Electronics

[Sunshine Kate]

Many years ago, I purchased a used car with only 2,000 miles on it. To make a long story short, someone bought it brand new and wrecked it badly (front end). I found out later and had tons of trouble with the engine.

I'm much smarter and it won't happen again. Ask the dealership for proof it has had no prior damage.

Good luck and enjoy your new car.

[Perkup]

On 7/28/2014 ennui1 said:

There was an article in the paper about buying used cars from rental agencies. Rental cars are well-maintained, and everything has to be fixed before the cars go out again. Most rental cars are driven from the airport to the hotel to the conference center and back again.

They discouraged people from buying high-performance specialty rentals, because those are usually driven pretty hard, but often the price discount is worth it.

I should have mentioned in my post above that the Dodge Van I am driving right now was a rental car in its' former life. There isn't a single blemish on this car - outside or inside. I love it. Drives like a new car. Wouldn't trade it for all the new ones like it in town. And I have lots of cash left over!!

[Scooby Doo]

You do need to get a CarFax. I test drove a car with less than 1000 miles on it. Then I found out that it had been in an accident and the air bags deployed. It had been repaired and I couldn't see any damage, but the title of the car said it was salvaged which voids the warranty. Better safe than sorry.

[Ibby114]

Costco's auto buying program is great- aaa has a program, so do many auto insurance companies too. You should do your homework and shop around before you buy, you might be able to get the car you really want after all! The end of the month dealers negotiate further- they need to get their 'numbers' in. Also the end of Sept since the next year models have come into the showrooms. I've bought new cars with the best prices and least hassle the last week of Sept!

[ennui1]

On 7/28/2014 Scooby Doo said:

You do need to get a CarFax. I test drove a car with less than 1000 miles on it. Then I found out that it had been in an accident and the air bags deployed. It had been repaired and I couldn't see any damage, but the title of the car said it was salvaged which voids the warranty. Better safe than sorry.

That's the crazy thing about repairs -- the costs are so high (airbags involve the airbag, the sensors, the springs, the certified mechanic, etc.), that just an airbag can cost thousands.

[Silkeej]

I don't know where you live but here on the West Coast dealers no longer give Salesman demo's to drive. Why was the car returned with such a small amount of miles on it? It sounds good but you need to have it checked out by your mechanic to be sure it doesn't have a serious problem, as someone else said the minute you drive it off the lot its a used car and that's a lot of money to lose because you decided you didn't like it or buyers remorse. Car Fax only tells you that the car hasn't been in an accident it does not tell you if it has any mechanical problems.

[wismiss]

I would check out the Car Fax site and also have your mechanic look at the car. Sometimes cars are sold at dealer auto auctions. There are two such places in our area and the public is not allowed in--------just representatives from dealers. The dealers who are selling the car could be out of state or local. I remember one time when we looked at a used car----we could tell it had been in a flood or a similar water situation and we hadn't had a flood in our area, but they had had several in the Southern US. So, this was probably an out of state car.

I would want to know where the dealer got this car and also why it has such low mileage. In addition, ask if it will be titled as a new or as a used car. We bought a used vehicle one time with very low mileage (an executive's wife's car) and we had our choice of it being titled as a new or as a used car. That was because the dealership took ownership of the car and the wife drove it, so the title was in the dealership name. Sometimes the difference in the finance rate is much lower for one type of car (new vs used).

Good luck in making your decision. Cars are a significant investment, so if you are hesitant, listen to your inner voice. It usually is right.

[betteb]

I bought a 2012 Suzuki in 2013 that had about 3200 miles on it. The Carfax was clean and the car looked brand new, I love the car, and I saved a few thousand dollars.

Take them up on their CarFax. It will tell you if the car has been wrecked or had any major repairs.

For the same "book" the dealerships and banks use, go to www.nadaguides.com. Plug in the info on the car and it will give you 3 values. Good, Fair and Poor condition. Kelly Blue Book tends to over value.

That will tell you how much you should be paying for the car. Your bank can also get that info for you

[focksie]

Thanks again for all your suggestions. I've learned a lot.

I discovered that my road service has a car buying program (in association with TrueCar.com?) where they give you a Certificate for a guaranteed low price at "participating" dealerships. When I plugged in the car I want, it gave me a great price but when it came to showing me the price I could expect for this car at the dealerships, the prices were a couple thousand more. This process doesn't seem to make any sense and I'm starting to think it's just a come-on.

At any rate...there's no rush in this. I will research some more and visit several more dealerships.

[VaBelle35]

My first car was a new car but all my cars since have been gently used ;o)

My last 2 cars were from CarMax (the used car megastore). When it is time to get a new car, I start setting up a search for the one I want (year range, color, make and model) and I get an email every time CarMax gets one in my criteria.

My first CarMax car was a 1999 Toyota Camry with 5000 mile on it. My second was a 2004 Camry with 16000 miles on it.

Good price, excellent cars that never gave me a day of trouble (well, except the day I was turning in the 1999 to CarMax for the 2004 and it decided to tell me how it felt about that and wouldn't start. It was cheaper to get a new battery than have it towed to CarMax ;o)