Straight Forward Advice
One of the most important aspects of buying a used car is researching before you go to view a vehicle.
Many friends come to me to ask them help to find a car and it is something that I loathe. I love looking for vehicles, however I always worry that they come back to me 10,000 miles later, after never checking the oil, and blame me that the engine has blown up. I have this fear as similar things have happened in the past, just not on that scale.
So rather than getting too heavily involved in the process myself, I try to educate them on the best practices and the methods which I use when I am buying a car for myself. "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach him how to fish and he will eat forever."
This information was put together by staff at Crown Auto Sales and Finance, based in Charlotte, NC. www.buyatcrown.com
Many friends come to me to ask them help to find a car and it is something that I loathe. I love looking for vehicles, however I always worry that they come back to me 10,000 miles later, after never checking the oil, and blame me that the engine has blown up. I have this fear as similar things have happened in the past, just not on that scale.
So rather than getting too heavily involved in the process myself, I try to educate them on the best practices and the methods which I use when I am buying a car for myself. "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach him how to fish and he will eat forever."
- Choose vehicle type: SUV, Wagon, Pickup Truck, Compact Vehicle or Sedan
- Decide on a short list of vehicles which you would like to drive
- Look at the other manufacturers which made comparable vehicles to the your 'No. 1' vehicle
- Research prices and options via Autotrader.com, Cars.com, Local Automotive Magazines and KBB.com
- Use a search engine to look for an owners club or forum (You would be surprised by how many there are!)
- Research the known problems with the vehicles and also which major parts need to be replaced and at what mileage/year (Timing belts)
- Look at which vehicles offer the best value for money in the long and short term
- Determine if you could live without a particular 'package' option if you could get a vehicle with 20,000 fewer miles on the clock
- Make a list of 5 vehicles you want to see and test drive them all
- Spend the money on a Carfax report!
- If you know nothing about cars, find someone to take with you when you go to view it.
- Do not buy the first vehicle you go to see. This is especially important if you are moving 'Up' in the vehicle stakes. Everything is going to feel and look amazing if you are used to driving something 20 years old with 300,000 miles on the clock.
- Consider spending $80 on getting it inspected before you make an offer on it. Many independent workshops are happy to complete one of these for you and they will often advise which parts are going to have to be replaced and when.
- If you have a sizable budget, consider finding a 'Used Car Dealer' who would be willing to either take you to an Auction with them, or buying a car on your behalf from an Auction. Many will charge you $500-800 as a processing fee, however you might end up saving $1,000's. If you are willing to take a chance!
This information was put together by staff at Crown Auto Sales and Finance, based in Charlotte, NC. www.buyatcrown.com