about to replace 2 family cars, buying suggestions

If you buy cars like this, the long-term reliability of the car has really very little to do with the car and everything to do with the way the first owner treated it.

Find someone who has a car to sell, whom you KNOW treated it properly. Buy that car. This is a difficult thing to do. There are really no shortcuts. Ask local mechanics if they can recommend something.

This is the best thing to do, because you know who will treat a car well and who will not. And you can look them in the eye and ask if they really DID follow the oil change schedule in the manual.

--scott

Just a couple of quick thoughts...

- whatever you look at, drive it. And if there is ANYTHING that seems odd when you drive it, don't buy it. At least not till you verify the oddity is in "all" of them.

- check for accident damage and don't buy if it's been in an accident

- For the age and mileage you are looking at anything you buy should still be under manufacturers warranty for at least one more year/12,000 so that takes some of the pressure off as far as buying an expensive problem. Anything significant should show up soon within the remaining warranty period.

- consider going with a 2 year old instead of 1 year old and use the savings to buy an extended warranty and you'll have piece of mind for at least another 5 years and 70,000 miles.

- I would avoid dealers if for no other reason then you will pay more for the car and also (at least here) pay sales tax on top of that. As I mentioned above, you'll be getting a warranty so that takes a lot of the worry out of hidden defects that would be covered under warranty when they show up.

ons from this

You need to get a lot more specific before starting out on a shopping trip. Your description of a low milage recent model used car that doesn't have a V8 engine will fit the vast majority of used cars on the road from Toyota Yaris to a BMW 7 series.

Simplifying the purchase will involve less work on your part and possibly not as good a price if you are set on buying through dealers only. Why not look at used private party cars too?

What difference would that make? Just look for a used car that meets your criteria once you decide on them. Then have the car inspected by a mechanic.

You are buying a used car. Discounted financing is in my experience reserved for new cars. BTW, realize that if you receive a discount on financing you will likely not get as good a deal on the car purchase price. I've never heard of a dealer giving a special purchase price for using their financing source, unless the interest rate is jacked up to compensate.

Think through the math in your example.

with specific

Are you willing to buy a car sight-unseen and uninspected? If so then go with the internet. Just remember that Ebay and Autotrader are only brokers bringing buyer and seller together. The sellers reputation is far more important than that of the broker.

Consumer Reports is your friend...

ons from this

Hi,

I recommend a nice 5 year old Buick or two. Buick is perhaps the least appreciated brand out there. The cars are better and often more reliable than Chevys but used, they often sell for less. Quality has been up there with Lexus for years but resale value is low (its a buyers market now anyway).

Also, the bigger plusher ones are often no more expensive than a smaller model. I see nice Rivieras prices in the low thousands and they are still sweet cars. Buick engines are very reliable too only make sure to stick to the 3.8L or higher engines, some low-end models got the lesser Chevy V6.

Harry

Remar Sutton in _Don't Get Taken Every Time_ recommends this approach, the catch being, of course, that you get what they have available when they're ready to sell it, so you need to plan ahead (as you seem to be doing). I've had good luck with it.

Incidentally, the book

is a good thing to read whether you're thinking about buying new or used. The author is a former Nader's Raider type who knows all the sleazy tricks and shows you how they work. If you belong to one of those warehouse buying clubs, remember they're not just about 55-gallon drums of Worcestershire sauce; see it they have an auto broker service, and whether it offers inspected late- model used cars as well as new ones.

I lurked on eBay Motors for a while when I was looking for a specific car, but always the bidding seemed to get beyond my preset limit in the last half hour or so, and the hammer usually fell for more than I thought the car was worth. BTW, whatever the item and whetehr it's an electronic or in-person auction, vaccinate yourself against auction fever by going in having done your homework and knowing what the thing is worth and what you're willing to pay.

I'm about to go look at a car advertised on Craigslist. I'd lurked around there long enough to learn how to spot the most obvious signs of a hustler who always seems to have one or more cars for sale, and who knows how to get into the results of a "by owner" sort, and/or how to stay under the radar of how the state defines a dealer. Watch out also for salvage titles and for people who cheerfully posit the least and cheapest, not the most probable, theory for any major defects (needs tuneup = needs overhaul, a/c needs some freon = a/c needs a new one, etc.) A lot of this stuff also applies to other venues, of course,.

Finally, if you have any doubts at all, have a trusted mechanic with no stake in the deal give it a look. You're paying not only for expertise but for objectivity, since by the time it gets that far you implicitly want the car. A seller who can't or won't figure out a way to make that happen should be thanked and shown a clean pair of heels

-- there are plenty of used cars around.

Best of luck,

--Joe

Around So. California a Ford Five Hundred which has a V-6 3.0, that had 57000 miles on was on sale for $6000 private party recently.

Mercury Montego is the same car.

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I remember reading somewhere that people that bought those cars new were disappoingted/angry at the car's low resale value. It's a safe car too.

e with specific

Yeah, I was tempted by the new Five Hundred when it came out. It got five stars in all the crash ratings, despite not being a really huge car, and a comfy, decently quick vehicle that doesn't *look* like ticket troll or booster bait is my kind of car.

A slight evolution of the same vehicle is now called the Taurus. Supposedly Ford thought the lack of name recognition was its problem (they probably should've called it the Galaxie 500; after all, it occupies the same place in their product range as the old Galaxie did).

I could be happy with the last couple years of Impala and people say good things about the Cobalt too. Just to take some examples. Nissan Altima is another one to consider.

Whether or not you like those particular cars, stevegp brings up a good point by mentioning a specific make and model. You should narrow down the search by qualities you seek (size, gas mileage, safety ratings, etc.) and then come up with ways to downselect to a short list of cars to actually lie in wait for a good example of (reliability records, resale value...) I see that the latest Consumer Reports used-car guide is out, and I found it to be well worth taking into consideration. The question as stated might be impractically broad.

Cheers,

--Joe

no. it occupies the fairlane spot. The crown vic (although no longer sold outside of fleet sales) still has the Galaxie spot. Theme is still valid as there was also a Fairlane 500.

Hi Zeke - Don't know if you've made your purchase yet, but I came across a really helpful site while driving to work last week. I was driving my local Ford dealer, and I noticed all of his cars had stickers on the windshields with special discounts like:

4000Rebate.com and 2000off.com. I never saw anything like this before, so I typed it in when I got to work. It was great! The site took me right to the car I saw and there was no bull _ _ _ _. I didn't see the car I wanted, so I clicked the home page logo (autoincentives.com) and found a full list of current rebates and incentives for every make and model throughout the entire nation! It was so easy - way easier than anyplace else I've searched for new and used cars. It would be worth checking out!

Best of luck.