Used Car Browsing/Buy

[purplebelle]

Hi!

I start the hunt for a used car tomorrow! (My first car! ) From reading the Comsumer Report, I am fond of the Ford Focus and Honda (Civic/Accord). I'm also partial to the Toyota RAV4. The Chevy Prizm and Corolla are alright. I'd like to get a 2003-2004 staying under $14,000, which I know is possible. I'm open to other ideas too, they just need to be scored well in the Cosumer Report.

Any suggestions? Anyone have these cars?

 

[WDWorBUST]

I would get quotes on insurance for the vehicles you are looking at as well. It doesn't matter if you can afford the car if you can't afford the insurance. Also - I have a friend who had an accident going under 15 mph and it totalled her Focus. Other than that though she had liked it....but I also think that she said that the insurance was a little higher on it than other like cars because of that. Good Luck!!

 

[swilshire]

When I was looking for a car from my then 16yo daughter, I found the used prices of Toyotas and Hondas to be VERY high. I wound up buying her a botton of the line new Honda Accord from the dealer for less than many of the used cars I was seeing. We got a better than usual deal because it was the end of the model year and they were changing the body styles the next year.

I drive a used Subaru that was a tremendous bargain. Some of the models are expensive used, but the sedans seem to go for less.

Sheila

 

[missmulan]

Ford has a First Time Buyers Program for all their new cars...which means getting financed for the first time for a major item is easier. Plus I think on top of whatever deal you've ALREADY made, they rebate you $500 for being a FTB.

 

[shelly3girls]

You can definitely get a new Honda Civic (with many options or even a very basic Accord) for less than you want to spend. One thing to consider is that if you buy new car usually you can get a very good rate on the loan. Used cars tend to have a much higher rate. Remember that even the rate is negotiable when buying a new car. Check out carsdirect.com or edmunds and they will give you a good idea what you should pay. They will even put you in contact with a dealer that will honor their low price. We used both to buy our Honda Pilot just last month and ended up saving over $3000 our closest local dealer.

Also with a new car you do not have to purchase an extended warranty like you may with a used car (although we ended up buying a 100,000 mile extended warranty b/c we put many miles on our cars).

 

[EdDome]

I wouldn't be overly-swayed by the Consumer ratings. I currently have a Chevy Blazer, a model that Consumers rates lower than dirt yet I've had no problems with it during the five years I owned it. I at times question the independence of Consumers since few if any American cars are top picks. No flames please, just my opinion.

 

[seashoreCM]

Do not drive the car off the dealer's lot until the financing is firmed up, with amount of monthly payment, due dates, place where payment is to be made, number of payments, name of lender, and signature of person approving the financing. Do not sign an agreement that calls for usage, daily, or mileage fees if the financing is not approved and the car has to be brought back. Do not sign an agreement that calls the deal a cash transaction when you wnated financing. It is actually a good idea to have an attorney represent you with the documents but your brother in law math whiz with you may suffice.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[purplebelle]

Hi All~ Thank you for the advice. I have read them all.

I should have added in: I wont need a loan b/c I'll be paying it all up front.

Excellent advice to look into insurance. I hadn't thought of that myself. I've heard for the cars I'm looking at, it's about $700 for 6 months.

Personally, I do love the Consumer Report b/c my family had a few Chevy Blazers and all gave us problems (rated poorly). We had Toyotas which always came thru for us (rated well). And a few other cars we had that were rated poorly gave us problems.

Toyotos and Hondas are somewhat pricey used b/c they are good quality. Car companies do not have to convince you to buy them b/c they've proven to be reliable. I will consider a full pirced car if, for some reason, it's cheaper than used.

But...

For the most part I just cannot see myself buying a brand new car. Driving the car off the lot and having it depreciate in value makes me shudder.

 

[shelly3girls]

We were able to find a dealer demo on one of our cars. Once the demo cars have a certain amount of miles (ours had 8,000) they get rid of them. We got a great price and the car had very low mileage. I didn't care that it was a year old for the amount of money I saved.