Buying a used car - 10 top tips

Not everyone is all that suspicious. The first people who looked at my Pathfinder (and the people who bought it too) pretty much took my word for everything (I was amazed... they didn't even bother to ask too many questions I would have asked myself if I were them, or even kick the tires). I didn't lie to them (but I didn't do things like mention the tires really really were in need of replacement either).

I think they should be happy they didn't find some one a whole less ethical than me! Like this one guy I checked out this bimmer he was selling that was a piece of crap and the reason he gave for sellnig the car was very suspicious (said he had to, bought it for his son or something. We figure he took pieces of crap cars, fixed them up to run some, then sold them).

The Pathfinder wasn't perfect, but it was a good vehicle at least. It was reliable far as I know, in good condition, the only really bad thing about it was the tires were shitty (I mean total utter crap no-name worn out tires) which I'm amazed they didn't comment on. I expected that be a bargaining chip that the potential buyer would use against me. And also I didn't let them know my opinion that it probably wasn't the best vehicle for what they were purchasing it for. It was a 2 wheel drive - they knew that and were compromising cause they couldn't afford 4wd - and they wanted a vehicle good in snow to take them to the ski resorts. In my opinion they would have been better off with a car if they were going to buy 2wd.

Alice

Where were these people when I was selling cars?

Really? Well I've sold many more than that in the retail motor trade and

99% of my customers were obsessed by service histories.

Well, Here's hoping you were a good boy and reduced the prices of those cars without AR service histories - or weren't you provided any to sell?

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention: read _Don't Get Taken Every Time_ by Remar Sutton. The latest edition might be worth picking up even if you've readolder ones, as it contains an interesting bit about the Internet.

Though mainly focusing on dealerships both new and used and the tricks that they employ, the author discusses other topics, including businesses and individuals whose stock and trade consists of the scraps at the edge of the used-car market.

Incidentally, he speaks highly of buying used cars from friends, family, neighbors, etc. Of course this has some disadvantages, such as getting the car that's available at the time they wish to part with it rather than what you want when you want, as well as having to save up the cash beforehand or else scramble a bit for financing. (Sutton gets deeply into the reasons why you probably want to arrange your own financing rather than submitting to the arrangements offered by the dealer, anyway).

The book is US-centric in its details, but if similar principles are used by unprincipled dealers in England and Oz you'll doubtless find it useful. Cheers,

--Joe

Got receipts or box tops for the oil filters that you used?

Perhaps as important or more important may be records of long interval expensive services (e.g. timing belt changes on some cars). Without any record, the buyer won't know when it was last done, and may discount the price s/he is willing to pay by the cost of such a service.

Depends on the car. For a new Honda, and even a lot of other new cars, that is pretty much ALL you have to do for the first 100,000 miles. Not that I would do that. I change the oil on a new car after

500 miles, 1500, 3000 and then every 3000. I change the manual transmission fluid every 25,000. You obviously no longer grease cars, so that is out. Plugs, cap, rotor et cetera are not maintenance that affects the car really, more so the performance.

Generally speaking, most new cars need very little maintenance to meet the manufacturers requirements.

Like I say when selling a house, this is my price, if you don't like it, get the hell out.

Sellers do one of three things - they price the object high, low, or just right. If I price it fairly and you want to dicker, I will quickly tell you to go fornicate with yourself.

Buyers, on the other hand, either want to pay less than what is asked, have no clue what is fair, or they want to pay a fair price. Maybe I have missed some things here... In any case, a serious buyer will know the value, and quickly determine if the item meets their requirements. If so, there is no need to dicker.

I don't have time for anything outside of that. If it is priced fair, I will buy it. When selling, I price it fair. Anyone who disagrees with me is not worth my time. There are far too many buyers and sellers for me to argue.

There are no stupid questions, only stupid people.

It's only about 500 miles per working day, one year I clocked 75k working for a small (4 man) company as a field engineer looking after specialist systems for sites in Plymouth (300 miles from home), London (250), Manchester (120), Aberdeen (450), Edinburgh (250) and the like. Averaging therefore about 350 miles a day was not difficult.

Absolutely - all that stuff gets farmed out to the local small traders or shoved out to the auction. If you're a main dealer most customers just won't accept cars without FSH.

I'm sure there are some dealers who aren't bothered - but we weren't one of them.

this has probably little to do with the discussion at hand, but I do like to brag:

The Carlton Diamond I just bought has *every* single receipt from it being bought on 21/8/93 through being returned to main dealer for a loose piece of trim on 3/9/93 to a full service and chain/tensioner change at 120,000 miles in 1996 and on to a service from at 180,000 miles in May

2003 - the stack of receipts is about 35mm (inch and a half in proper money) thick.

I reckon it's worth 3 grand. :.)

dealer (who was basing price on standard 3.0 carlton = 800 quid) wanted £1200.

I talked him down to a grand. 8.D

There is some bargains to be had, you just have to know your cars.

FSH is a bargaining point, yes. But actual condition is at least (if not more so) as important. And knowledge of the car you're buying is *paramount*.

ICBW, but I think if you are obsessive about a particulat make and model, you *will* get a bargain.

-- Big Egg Hack to size. Bash to fit. Weld to join. Grind to shape. Paint to cover. My name is not "news". If you reply to that address, I won't get it

On 25/11/03 6:27 PM, in article snipped-for-privacy@dnews.tpgi.com.au, "Noddy" decided to come out from under the bed and slurred:

Commuting! Can't have your ham sandwich and eat it too!

For us, when we bought a second-hand car, it was a very good negotiating tool. Though we did check the engine over as well as have an NRMA inspection. Then work that needed doing was done for nix (or at the price of parts). This included a new power steering rack.

This can be a very expensive option. Some cars, its an easy operation, but if you are paying someone to do it, you can easily end up half a gorilla lighter [1]!

Hammo [1] Yes, 5 hundred dollars

You think wrong :)

There is no engine in the world today that isn't as "run-in" as it gets after a couple of thousand kilometers. 5 tops :)

Regards, Noddy.

====================== EXCELLENT reply.... !

I feel the same way...

Bob Griffiths

Yeah, unless you have a car you don't really like and are hoping to sell it to get another one I don't worry so much about resell. My current car I'm very happy with and it will be until I get a hellava lot more money than I have now or the car gets totally run down that I'll probably sell it. Either way, resale value probably isn't going to affect me as much (either because I have enough money that it won't affect my next choice of car or because it's not going to be worth much no matter what and anyways I'll have gotten my money for it by then, I only paid 3400 for it).

Alice

Haha - I have the answer!!! It's the paranoia about the dreaded and much hyped 'sludging' :-) Also read a remarkable story of >20 thousand V6 Chrysler engines being recalled following the chance discovery (err, hundreds shat themselves before their first scheduled oil change) that the initial fill oil was complete rubbish. It seems there are cheap oils and cheaper oils, no?

So it's no wonder some Yankees are a tad paranoid about oils.

And so it panned out that the following script was sculpted by none other than DTJ:

Parts store. Pretty good too, in my experience. Not necessarily the cheapest place around, but you can certainly count on finding one when you need to.

Then you have never driven a Honda. :-)

Nah even better Noddy use to for for a Honda dealer many moons ago irc.

-- Regards Dan.