Does anyone know anything about buying a used car?

[lib2DaBone]

I am trying to find a decent used car.

Why is there such a difference between Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds.com?

I need a reliable used car to drive home for Thanksgiving.... about 1,000 miles...but the bank will not honor Kelly Blue Book Price? (Turned down my loan app because Kelly Blue Book was too high)

Yet the sellers on Ebay, etc, will not come down to Edmunds.com price?

I don't want to buy a brand new car from a dealer because of the high payments, and I don't need a brand new car.

Any Suggestions? I tried Car Max... they were not much help.

[Coyotl]

1. craigslist is a good place to buy from an owner

and owners usually have better prices. Just have your mechanic check it out first.

[lib2DaBone]

2. Thanks. I will try that.

I have been looking on Craig's list.. but there again.. it seems that everyone on Craig's List prices their cars at Kelly Blue Book Dealer Price.. even if they are not a dealer.

My bank will not go Kelly Blue Book Price... so I don't know.. I'll keep trying...

[SheilaT]

3. I have had great success buying used cars from dealers.

I am not myself willing to buy from an owner because I simply do not know enough about cars to feel comfortable doing that.

Here are some rules:

1. Already have a good idea of what you want, either by make and model (for me it's a Honda Civic) or by general type, such as a pickup truck.
2. Go online to see what's out there. www.cars.com is my favorite source. Dealers will put most of their inventory there. If you find a vehicle or two that looks likely, check out the dealer's own website.
3. Print out whatever is there on the vehicles you want to check out further.
4. I then go to Kelly Blue Book www.kbb.com and check out all the prices they give for a particular kind of car. Say you find a 2004 Honda Civic with 88,000 miles on it and you see what the dealer is asking. The KBB listing will tell you what it should go for from a dealer, from a private individual, and what that car is worth as a trade-in. I always assume that the dealer has no more than the trade-in value invested, so that's my starting point for negotiation.
5. Go to the dealer and look at the car. Ask for the CarFax report on that car. If they won't give it to you, leave and don't waste your time with that dealer again. Good dealers have a direct link to the CarFax report in the listing for the car on line.
6. Test drive however many vehicles as suits your mood.
7. Never buy a car the same day you test drive it at the dealer. If you are a woman, don't smile very much. Don't scowl, keep a neutral expression on your face. It will make them crazy. But it gives you a certain edge.
8. If you feel uncomfortable with a dealership leave. There are other dealers out there.
9. If you are buying a recent vintage used car from the dealership of that kind of car, you probably don't need to have it looked at by an independent mechanic. But if you want to anyway, let them know. If they object, find another dealer.
10. If you are buying a used car from an independent stand-alone used car lot, you absolutely must have the car looked at by an independent mechanic.
11. (And this should have gone up earlier) If a dealer or used car lot is offering cars at prices a lot less than the going prices for those kinds of cars elsewhere, there may well be something wrong with them. If you are skilled at assessing cars, then go for it. But I'm not, and I simply avoid those places.
12. If you find a dealer or car lot you consider trustworthy, give them your business. If you find one untrustworthy, don't.
13. Try very hard not to be in desperate need to buy a car right away. Sometimes that's unavoidable, as in the time my younger son totalled his car (not his fault) ten days before he needed to be back at school 500 miles away. Then, less than a week later, the same day we were going to take delivery of his replacement car, older son totalled his car (again, not my son's fault). And he had to be back at school in less than a week. Fortunately, at this point I knew the location of every second hand stick-shift car (what all of us drive) in Johnson County, Kansas, so it didn't take too long to get him in a replacement car.
14. If you live in the Kansas City area, PM me and I'll tell you all about my favorite dealers and used car lots, as well as one in particular that I no longer bother to go to, because they just somehow feel sleazy to me.
15. Although I myself don't buy from private individuals, that works for a lot of people. If you go this route, you might want to buy a membership or whatever they call it in CarFax so you can go there to help assess the cars you'll be looking at. And it is absolutely imperative that you have any private individual car assessed by a mechanic.

Have fun! I LOVE buying cars. Honda Civics and Accords are my specialty.

[lib2DaBone]

4. Very good advice.. thanks...

I can see now that a Car Fax report is worth the money. I never thought it was necessary.. but now, I'm learning it is important.

I am looking for a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4X4. I have to drive up north to Northern New York and Great Lakes at Christmas and New Years.. so I want to get a 4WD.

Not sure if there will be snow.. but it can't be a bad investment.

My Credit Union won't go for the KBB Dealer price.. even Private Party sellers are asking this price. I guess they must be getting it.. or they would come down.

Thanks for the help.

I'm still trying to figure out why KBB is so much higher than other services?

[SheilaT]

5. That I can't even begin to guess.

All I know is that I've successfully used the KBB to figure out pricing.

I do know that sometimes a particular make and model will become more highly desirable and therefore will command more money. Perhaps that's what's going on with the Jeeps.

If you simply adore a Jeep, look at ones a little older or a little newer. If what you want is simply a good 4X4, see what else is out there. I am personally not terribly familiar with 4-wheel drive vehicles, although we have owned several in the past (Mitsubishi Montero, a couple of Subaru's) and we really weren't using them for serious off-road driving except, quite literally about three times. I did like a 4-wheel drive in the snow, however.

Here's another thought. If you drive a stick shift, while it definitely is not as wonderful as a 4x4 in certain conditions, you do have an enormously larger control over your driving, which is especially nice in slick conditions. That's in no small part why I, at the age of 64, still drive a stick and intend to continue to do so until I give up driving, whenever that might be.

Good luck on your car search.

[Ahlayhos]

6. used car buying help

Hi Lib2dabone,

I don't want to get into all the reasons, but if you are doubting your ability to find a dependable used car at a fair price I really suggest you check out this site. vhound.com It is, by far, the most informative place on the web for used car buying tips.

Good Hunting,
Ahlayhos

[Ahlayhos]

7. jeep prices

Hi Lib2dabone,

If you are having trouble with pricing a jeep, here's what you should do.

Go to Autotrader.com and go to the 'used car' area and put in the year of the jeep you are interested in - and the general location. East coast, Midwest, Pacific, etc. Then click to search for them and you will see all kinds of Jeeps for sale. You see offers from private sellers, from dealers and indy lots. Look at these and the conditions: miles, photos and any added options. This will give you a very good idea of the general price range of what you're looking for. And don't forget vhound.com for more info.

Hope that helps,

Ahlayhos

[CountAllVotes]

9. Most cars I've had I personally sold

I ran an ad in the local newspaper with a description. The calls came rolling in and said cars were sold quickly.

I had papers on the cars showing when it had been tuned up, oil changes, new tires put on, etc. Being I had fairly complete records and the cars themselves were not pieces of junk, I felt comfortable selling them this way.

AAA used to offer a service where they would check-out a prospective car for $50.00. I have used this service in the past when I had bought used cars, something I would strongly recommend doing just to be sure you aren't buying a piece of junk that is ready to go.

If this service is no longer available, I'd suggest having it checked-out by a licensed mechanic as you don't need any "surprises".

Also, you might check Craig's List. That has been a useful resource for me more than once!

[glinda]

10. We are selling my dad's since he cannot drive.Am in MN.

Only 70,000 on it and he kept it up. Great shape.

[mackerel]

11. A friend of mine has had good luck buying from car rental agencies.

Something to at least consider.