some smaller dealers don't) then find out if it was a local trade-in or bought at an auction, etc.

I always go through the glovebox to see if there is a history on vehicle maintenence...it makes me feel better if there is.

Try checking the oil dip stick to make sure it's the correct consistency..if it's gummy it means its been in there for a long time. Also look at the transmission fluid, it should be more redish and not brown.

If it looks like it's been neglected inside, then it's probably been neglected under the hood too.

Check the trunk for leakage..see if the carpet in the trunk is wet, i got stuck this way once... it leaked bad!

Make sure it shifts smooth..the transmission..if it jerks a lot when shifting then it's a no.

E-mail me if you have other q's. It's good to take a guy (dad) with you because  a lot of dealers think us girls are just stupid about cars.

Also, don't dismiss the car just because a light is on like check engine..sometimes the sensors are bad and it can be a quick cheap fix. Take it to Auto Zone or Advance Auto or a place like that..they run a FREE diagnostic test on it and then you know whether to buy the car or not.

I personally would not get a car over 80K miles because that's when a lot of things need to be replaced due to wear..a lot of tedious petty preventative things that add up to a lot of money..

Answer 3

I guess you should also check insurance quotes for the car before buying one, for example here: http://autoinsurance.maclenet.com

Answer 4

i would say anything American made stay away from anything less than 3 yrs of age and more than 50k in mileage.

as for the rest well depends, but the best cars are with the least mileage and preferably less than 100k. my husband bought a nissan maxima 92 in 2001 -before i married him- it had 140k mileage and it lasted until beginning 2007, worked like a charm until one day it quit!

so look for a car that shows signs that it has been well taken care off, request a carfax report from the dealer, and if you are willing to shell out $100 or $200 take it to a mechanic and have him check and tell you in his opinion how long will it last before trouble knocks it's door.

you can also request to purchase a warrant on the car..

well, this is where my knowledge about cars end, best of luck.

Answer 5

I'm huge into autos and car shoping for buying used for my first hisg school car.

Look maybe in the 90,000 mileage because some are still under warrenty then and also look just over 100,000 because the 100,000 mile bump causes a lower cost. I cant say what year to stay away from cause it depends on the model.

Stay away from kias because they are built cheaply and daewoos because they are virtually non-servicable because they dont exist anymore.

Also, make sure you can SEE it and TEST DRIVE it.

Answer 6

First Get The Vin# Run It Through CarFacts.com Then After That If It Doesn't Have Some Bad History Take It To A Car Shop Have A Mechanic Do A Quick Look-A-Round "They Might Charge You 0 To 15 Bucks Or Alot Of The Times 0"Then You Have All The Pro's And Con's And From There You Decide Yes Or No!

Answer 7

u can search and find out the price of car from the google website, below i have wrote a link of google website search that will help u.

http://www.google.com/custom?q=buy+car&s...

Answer 8

you may get the answer here

http://xrl.us/kjske

http://www.google.com

Thanks

Answer 9

Consumer Reports recently put out their list of the best and worst used cars.  I've found the list to be pretty useful in my research for used cars.  Here's a link to more info: http://blog.iseecars.com/2008/04/17/cons...