Buying a car

[Venusaur]

My car's motor exploded and I don't want to spend $4600 to fix it, so I'm buying a new one. I'd appreciate any information and advice you gottadealers can give me on buying a new or slightly used car :)

 

Also do you think my old car is worth anything?

[AndreaInNC]

Here's my advise on buying a used car .. make sure that you have not only a mechanic check it out but that you take it to a body shop to see if has any type of damage. I bought a car for DD18 last summer and I took it to the mechanic .. all checked out okay. The used car place showed me the CarFax, all seemed okay. Fast forward to November when she wrecked her car. Took it our body shop and turns out that the car had been in an accident and it was not reported to CarFax as they probably paid someone to make it look right. The car should have been totalled is what the body shop told me. Parts of the frame were being held together with zip ties. They told me if they could tell the car wasn't right just by looking at (before they took it apart!). The dealer says they use CarFax, and if it wasn't reported to CarFax, that's not their fault.

 

And you might find that you can buy a new car for not much more than a used one. I know insurance rates are lower on newer cars than used.

 

You can always donate your car to charity and take the tax write off. I'm guessing that it's not running if the motor exploded.

 

Good luck!

[peppysfireball]

I've bought many many used cars over the years. We have several dealerships in our area that are honest . However if my motor blew up, my husband would buy one from the used parts shop in the area and change it , total cost up to 500. We once bought a motor with 1000 miles on it for 700. My husband's current work car cost us 1700, but my used Pontiac Montana van was 14000. It all depends on what you are looking for. Many places will take your old car in trade even thought it doesn't run.

[ISU ME]

I've been told that unless there was a police report an accident won't show up on the car fax. My husbands car came with a clean car fax report, but its obvious it's been in an accident. I would not trust those reports.

[Kibit13]

You may consider looking in to a certified used car. DH and are will most likely be getting a Subaru Forester in a few months. We found out that the warranty for the certified used cars is better then the one for the new cars. The certified used has a 5 year power train warranty and the new cars have a 3 year power train warranty.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your current car. I hope you find another car that works well for you.

[laddhorn]

Right now, you can purchase a new vehicle with rebates that will make it cheaper than a 1-2 year old of the same model. Remember that the car price is NEGOTIABLE!!! Check prices on the vehicle (same year model) from Edmunds.com and KellyBlueBook.com. They will give you the "invoice" price and the average price that people purchased it for in your area. Go from that. KNOW your rebates!!!! Some dealerships won't tell you about them...you have to ask. Some dealerships are not "full disclosure" and will be difficult to negotiate with. They WILL keep your trade-in keys to keep you there. You have to repeatedly ask for them back.

 

You can negotiate dealer added extras like tinted windows and running boards, too.

 

BE READY TO WALK OUT IF YOU DON'T GET THE [reasonable] PRICE YOU WANT!!!!!!! Be a hard-a$$. They are NOT your friend!

 

2010 vehicles that are still "new" will be discounted heavily. Catch one if you find one still available.

 

First hand example: In August I purchased a 2010 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab. Sticker was 37,000. I went in on a Friday night and the dealership was a "full disclosure" dealership. They told me all the different discounts I could get. Ex: Extra 1000 for trading in a Pontiac, if I had an account with a credit union -->$750, finance thru Ally -->$1000, Plus the standard "cash back". Once I was in "financing", I asked if it was the best they could do and they gave me a "coupon" for a lower intrest rate plus another $1000 off (this was after the dealership had closed and the managers left. The finance guy wanted to go home as quick as possible.) Total price ended up being 27,000. Cost of a "used" 2010 Sliverado Crew Cab on their lot was 33,000. Go figure.

[cberrytech]

I had a similar experience when we bought our 2011 Suburban in January. I was convinced we were going to buy a used 2010, but when we looked at the price of used vs. new with rebates, it was a no brainer.

 

What kind of vehicle are you looking for? Car, van, truck, sport ute?

[chr05angel]

We went the craigslist route for a used truck. Found an awesome deal and took to a mechanic before we bought. Passed every test and had all new parts in it for things like brakes and spark plugs that need tending to. Today, its our best automobile. We looked at over 15 trucks and know this one was well taken care of and the guy had paperwork for EVERYTHING. And it passed the inspection by the mechanic and he couldnt even suggest any repairs besides new tires in about 5k miles which we knew would be coming up.

 

Now in saying that, out of 15 trucks, about 10 were pure crap and the ads were not accurate. But, we could not have found a better truck than we did at any dealer in this condition. 2001 Dodge Dakota, looks like new, no body damage what so ever, only 90k miles on it and it was only $3800. 8 months later, still no repairs needed.

[Buckeye Shopper]

About carfax...I was told by our body shop that it has to be above a certain dollar amount to show up also. We had a lyoung driver slide through a stop sign two winters ago and hit us the damage was so minimal to the natural eye, but ended up being over 3000.00 worth of damage. There was a police report and nothing on the car fax. I think carfax is a joke.

[Venusaur]

Thanks everyone for the advice! It helped a lot. I ended up buying a Honda Civic EX

[Guest bluecamel1913]

Congratulations!