Buying a used car...dealer vs private owner, pros & cons?

[tvguy]

I just bought a car for my 16 year old Friday. I was looking for something that was decent quality, reasonable miles, and cheap. I ended up finding a guy selling a 2006 Kia Sorento. His mom had owned it and recently passed away. It has 130,000 miles on it, but I could see from the Carfax report that it had been serviced regularly and was taken care of. It needs new tires and I'll have to have someone look at the brakes, but other than that, it seems to be in great shape. I paid $2,750 which is about $1,000 under KBB value and about $3,000 - $4,000 under the KBB price if I had bought from a dealer. I fully expect to put $1,000 into it with brakes and tires, but it's still a good deal.

Okay, I have run CarFax reports, and I have never them list regular service. The list things like when it was sold, when it had a smog/safety check, when it was in a reportable accident, but never seen service listed? How would CarFax get that information?

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

Okay, I have run CarFax reports, and I have never them list regular service. The list things like when it was sold, when it had a smog/safety check, when it was in a reportable accident, but never seen service listed? How would CarFax get that information?

Our last few used cars listed service records as did many others I've seen on auto trader. The dealerships report the info when the work is done through them.

 

[tvguy]

Our last few used cars listed service records as did many others I've seen on auto trader. The dealerships report the info when the work is done through them.

That's great if you use the dealer for service. But a private party should have all the paperwork for service work done elsewhere.

 

[dhardawa]

Our last few used cars listed service records as did many others I've seen on auto trader. The dealerships report the info when the work is done through them.

This one includes information from places like Penzoil, Hoosier Brakes, Valvoline, etc. I'm assuming it's linked to the VIN number.

 

[higoofy]

That's great if you use the dealer for service. But a private party should have all the paperwork for service work done elsewhere.

I have a 13 year old vehicle and am the original owner. I did not keep all the papers from oil changes, tire rotations, etc. That's a lot of paper! Just noting as an example of a private party seller who would not have all the service records. I think taking the vehicle to your mechanic would show how well it's been maintained.

 

[tvguy]

I have a 13 year old vehicle and am the original owner. I did not keep all the papers from oil changes, tire rotations, etc. That's a lot of paper! Just noting as an example of a private party seller who would not have all the service records. I think taking the vehicle to your mechanic would show how well it's been maintained.

I agree, every used car should be inspected by a mechanic of your choosing. As for service records, it really isn't a lot of paper. I will have owned my Suburban for 29 years and every work order , as you can see, fits in a standard 9 x 12 manila envelope, and it isn't even an 1 inch thick.

 

[higoofy]

I agree, every used car should be inspected by a mechanic of your choosing. As for service records, it really isn't a lot of paper. I will have owned my Suburban for 29 years and every work order , as you can see, fits in a standard 9 x 12 manila envelope, and it isn't even an 1 inch thick.

You are a better person than I! I'm impressed!