Buying a second hand car which is n good condition but has run 70,000kms, is it a good deal to purchase?

Question

Accent GTX Tornado, what might be resale for 3rd party

Answer 1

The kms don't matter.It's what kind of care the previous owner kept it in.Make sure you have a mechanic look it over from top to bottom and have the DMV OR AN INSURANCE COMPANY run the VIN number through their computer.They will be able to tell you everything about that car.

Answer 2

There are several things to consider. I have only bought one new car in thirty years. Most of the used cars I have bought have had over 50k miles. The car I now drive has 250k miles. I just bought new tires and washed, polished, and waxed it. It looks great. My wife has 70k miles. My daughter has 99k miles. My son has 90k miles. All four cars run great! Consider the following: 1) Have a mechanic check it out even if you have to pay $50. It may save you $1000 if you find out it has transmission problems. Don't be in a hurry. Getting it checked out first will save you headaches in the months to come not to mention tow charges. 2) Ask for any maintance records. If no records, this may be a sign of poor maintance. 3) Check the website for tracing car titles. It will tell you how many owners there have been and if I remember correctly; it may mention weather there have been wrecks or whether it has been totaled. 4) Check the paper and websites for comparable prices on similar car. Last, I don't worry about the resale of an older car because I have gotten everything out of it that I've wanted - transportation. I usually sell my used cars with 150k or more miles (or when I'm starting to have to spend a lot on maintance) for a few hundred and get something more reliable. Good Luck!

Answer 3

You can't tell that a car is in good mechanical condition just by looking at it. You can't even tell for sure if you have a good mechanic inspect it. One way to judge how good the mechanical condition is would be to review all the maintenance records that should have been kept and passed along by the prior owners. If all the fluids and filters weren't changed at least as often as required by the car's manufacturer, then you may end up fixing a lot of expensive problems that are actually caused by the past owner's neglect. Ideally, the car would have been serviced at the dealer and the dealer can print out all the service records from their maintenance records for that car's VIN (Vehicle ID Number).
"Pay me now, or pay me later" is true when it comes to maintenance dollars that never got spent on a car. Let the buyer beware!

Answer 4

Depends. How much is the seller asking for it? Have you looked on websites like http://www.kbb.com (Kelley Blue Book website) to see what the going rate is for the Accent in that particular model year? Does the seller have all the maintenance records? Most importantly, do you like the car? No point in buying a car you're not happy with. If the car has been well-maintained and the seller's asking price is in line with what other sellers are asking for the same car, then I say buy it. Buying a new car is a waste of money because the car drops at least $1,500.00 in value once you drive it off the lot, and if this car only has 70,000 km on it then it should last you at least another 100,000 km if you take good care of it.

Answer 5

I would go to www.kbb.com to get an idea of the car's worth. It's hard to tell if it's 70K easy or hard miles but definately do this... take the vehicle for a drive of 25 minutes or more with the head lights on, bring it back and park it, turn it off, try and restart immediately to check if the battery/recharging system works. Let it cool down and look for any oil drips forming on the ground and definately check the oil before you leave... it will show you just how good this person takees care of their car. If it's low and or dirty oil... politely walk away!

Answer 6

have it checked by a trusted mechanic.

A few years ago, I paid cash for a 1992 Ford F150. It had 114,000 MILES on it when I bought it and I put another 60,000 on it before I traded it for something brand new.

I got lucky with a good used vehicle. just check it out first.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

Probably, depending on the price. Even if you have to put a little money into it every now and then it is still not the same amount as a monthly car payment.

Answer 9

Check on Kelly Blue Book or Edmund's. You don't say the year or condition.

Answer 10

Make sure that the car is on level ground before checking it out. This is to ensure that you will be able to clearly check the tires and to see if there is anything sagging on the car.
Carefully check the paint job of the car, taking note of any rust spots, dents or scratches. Look at the paint from multiple angles in good light to uncover Paint defects or evidence of a poor repaint.
Check the trunk of the car to make sure it is still in good condition. It should not show any sign of rust, or water entry due to cracks or holes.
Check under the hood of the car for any indication of dents, damage or rust. These can all be signs that the car was either poorly kept or that the car experience some kind of damage or accident. The hoses, belts and battery of the car should also be in good physical condition.
Go inside the car and check the seats and upholstery of the car for any tears, rips, stains, or other type of damage. Also, physically check out the pedals, brakes, etc, to make sure everything is in good working order.
Check to make sure the air-conditioning of the car is working well by turning it on to see that it works. If air conditioning is a must buy a car with R134 coolant. Most cars fitted with R134 are 1993 or newer and have a sticker on the AC Condenser.
Check speedometer of the car for the mileage. This is important because the mileage indicates the car’s age. On the average, a normal driver will drive between 10,000 to 15,000 miles a year; however, this depends on many factors. Remember, cars age by time and mileage. Buying a 10 year old car with very low miles is not necessarily a good thing.
Test drive the car before making any final decisions. This is perhaps one of the best ways to know the condition of the car. Hence, a buyer should make all effort to do a test drive first before coming to any decisions.
Check out the car's service history which should give you some information regarding the performances, repairs, and problems of the car. Ideally, the current owner would have kept a record of the times when the car needed servicing and should be willing to show you this information. There are instances where used cars are sold because of past accidents or negative experiences.
Be sure to check the brakes of the car by pressing down hard enough on the brakes to deccelerate rapidly, but not enough to slide. Try this going around 30 mph in an area without traffic. You should not feel any vibration from the brake pedal, or hear any squealing or strange noises.
Inspect the engine for any sort of leaks, or corrosion. On the engine block, look for any dark brown oil stains, this will indicate that there is a leak in the gasket, and could possibly lead to an expensive repair in the future. Check the brake fluid, and reservoir to make sure its is not leaking. The belts should look new (ie. not have cracks or signs of drying). Old belts can snap, and if you do not know how to replace them, it will cost between $100-500 depending on which belt goes bad. If you see overly worn belts, you can only imagine that the timing belt is as worn. The timing belt is the most important belt in the engine, and is also the most costly to replace. If the car is equipped with a steel timing belt, you dont have to worry about this. Normal lifespan of a timing belt is 10-15 years *depending on make and model* or 150,000 miles. However in my car, it snapped at 130K miles, and cost $500 to replace including the water pump.
If you are able, try to get under the car when it is safetly raised and inspect the exhuast system or any underbody rust. If you cant do this, it is definately worth the money to go to a mechanic and have them inspect it. This will cost some money, but its better to pay $50 bucks to get a car inspected and find out its not worth the investment, than to spend $10,000 on a car and find out within a few months, you are going to have to spend more money on repairs for it.
DONT LET SALESMAN LIE TO YOU! If a salesman tells you what type of person owned the car before (old woman, middle aged man, etc.) don't believe it. Most of them tell you this just to make it seem like some teenager wasnt racing, or beating it up. Keep in mind that most salesman just want to get that car off of their lot, and will tell you something that sounds better than it actually is.
Do not pay sticker price. A used car is a negotiable item. Do not feel the need to pay the price they are asking. The dealer bought this car at a low price, and is turning around and selling it for much more than they purchased it with the notion that they might have to lower that sticker price. Depending on the quality of the vehicle, feel free to offer a price. Be sure that it is a reasonable offer. If the dealer is asking $15,000, do not offer $10,000. It is merely an insult by doing this. If the car is over $10,000, try to negotiate at least $1500 off of the car. If they dont budge, just walk away...it is in the dealers best interest to get that car off of their lot, so they will find some way to accomodate you. Try to use parts of the car that are unflattering to your advantage. If a car is not the color you are looking for, tell the dealer "I really like the car, but I dont like that it is green, that is the only thing holding me back from buying it" The dealer will see that yuo want it, and find some way to get you into that car.


Vehicle History Reports are inexpensive and can contain very valuable information. Don't read too deep! The important things are: Accidents and Odometer Discrepancies. If you are looking at a car from a dealer have them provide you with a vehicle history report.
Buying a car from your choice service center is the best way to ensure long term satisfaction. If buying from a dealer with no service center have the car checked out by your mechanic!
Compare the condition of the car's interior to the readout on the odometer. A car that ostensibly has 15,000 miles on it will probably not have a driver's seat that looks like it's been savagely beaten - repeatedly - with a meat tenderizer. An overly worn passenger compartment coupled with low mileage can be an indication of odometer fraud.
Beware of UFOs...Unidentified Funky Odors. It can be very difficult and expensive to get a strange smell out of a used car.