Anybody have any experience with buying a used car?

Question

I am thinking of getting a Nissan XTerra, but I cannot afford one brand new. I found a 2004 with 28,000 milesand one previous owner for $18,000. I have never bought a used car before. I have a trade-in in excellent condition. What are considerations/concerns that I should have about buying a used car. I have the carfax report which is clean. Also, what are ways to get dealers to bring the cost down? Thank you.

Answer 1

If your trade-in is in excellent condition, then sell it yourself. You will be money ahead. The salesman will not give you what it is worth. They need to make a profit on the sale of your car. That would be your best move.

Check out financing too. Shop for that just as you would for your car. Try banks, credit union, and any other source available to you. When my daughter wanted a car, she drew up a contract and I loaned her the money myself, interest free. So use whatever is best for you.

Have the car looked at by a mechanic before you sign the papers. also do not believe anything the salesman says unless it is in writing. Read everything you sign before you sign it. Never, ever, sign anything with any blank spaces on it. I did one time, and the dealer changed the contract and sold the loan to a bank, luckily I did some work on a neighbor's Corvette and he was a lawyer and we took the bank to small claims court. The bank wouldn't back down even though I still had my copy of what I signed. It got right up to the day before the court date and they sent a letter to the lawyer saying that they still thought they were right but in an effort to promote good will with a customer they will forget the extra amount due. Normally, it would have cost more to have a lawyer firght it, than it would have cost to just pay it. So, never sign a paper with blank lines on it. Cross them off with "X"s or put zero in the space. Not "0" but write zero.

That should keep you safe. As for the price, look on the NADA site or www.kbb.com and see what it should sell for. Check the paper and see what other ones are selling for.

Try and not answer any questions the saleman asks you, like how much will you give me for this car? He is feeling you out to see how much he can get out of you. He is not your friend, he is a businessman, trying to make as much commission as he can. He will also talk about so much a month. Ignore that and get the bottom line price. How much is the car? You can shop for the payments later.

Don't buy the car on the first trip there. Take a day to think about it. Don't do anything rash, it will cost you. When you leave, the salesman will call you the next day and see if he can get you to buy the car. Tell him you've been thinking about it but you think it is still a little to high, he will try and offer you either a lower price or some other incentive to buy.

Shop around and see what you want and can afford. good luck

Answer 2

I know alittle mechanics, I have the ability to do some work on my own. The internet is a great place especially craigslist! I bought a volvo 240 for $1000 and after a little work on my part, the timing belt $35, some brake parts $170. It had a smog so I knew that it had a good engine. I did the tuneup myself about $60 bucks or so, new plugs new wires new cap and rotor. I changed out the automatic transmission fluid. I have had the car for 6,000 trouble free miles. It had a dent, which i popped out, it needed some trim pieces which I got at a junkyard for less than ten bucks. The fuse box needed to be cleaned out the terminals and the fuses. I recently had to buy new tires all around which cost $350 with a warranty. If you are not mechanically inclined then hiring a mobile mechanic to look over a car in the $1000-$5000 range and above is recommended. I am 100% sure that in this economy that I could find a good running car, or one that needs some mainatence for between $1,000-$3,000. Craigslist will let you search by keywords and price or a combination of the two. For example you could put in Camry and the price range of $1500-$4000 to see what pops up.

Answer 3

If you want to buy a high quality car with a lowest price for the most reliable,I suggest you try auto auctions.

There are there kinds of car auctions.
Dealer only auctions --- only licensed dealers are allowed to buy or sell cars,You can not get in or bid without being a licensed car dealer or an employee.

Public auctions --- the public is allowed in.In fact,you usually cant by anything from public 'open' auctions because usually the pricing is too high.

Government and Police auctions --- Every day, the government confiscates, seizes and repossesses thousands of Vehicles.These vehicles are usually typically listed at 90% OFF their original value and auctions usually start at $100.

Two months ago,I bouht a near new SUV from online police auction.It only cost me $730 and i have not had one problem with it yet .
I followed the guide on
http://www.usedcarsinfo.info/index.php?t=usedcar .That site lists top 5 Police auction sites and help you choose the best one.
Good luck!

Answer 4

Don't ever settle for what the dealer tells you. Make sure you do your research before entering the dealership. Research the car and what price it should be which that much miles. You set the price and don't buy any additional services (just not worth it). If they're not willing to agree to your terms, go to another dealership. There are tons of cars out there. You just need to look. If they are desperate for your business to make their month end quota, you'll be surprised that they will call you to come back and later agree to your terms ; )

I made the mistake of buying my first car without doing any research on it and believing everything the dealer fed me. I bought it the same day and found out that everything the dealer said was false. Just my stroke of luck to pick the bad sheep in the auto business. Never again. I learned my lesson the hard way.

If you want to get the most money out of your current car, try selling it yourself. You will get the most money for it by simply listing it in your local newspaper. Trading it in will get you probably half of what you were thinking about.

Good luck!

Answer 5

WELL THE FIRST THING YOU SHOULD KNOW IS HOW LONG THE DEALER HAS THE CAR ON HIS LOT, IF ITS BEEN THERE A WHILE THEN ITS NOT SELLING. SECOND WHAT STATE DO YOU LIVE IN AND FIGURE OUT THE SALES TAX , NOW FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH YOU CAN AFFORD AND ASK HOW MUCH IT WILL COST YOU TO BUY THE CAR. EVERYTHING INCLUDED , FINAL. PRICE. THEN TELL HIM HOW MUCH YOU CAN AFFORD . THE PRICE SHOULD INCLUDE COST OF THE CAR , TAX, DEALER COST, REGISTRATION, AND THEN MINUS THE TRADE IN , IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE PRICE THEN GET UP AND WALK OUT. AFTER YOU TELL HIM WHAT YOU WANT TO PAY. I AM NOT UP ON THE CAR MODEL THAT YOUR LOOKING AT , BUT A 2004 IS 4 YEARS OLD. AND IT PROBABLY OFF THE WARRENTEE , I WOULD SAY THAT THE CAR HERE IN N.J. EVERYTHING INCLUDED I WOULD PAY 12 TO 13 THOUSAND FOR IT .
LOOK ON GOOGLE AND PUT IN THE SEARCH BAR
''KELLEY BLUE BOOK '' AND THIS WILL TELL YOU WHAT THAT CAR IS SELLING FOR , GOOD LUCK

Answer 6

you are buying from a dealer... always haggle even if it is a used car; ask about warranties, see if they will give you added warranties; never buy anything additional... it is a waste (i.e. lifetime paint insurance... all that is a gimmick)... also look at the interest rate; getting it down by 1% could save you thousands in the long run... make sure the run a CARFAX for you; double check the VIN... buy from a reputable dealership, not some hole in the wall... shop around; check kbb.com (kelley blue book) or edumunds.com to see if their sell price nice....

don't trade your car in at the dealership; it is convenient but they won't give you the best price; sell private for best price.

and finally if you know a mechanic; bring him with you for the test drive, have him look under the hood, check the tire treads, etc... etc...

good luck.

Answer 7

ok if u care about money and like makeing good investments than get a used car 1 or even 2 years old they are like new but way cheeper i got a new car for 13,000 2 years latter i saw used cars of the same model for like 7,000 they were in mint condition some people just gotta get ride of their car all u get from a new car is the smell and a dent in your pocket book

Answer 8

i work at a car dealership in car sales so i can be honest with you. i would not trade my car in if i didn't have to. you will not get what it is worth and you will do better selling it straight out. also i cannot express this enough SHOP AROUND!!!!
do not buy the first one you see. you will find one cheaper if you look a little further. trust me. that price seems a little steep.

Answer 9

Sounds like it may be a good deal, but check on kellybluebook.com to find out the true value of it. Take someone with you who has experience at dickering over a price.

Answer 10

Don't go to any JD Byrider kind of a place. Always take the vehicle to a mechanic to look over for problems, you don't want to buy a MONEY PIT!