Quote:
Originally Posted by upthesaukee
You did take it for a test drive, right? It's a 16 year old car. Tell us you did test drive it. Please?!? Dave
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More to the point, please tell us you had your own trusted mechanic go over the car before you bought it.
For people of limited means (not saying that's you, Fatlazyless; I say this for others who may have limited means), here's
how to buy a RELIABLE used car:
1. Figure out the class of car you need, such as "subcompact SUV"
2. Research that class at reliable websites like Edmunds. Consult more than one such source.
3. Narrow your search down to about 5 top contenders.
4. Spend a LOT of time reading both professional and consumer reviews of those cars. Focus especially on
mechanical reliability and
gas consumption (the two things that matter most to lower-income people). Check the car's safety rating.
5. Hunt for your desired car online. Don't wander from dealer to dealer---that's very time consuming and often yields nothing.
6. Target cars with
less than 70,000 miles. This should give you about 50,000 miles before major problems develop (depending on the make and model). In my experience (Toyota, Scion), the cut-off line for expensive mechanical problems is about 150,000 miles. If you buy a car with 120,000 miles, it may have another 100,000 miles of life left, but those could be expensive miles.
7. Track the results of your search on a chart.
8. When you find the right car, check it thoroughly yourself using the Consumer Reports checklist for items that can be easily checked on the lot. Test drive it in town and on the highway, using the CS checklist.
9.
Take the car to your own mechanic and have it thoroughly inspected for items that you can't check yourself.
Skip this step at your peril. Again use the Consumer Reports checklist. Ask your mechanic to drive the car in town and on the highway.
10. Ideally, sell the car before it hits 100,000 miles for two reasons: to get rid of it before it dies, and because it's harder for people to get a bank loan on a car with over 100,000 miles.
If you follow this method carefully, you should be able to upgrade a bit with each purchase (buy wisely, take good care of the car, sell wisely).
Private sales (for both buying and selling your car) are riskier but will save you up to $2000 on a used car under $10,000.