am about to replace 2 of the family cars and wanted to listen to suggestions from this group as I suspect someone here has recently had a good buying experience
first, the specs
- both cars will be used, 1 to no more than 2 years old, annual miles at 12k or less
- make, model or color does not matter but clearly there are some things out (ie. no
I am aware of edmunds, kbb and suggestions by financial mags like smartmoney where they suggest you email or fax local dealers your requirements and then wait for them to come back with price. Have actually bought a couple times using the local dealers fleet-sales department, end of the month and with knowledge of factory dealer incentives which were all used to reduce the final price. That was a *lot* of work, more related to new car purchase and I would like to simplify this purchase if possible.
Finally, with the economy being what it is, would it simply be best to just network with neighbors, friends, family and workplace and find out if someone has a car for sale? There is the danger of getting a lemon from someone you know, but then again that could happen to any used car you buy.
I don't need to finance any car I buy but I recognize that there may be a discount from a dealer for using their preferred financing resource and I can always pay off the balance (ignoring the small amount of finance charges which they will charge even for just a 30-day car loan).
Couple online places some forums suggest are eBay and Autotrader, anyone with specific experiences with either?
All suggestions and comments welcome.