Do you have any useful infromation for buying a used car from a private owner?

Question

First and foremost, this is for serious and useful response only please. I don't have a lot of money to go to a car dealership and I'm having to buy from a private owner from the newspaper. I totally clueless about cars as well as the procedure as to buying the car. Has anyone ever been in this exprience to help me through this process or give me a site to go to that would be very very helpful. Thank you for your time in advance. Remember serious responses only.

Answer 1

You realize of course you'll be buying the car "as is"...
which means there will be no warranty.

Take it for a good test drive...listen for any knocking or other strange noises.
Turn on the A/C and Heater and make sure they work ok.
When you get back, pop the hood and look for any smoke, smell of gas or any leaks.
Check the hoses and belts.

Check the battery and cables for any white stuff (corrosion).

Answer 2

I agree that you should find a mechanic. If you can't some simple things to check for: make sure that all features work, check lights, windows, seatbelts, heater & a/c. When you drive the car turn off the radio and heater/air and listen to the car, if you hear a noise you are unfamiliar with definitely find a mechanic first. If the car brakes or steers differently than you are used to, it may just be that the car handles differently but it could be a problem. Make sure you go through every gear and reverse and turn both directions. Sometimes a problem only shows up when turning one direction. After your test drive (which should be long enough to warm the car up) check for leaks under the engine. Check the oil and look for metal specks, if they are there that is a sign that the engine is on its way out. If you can check the transmission oil and check for a burnt smell, this is a sign that it hasn't been taken care of well or is also on its way out. Those are just some basics but I would really suggest a mechanic or at least a friend who knows something about cars to look it over!

Answer 3

You can check the ads in the paper, or you can purchase an AutoTrader magazine, that has cars for sale in your area and in your price range. Personally, I am a big fan of Honda or Toyota, as they are reliable,dependable, decent gas mileage, you can purchase a used "certified' Honda, and be very happy with your purchase. If the mileage is near 100,000, I would replace the timing belt, as they tend to go out near that timeframe, on both brands. Look only at the cars in your price range, ask the seller alot of questions, if it has been wrecked before, and what damage there was. Are the miles true, or does it have to be reported as not actual, has the car been branded "salvage" or "rebuilt", test drive the car, go high and low speeds, enter the freeway, drive the way you normally would and make sure all the gadgets work, listen for noises that shouldn't be there, check the tires. If you know someone that has mechanical skills to go car shopping with you, that may be best. If you think you have found the car, ask to see the title. The title is the #1 thing on your mind right now. You want to make sure that , all of the registered owners release their interest, and make sure there is not legal owner, meaning, a bank doesn't have an interest in the car. You can go to your state's govt page/vehicle licensing, it will show you all the info you need to title the car in your name, finalizing the deal. Good luck.

Answer 4

I will be glad to help, there are a few things you can do for your own research. You can go to NADA.COM to get the value of the vehicle. you will need the VIN number from the vehicle. that is found at the bottom corner of the windshield on the drivers side. Kelly blue book is a good source, but NADA is more popular, that is what most car dealers use.
another site you can go to is CARFAX.COM . It can give you a history of the vehicle if it has been involved in any kind of accident. VIN number also needed for that too. Take a friend with you that knows cars pretty well, they will be able to spot things quicker than those that are less knowledgeable about cars. You can ask the owner if you can take the vehicle to your mechanic to be checked out, if he wont let you do this, then you need to end the business relationship at that moment.

Answer 5

Both have their risks, as both may not tell you about any problems the vehicle has, and both may try to conceal problems; but with a dealership you have the option of a possible warranty, and you can take it to them if you do find a problem. (Not that they will necessarily fix it). But you buy from a private owner in an "as is" condition, and have no recourse. Before you buy a car, you should get it checked out by a mechanic you can trust. Then, at least you will have a better idea of any problems.

Answer 6

Kelly Blue Book

See what the car is worth before you buy it.

Kelly Blue Book is the Official Book that all Dealerships used
Anyone who sell a car from a car lot

Anyone can find information on this site

www.KellyBlueBook.com

They have many options see below what they offer

New Cars
Used Cars
List your car for Sale
Search Used Cars Listing
Quick Dealer Price Quote
Compare Cars
Reviews & ratings
Advice
Financing & Insurance

Answer 7

Like said above, take along a friend who knows a lot about cars, fixes their own, and has owned at least one older car in their lives.

I fix my 1994 corolla, and do all the maintainence, when I was looking with a friend at another car that was 10 years old, I spotted at least $1500 worth of repairs. Any normal person would think it was a good car, because it looked pretty. But I saw this certain car needed new struts, tires, radiator, fan belts, hoses, and it still worked but it was going to need a new clutch sooner than later.

Answer 8

If you know anyone that is knowledgable about cars, ask them to go with you to check out a vehicle. There are some basic things to watch for, but you may miss even the obvious stuff if you don't know what to look for.

Really basic things to watch for:
-Knocks and rattles from the engine.
-Hesitation or rough shifting from the transmission
-Blue smoke from the exhaust means it's burning oil
-If the car is really loud, the exhaust may be rotted, which could indicate neglect.
-Electrical items not working right, power windows, power locks, rear window defogger etc.
-Steering that is really sloppy, with lots of play in the steering wheel.
-Look for signs of poor repairs, especially anything involving duct tape.
-Make sure the car doesn't bounce a lot over even minor bumps, that shows you need new shocks or struts.
-Make sure all the guages work.

Good luck.

Answer 9

I know you said you don't have a lot of money, but, take the car to an independent mechanic. They shouldn't charge too much for a quick overview. The very least, take along a friend who knows cars well. They may have a good idea of what to look for in each make and model.

Answer 10

The first thing is determining the car you want to buy. If you find a car in the paper, go to http://www.kbb.com and find the bluebook value.
Next, to make sure a car isnt plagued with problems, run a google search on the cars tsb (technical service bulletins) example "ford probe tsb". this will give you a list of the most common problems with the car. if a car has alot of tsbs, then stay away from it (but be sure to check the tsb, to see if they arent a duplicat or related problem... for example, if you find a tsb that says iat malfunction, thena few problems later, it says throttle body needs cleaned often... this would be considered almost the same problem.. the iat malfunctions because the throttle body needs cleaned often)
Next, if reliability is your main goal, then you want to stay away from the cars first 2 year redesign/release. (youre not going to find many exceptions to this at all)
For example, the nissan maxima was made between 1995-1999 and 2000-2003 and 2003-present.
You would not want to consider: 1995-1997, 2000-2002
The redesign/release in the first two years always has more problems. after 2-3 years, the majority of the problems and recalls are worked out.
I find it very hard to trust opionion sites such as epinion.com. I feel you can get a much better overview of the problems, cost of maintenance, and other issues by looking through the cars online forum. nearly every car has a forum dedicated to it. go to google, type in " (make/model) forum". Example http://www.vwvortex.com http://www.mx6.com http://www.e42.com http://www.bimmerfest.com http://www.focusfanatics.com http://www.hondahookup.com etc.
So, once youve checked these things out, you want to talk to the owner and see what parts have been replaced, and where he replaced them from. if the car hes selling, has a known problem with an alternator dying, and he tells you that he got a remanned unit from autozone, you can expect this one to die early, but if he says he got a new one from the dealer, this more then likely will solve the issue, and you really dont have to budget for it later.

if an owner is selling a car in the paper, and the value is over $6000, when you meet with him, ask him if he would pay to get the car checked out by your mechanic. its going to cost about $150, but hes more then likely going to pay for it, to show you that he isnt trying to screw you. If they doesnt want to pay for it, tell him thank you, and move on.

carfax. its a title check company.
You give them the vin number, they look up the cars history. It will tell you if its ever been in an accident, has had major repairs, if its a lemon, who previously owned it.
The only issue with carfax is, that if the owner of the car didnt report and damage to the insurance companies or police, they arent going to find anything wrong with it. Its $15 but its worth it.

When you take the car out for a test drive, put some mileage on it. Dont drive around the block and come back, drive to your home, drive to your job, a cold engine can hide many problems.

negotiation.
Buying from a private owner, is a much smarter way to buy. for example, when i was 18 i bought a car from the paper advertised for $5500. I met the guy, and he eventually told me that the car has been in the paper for 3 months and i was the first person to look at it... this is an instant signal, the guy is desperate to sell the car, and hes much more likely to sell it for $2000-$2500 less then hes asking. I bought the car for $3000 and it had 36,000 miles on it.

So those are what would help you during the buying period. Obviously the previous poster who listed what you need to check is right too, but if the seller will pay for a mechanic, you dont have to necessarily worry about what feels right.