subject: Simple Guide for Buying Used Cars [print this page] Simple Guide for Buying Used Cars Simple Guide for Buying Used Cars
Buying a used car can be a great experience. You can find very new, used cars at reasonable prices. Just need to know how to look. However, it is quite easy for an inexperienced buyer to be taken advantage of. Here are a few tips that can help an inexperienced buyer make the right choices.
Find out the History of the Car
A major problem that many buyers have with used vehicles is the simple fact that the seller may not be honest about what the car has gone through before selling. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to find out the history of a vehicle before making a down payment. First and foremost, one should ask for some kind of car history report. When purchasing from a dealer, the most common is from CarFax.com, but there are several other reports available that the dealer can provide to give you a better idea of the past history of the vehicle. If a salesperson gives you the answer "it is in perfect condition" or something that seems unrealistic, the salesperson may be hiding something major.
If the car is being purchased from a private party, the party selling should be willing to let you test drive it or have a mechanic look over the car to see if there are any major faults that is beyond normal usage.
Research, Research, Research...
Safety is always a concern, so a good place to start looking is at vehicles rated using the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety website and also safercar.gov. Something to keep in mind regarding safety: Small cars are compared against small cars and SUVs are compared against SUVs. So, if a small car earns 5 stars and a medium SUV earns 3 stars, it does not mean the small car is safer. It means for a small car, it is about as safe as it can get.
Research the type of car that best fits your needs. You do not want to buy a car that has low gas mileage when you drive 30 or more miles per day. Don't buy a car that has only four seats, but you have a family of five. Just stop to think about what you will need this car to do and most of the time it comes together for you.
You can Walk Away
Used vehicles tend to have quite a bit more markup than a new car, and thus the dealer tends to have a good bit more discretion in setting a price. If the price you have found is significantly higher than the blue book value of the vehicle, it is time to walk away.
You can always walk away, because if the deal is too good to be true, then it probably is. Dealers make their living off of buying low and selling high, and they rightfully try to get the most money possible for any given used vehicle. As a consumer, your job is to find a price that will work for both you and the dealer. If you cannot come to an acceptable compromise, be willing to walk away.
