Buy A Good Used Car

If you are in the market to buy a good used car you first and foremost should know that there are more than 2 million vehicle accidents per year and most likely you will come in direct contact with at least one car that was involved in an accident. For this reason, it is highly advisable to obtain all the possible information about the car, such as: the number of previous owners (if it had more than one), if the car was involved in one or more accidents, if it had any mechanical issues and you need to find out the maintenance history of the car you plan on buying.

Without any doubt the biggest advantage of buying a used car is that you can save a bundle of money and the car you buy can in some cases be relatively new. A successful user car buyer is just as happy as a new car buyer is with another vehicle.

You first need to start looking for your next means of transportation. Here are some of the most popular locations where you can find good cars: a used car dealership, a superstore dealership that specializes in selling used cars (like Hertz or CarMax), and a new car dealership as they also sell used cars, used car websites like ConsumerGuide or online and print classifieds. You should know that the classified listings are used by both individuals and dealers that sell vehicles.  Some of these dealers will also list their cars on used car websites. If you want to avoid these dealerships, person-to-person transaction with the help of people that you know, or via print and online classifieds are a good way to go by.

After you have found a couple of cars that suit your tastes and liking, you need to get a mechanic who will do a thorough checkup of the car by putting it on a lift  and checking for any signs of damage or possibly flood damage. Next, it would be best to run a vehicle history report in order to get a full history of the car. You can easily get it from CarFax. This thorough report will include the following information: if the car was recalled, stolen or salvaged; the number of previous owners if it ever failed inspection or if someone had tried to make a fraudulent odometer reading.

It is highly recommended to avoid signing an “as is” statement. There are many car dealerships out there that will mix that in with the other paperwork that you will be obliged to sign. Like anything that requires your signature, read very carefully before you sign the documents. In most cases you will have an entire month to have that car checked. If you do sign one of those statements, everything that occurs to the vehicle once you have driven it off the lot is your responsibility and all the costs on fixing it will be supported by you.

Before you go sign the deal on the vehicle you need to have your financing and loan approvals ready. If you don’t know very much about the market of used cars and the price tags, it would be highly advisable to get one of these following pricing guidebooks: N.A.D.A. Official Used Car Guide, Kelley Blue Book Used Car Guide: Consumer Edition; Consumer Reports Used Car Buying Guide and Edmunds.com Used Cars and Trucks Buyer’s Guide. In these you will find all the necessary pricing information you will need so that you can find out if the car you plan on purchasing is worth the money or not.

Another good source to buy a good used car (or a new one) is the Internet so start browsing those online listings as there are plenty out there, suiting all possible tests.

Purchasing a car is serious investment which is why you need to do a little bit of self-examination. First of all, you need to calculate a budget and stick to that. For this reason you need to set a reasonable and reachable price range and eliminate those cars that don’t fall into this category. It comes as no surprise that you must have a good credit history in order to get approved for buying a used car, especially from dealerships. Once you have set your financing in order, you need to think about what kind of car you need. For carrying heavy equipment, it is highly recommended to get a pick-up truck. If you carpool or if you have a numerous family, you can choose from one of the following: minivan, wagon or a large SUV – Sport Utility Vehicle. Depending on the area where you live, you might need an SUV with AWD – All Wheel Drive or 4WD – Four Wheel Drive. If you plan on using the car a lot, you might want to pick one that has a good EPA rating. If you are planning on towing, an SUV with a towing package or a heavy-duty pick-up truck is what you need to get.

If you want to buy a good used car you should know that there are two times of the year when you will get the best price possible: The last two weeks of the year (when they must get rid of the stocks) and July-October. To decrease the final price tag use the competition to your advantage but finding out their prices and start some serious negotiations.

There are some used car dealerships that will get the car you want from another dealership, charging you with additional fees. It is best to avoid these dealers as you will pay additional money for nothing. If you have purchased a car and you paid the money written in the price tag, the dealer might come asking you to pay a variety of extra charges – do not fall for these tactics, if the dealer keeps insisting, it is best to walk away and look for another car in other areas.

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