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Looking for advice buying a used car (1 Viewer)

prosopis

prosopis

Arizona Chupacabra
I have about 3500.00 to find a used reliable car for a seventeen year old. I have been looking at craigslist and it is a little overwhelming. I am in Southern Arizona.

Any advice?

clueless

 
Honda Accord or Toyota Corolla. You don't need to worry about high miles with these cars -- 200K for a Toyota or Honda is like 100K for other brands.

 
Don't pay what they are asking. I recently bought a used car from a dealer who had a $3298 price on it, then lowered it to 2998, and I walked out paying $3000. after tax, title, and all fees.

You can check to see if a vehicle make and model has had many problems here http://www.carcomplaints.com/

Many dealers will have a carfax that you can see, some don't.

Don't be in a rush. There are likely thousands out there in your area. Take your time.

 
This may be obvious, but ask to have the car inspected by a local mechanic, regardless if the dealer selling it has their own mechanic. I've done this during used car searches, which has saved me from some nightmares. If they won't let you take it for inspection (most will, I think), just move along to the next one.

 
captain_amazing said:
This may be obvious, but ask to have the car inspected by a local mechanic, regardless if the dealer selling it has their own mechanic. I've done this during used car searches, which has saved me from some nightmares. If they won't let you take it for inspection (most will, I think), just move along to the next one.
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Do you just pick a place and bring it there?

What is the typical cost for this to be done?

 
I have sent a few emails out to people on craigs list. Hoping I dont get murdered when I go to look at a car. :topcat:

 
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Frank Drebin said:
STEADYMOBBIN 22 said:
prosopis said:
I have sent a few emails out to people on craigs list. Hoping I dont get murdered when I go to look at a car. :topcat:
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Don't take cash, meet in very busy public place.
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Meet in the lot of your local police department. Most have video surveillance.
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I do know Krav Maga, it could be a wicked cool video.

 
Does this sound like a good deal? selling for 3800 on craigs list

I m selling my 1995 Honda Civic Hatchback DX.
CLEAN TITLE.
AUTOMATIC.
Very low miles. 88,000
Saves gas. Good daily driver.
-AC/HEATER. Both work great.
-Manual Windows
-Manual Door Locks
-Manual Mirrors
-Tilt wheel
-Stock radio
-Floor mats
-Very good tires all around. Plenty of life.
-Interior is very nice and clean.
Seats, door panels, carpet, and every thing is in good condition.

-Exterior is also in good shape.
Aside from minor dings, its in good condition also.
Looks very sharp, and I get a lot of compliments.

Just passed emmessions.

The vehicle is in great shape. Its been well taken care of.

I'm in absolutely no rush to sell this vehicle, and will not consider any low ball offers. I will only entertain, what I think of as reasonable offers. Please know what your looking at.

 
This one is 3700 OBO on craigs list

1998 Toyota Tacoma single cab short bed automatic four-cylinder cold, BRAND NEW TIRES NOT EVEN ONE WEEK! 202,000 Highway original miles runs and drives excellent new brakes clean and clear Arizona title 30 MILES PER GALLON. AUX STEREO WITH CONTROL! interior in perfect condition, just had full service done, and 36 point inspection, JUST HAD EMISSIONS DONE TODAY! seat well-maintained call for more info,

 
Mr. Retukes said:
That's an OK deal although I would be a bit skeptical that a 20-year-old car would only have 88K miles on it.
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texting this person and they confirm that mileage. They say they are not the original owner but second owner. I am asking if they have service records.

In your opinion what would a reasonable counter offer to 3800 be?

* How do you know this stuff? I am hoping I am not being catfished here. :lmao:

 
3300 but his name is Johnny Tanks. Seriously?

Definitely a meet in public name. :D

Hello I am selling a 1996 Toyota Camry le wagon four-cylinder Power windows power locks Power Seats Cruise control tilt wheel i cold AC heater works great this car is all original Nice and straight body superclean interior registration is all up the date tires are like new 140,000 original miles call Johnny tanks

 
prosopis said:
Mr. Retukes said:
That's an OK deal although I would be a bit skeptical that a 20-year-old car would only have 88K miles on it.
Click to expand...
texting this person and they confirm that mileage. They say they are not the original owner but second owner. I am asking if they have service records.

In your opinion what would a reasonable counter offer to 3800 be?

* How do you know this stuff? I am hoping I am not being catfished here. :lmao:
Click to expand...
No service records

 
I wanted a car with a V6 3800 engine which is one of the best engines ever produced. Buick, Chevy, Pontiac, Olds.

I got a 2000 Pontiac Bonneville SE with 136,000 miles on it on April 4th. In Ohio it was hard to find anything with little to no rust for the price I was looking for. There were some that got sold within 2 hours of going online, b4 I could see them in person. many had rust on the frame rails under the doors that were hidden on the pictures. Others had issues that the owners and pictures omitted. Here it is:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/102559917@N03/17357817595/

Great condition, leather seats, newer brakes, shocks and battery, sunroof. Very clean. $3000 out the door after tax, title and dealer fees.

 
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I'm not a mechanic. But I've bought and sold a LOT of used cars.

"Service Records" are usually a good sign if they got regular tuneups, replaced the timing belt, etc.

 
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prosopis said:
Mr. Retukes said:
That's an OK deal although I would be a bit skeptical that a 20-year-old car would only have 88K miles on it.
Click to expand...
texting this person and they confirm that mileage. They say they are not the original owner but second owner. I am asking if they have service records.In your opinion what would a reasonable counter offer to 3800 be?

* How do you know this stuff? I am hoping I am not being catfished here. :lmao:
Click to expand...
how do you not know this "stuff" ;)
 
prosopis said:
Does this sound like a good deal? selling for 3800 on craigs list

I m selling my 1995 Honda Civic Hatchback DX.

CLEAN TITLE.

AUTOMATIC.

Very low miles. 88,000

Saves gas. Good daily driver.

-AC/HEATER. Both work great.

-Manual Windows

-Manual Door Locks

-Manual Mirrors

-Tilt wheel

-Stock radio

-Floor mats

-Very good tires all around. Plenty of life.

-Interior is very nice and clean.

Seats, door panels, carpet, and every thing is in good condition.

-Exterior is also in good shape.

Aside from minor dings, its in good condition also.

Looks very sharp, and I get a lot of compliments.

Just passed emmessions.

The vehicle is in great shape. Its been well taken care of.

I'm in absolutely no rush to sell this vehicle, and will not consider any low ball offers. I will only entertain, what I think of as reasonable offers. Please know what your looking at.
Click to expand...
Lol, I get a lot of compliments on a 95 Civic

 
Honda and Toyota will be your most reliable and low cost maintenance for a vehicle over 100k miles. I had 2 Accords I put over 300k miles on while changing the oil every 7k-10k miles and doing as little maintenance as possible, don't think I ever changed a timing belt (I wouldn't recommend this but just giving an idea of how reliable they can be over 100k mi).

I don't know if there are major differences between model generations as far as reliability, but if you search for the first year of that generation you can find a car that looks newer than its age. For example the Accord models run 1998-2002, 2003-2007, 2008-2012... So an '08 looks pretty similar to the current model, an '03 looks newer than an '02, etc. Looks shouldn't be a huge priority at that price point, but the newer the generation you get the more standard and modern features it will have.

Autotrader.com is a good place to start looking, just to get an idea of what is out there and what people are asking. Within 200 miles of Tucson for under $4k and 200k miles you have these and this. Set your search parameter to $4000 because you can always low ball the offer. In that first link is this car, asking $2,550 with 153k miles. According to the carfax report there are no reported accidents and one owner. It is a trade in at a dealer though so you'd probably want it checked out by a mechanic first.

Any good mechanic will perform a pre purchase inspection for around $100. I'm sure with a little online detective work or asking around you can find a good spot in Tucson (my notebook tells me you are near the old pueblo) to get this done.

Your best bet is a private party deal with the original owner. Price is always negotiable. A lot of used cars in the $4k to $10k range are on the market longer than the private seller would like. The deal is not too many people have that kind of cash laying around for an all cash purchase. People who do have $5k+ cash are usually just going to go to a dealership and finance a new or a $20k+ used car. If you are patient and search thoroughly you will find a great car for $3500. Good luck!

 
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Leroy Hoard said:
One owner, old dude.
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These are unicorns in the used car market but they are out there. I found a 2003 BMW 325 with 44k miles in December for $5,500. An 80 year old bought it new and drove it 4k miles a year until he got sick and passed away. His wife was just looking to get it off of her hands. Found it at a German auto repair shop in my town where it had been serviced since day one.

Prosopis, one idea you might consider is looking up all of the independent japanese repair shops in your town and checking in with them. They may have something for you or they can get your info in case something comes along that is a good fit.

 
My father in law and I have had two Toyotas completely melt down on us at 180k miles. I think Toyotas and Hondas have a better shot at holding up at that age than their competitors but I still wouldn't recommend people go shopping in the 200k range.

 
Thanks for all the advice. I am still looking..........

I am not in a huge hurry. This car would be a second car primarily for my 17 year old daughter. We had a Dodge Grand Caravan that got rear ended and totaled. My daughter is the one who is SOL. I want another car to help her out but I am not in a huge rush. Time is on my side.

 
I bought a 2000 Lexus RX 300 for 35000.

Has 172,550 miles on it, new tires, moon roof, air seemed to work well, ran well as far as I could tell. Has some minor body damage, typical of kids driving it.

I looked at a lot of cars and I felt this was the best bang for the buck that I saw. I am really hoping this car works out. According to KBB.com I got a good deal :shrug:

Thanks for all the replies in here.

 
$35k for a car with almost 200k miles on it??

For once I feel like a financial genius around here.

 
Wrigley said:
Seems like you overspent
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Seriously? I hate buying used cars. I hope I did not screw up to much. I was using KBB app for these cars and according to that I did ok. They said 4000 would be the fair price. 4000 is what the guy was asking. I felt good getting it to 3500.

http://www.kbb.com/lexus/rx/2000-lexus-rx/rx-300-sport-utility-4d/?condition=good&vehicleid=6476&intent=buy-used&options=246680|true|246695|true&mileage=172550&pricetype=private-party&persistedcondition=good

 
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