Buying a car, lots of questions

[CountZero]

I have to buy a car in basically the next week. I am in Dallas.

My budget is around 7k though I could go as high as 10k if there was good reason to.

It will be my only vehicle so something reliable is important. I'm thinking some type of four door sedan, year 2000+. My daily commute will be short (7 miles or so one way). After reliability safety and gas mileage are also important.

My questions are:

Any dealer recommendations or dealers I should avoid around Dallas?
What type of car should I be looking at? I've seen a fair number of Sebrings on Vehix but I have no idea what their reliability is like.
Is it possible to get any kind of warranty on a used car?
What should I look for/ask when looking at used cars at a dealership?

As you can probably tell I know next to nothing about cars. I don't own one now nor have I in about a decade. I'm afraid that because of my short time frame I will likely get hosed but I only have the rental for a week.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Pacfanweb]

Yes you can get a warranty on a used car. Preferably get one from the dealer you buy is from, and preferably make that a new car dealer, not a used car lot.

My impression of Chryslers is that they are not that reliable, but they aren't as bad as they used to be. Do some searching and to find this out. They are nice-looking cars, though.

Used cars at the dealership....ask to see the history of what they have done to it. It would be great if it was a trade, and the previous
owner had it serviced there. If not, at least see what kind of repairs, if any, were done when they prepped it.
Sometimes, they have "certified" used cars. These usually automatically get an extended warranty. Don't believe any of the "we go over them extra-special, because they're certified"...that's bull. They don't get much more than a regular used car, other than the warranty.
Make sure said certification is by the MANUFACTURER, not the dealer. As in, "GM certified used car", not "Billy Bob's Buick certified used car".

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: CountZero
I have to buy a car in basically the next week. I am in Dallas.

My budget is around 7k though I could go as high as 10k if there was good reason to.

It will be my only vehicle so something reliable is important. I'm thinking some type of four door sedan, year 2000+. My daily commute will be short (7 miles or so one way). After reliability safety and gas mileage are also important.


My questions are:

Any dealer recommendations or dealers I should avoid around Dallas?

I cant say anything about any specific dealers, only to say that you should NEVER trust a dealer on his word. They'll try their best to convince you they're your friend, and theyre looking out for you etc etc, but they are *ONLY* looking out for themselves and always will be. Don't believe a word that comes out of their mouth, and research the models you're looking for on MSN autos or edmunds before you walk in. Treat them as merely tools to get the papers signed.

What type of car should I be looking at? I've seen a fair number of Sebrings on Vehix but I have no idea what their reliability is like.

You should be able to get a 00+ civic, accord, camry or corolla for that price. Domestics will be cheaper, but those hondas and toyotas are well known to be bulletproof. You'll pay a little more, but you'll save in peace of mind.

Is it possible to get any kind of warranty on a used car?

A car bought from a dealer should have a short warranty, but you can purchase extended ones if you like.

What should I look for/ask when looking at used cars at a dealership?

Ask for a test drive, and haggle the sh*t out of them. Know the rest by researching before you walk in. Walk in their with an edmunds.com TMV printout for the car you're looking for, and don't accept a price any higher than that...if they don't budge, start walking out...they'll probably stop you.

The point is, you have to make the entire encounter on YOUR terms, not theirs. Its YOUR money.

As you can probably tell I know next to nothing about cars. I don't own one now nor have I in about a decade. I'm afraid that because of my short time frame I will likely get hosed but I only have the rental for a week.

Thanks for the help!

http://www.edmunds.com/apps/usedmatrix/UsedMatrix is the place to start.
[/quote]

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: CountZero
I have to buy a car in basically the next week. I am in Dallas.

My budget is around 7k though I could go as high as 10k if there was good reason to.

It will be my only vehicle so something reliable is important. I'm thinking some type of four door sedan, year 2000+. My daily commute will be short (7 miles or so one way). After reliability safety and gas mileage are also important.

My questions are:

Any dealer recommendations or dealers I should avoid around Dallas?
What type of car should I be looking at? I've seen a fair number of Sebrings on Vehix but I have no idea what their reliability is like.
Is it possible to get any kind of warranty on a used car?
What should I look for/ask when looking at used cars at a dealership?

As you can probably tell I know next to nothing about cars. I don't own one now nor have I in about a decade. I'm afraid that because of my short time frame I will likely get hosed but I only have the rental for a week.

Thanks for the help!

Have you considered Leasing. If you can easily predict the mileage use of the car it's probably a good idea to lease. You seem that you want something dependable. Since it's leased you are not really responsible for damage to the car and you basically always have a new car.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Have you checked out Carmax ?
The prices there tend to be a bit higher than the normal used car dealer but they are set in stone no need to worry about haggling with an obstinate salesperson or finance manager.
They are also likely to give you good value for your trade if you have one.
If nothing else they are worth looking at.

BTW, leasing is a horrible idea unless you just have tons of money to throw away.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: CountZero
My questions are:

1) Any dealer recommendations or dealers I should avoid around Dallas?
2) What type of car should I be looking at? I've seen a fair number of Sebrings on Vehix but I have no idea what their reliability is like.
3) Is it possible to get any kind of warranty on a used car?
4) What should I look for/ask when looking at used cars at a dealership?

1) Can't help there specifically, but you're usually best to avoid the little tiny dealers with only a few cars on their lot unless you know what you're doing with a car. The best dealers are often small shops, but so are the worst of the worst. At least with a large dealer you pretty much know you're getting an average dealership.

2) If you just want an appliance, look at boring, base-model, family sedans. No coupes or convertibles. Used car dealers can sometimes have a lot of trouble unloading something like a base model Accord (DX) because most people want the upgraded features of higher trim levels or the V6 engine. I'm not fond of the Sebring, it doesn't have a great record for reliability.

3) Yes. Try to get it through the dealer though. It will probably be 60-90 days at most though.

4) If the car uses a timing belt, ask for proof of the last time it was changed if the car has over 60,000 miles. Some cars have longer intervals than that, but it's a good general mileage to start asking questions about it. Make sure that the tires have good tread on them too. Play with _every_ electronic doohicky (mirrors, locks, seat, sunroof, whatever) to make sure that they all work. Test drive it and look for squeeks and rattles and odd vibrations, be a little hard on it in the test drive, the car should be able to handle it without a problem.

ZV

 

[desy]

When I have a budget in mind I go on autotrader put in what I want to spend filter by years and price and mileage and see what pops up.
Somethimes real good deals pop up, it also gives a good idea whant kind of cars you can get in that price range and some better cars of known quality will show up amongst the sea of cavaliers neons and hyundias