Buying cars from those small-time used car dealers - tips, tricks?

[SaltyNuts]

Does anybody know anything about this? Tons of these little places all over Houston, and I suspect all over major cities. They often have very cheap priced automobiles. These giant used car places (like Texas Auto) will never have autos that low priced. I'm looking to get a cheap truck to haul stuff around in. Anybody bought from these places? Any tips and tricks? If they advertise a price on the car in the lot, or on the internet, can I expect to pay that plus sales tax? Or they play a bunch of games to try and jack up the price?

My thinking was I agree on a price, pending a good inspection from a place like this:

http://www.promobileauto.com/inspections

They do the inspection, if it comes back clean, I buy the vehicle, if not I walk.

Anyways, any thoughts from anyone would be mightily appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[dave_the_nerd]

The vehicles are almost always junk, and they almost always are trying to sell you some ridiculously terrible financing.

If you want a cheap truck, hit up Craigslist and find some carpeting installer who's retiring.

 

[SaltyNuts]

Thanks Dave! So my thinking was that yea, most of those cars are probably junk, but that is what the inspection I would pay for would for would try and rule out. And if they want to try and do some crazy financing arrangement, no way, I'm a cash kind of guy! Look at this link, particularly the 2018 Tundra at the very end for $26k, only having ~16k miles. That just seems like half off for an almost brand new vehicle. I dunno, just seems too good to be true.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Thanks Dave! So my thinking was that yea, most of those cars are probably junk, but that is what the inspection I would pay for would for would try and rule out. And if they want to try and do some crazy financing arrangement, no way, I'm a cash kind of guy! Look at this link, particularly the 2018 Tundra at the very end for $26k, only having ~16k miles. That just seems like half off for an almost brand new vehicle. I dunno, just seems too good to be true.

Salvage or hail damaged probably.

 

[Yuriman]

Many of those lots don't actually accept cash. You have to take their financing because that's how they make money.

 

[Midwayman]

Well, a lot of those cars get there through auction. They get to auction most typically by being passed on by a big dealer or insurance sales. Sometimes is just the car is too high mileage or the wrong type to do well on their lot. I figure that the majority of the time its there because it has some problem the dealers didn't feel was worth the money to fix. So go in with the eye that there is *something* wrong and they probably threw on a cheap bandaid to mask whatever it is until its off the lot.

 

[pauldun170]

Small time used car dealer = Auctions.
Cheap isn't the word I would use.

From a cost a perspective you are probably better off buying from a private seller.
Why pay $3995 + tax and fees for a worn out vehicle that some Auction pro had washed and detailed when you can just buy it directly from the original owner for $1700 + an old guitar?
You are paying 100's to 1000s of dollars for a detail and a gallon of armor all.

Occasionally you might find a gem but a bulk of that business is auction vehicles with just enough work done to get them to pass inspection for that year and make it past 30 days. In some towns you might even have a lot where the folks doing the auctions have a good eye for solid cars and have interest in maintaining a good rep in the community.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Oh, or the car was in a wreck, and it was (badly) repaired, off-the-books, without reporting anything to CarFax.

 

[scannall]

Does anybody know anything about this? Tons of these little places all over Houston, and I suspect all over major cities. They often have very cheap priced automobiles. These giant used car places (like Texas Auto) will never have autos that low priced. I'm looking to get a cheap truck to haul stuff around in. Anybody bought from these places? Any tips and tricks? If they advertise a price on the car in the lot, or on the internet, can I expect to pay that plus sales tax? Or they play a bunch of games to try and jack up the price?

My thinking was I agree on a price, pending a good inspection from a place like this:

http://www.promobileauto.com/inspections

They do the inspection, if it comes back clean, I buy the vehicle, if not I walk.

Anyways, any thoughts from anyone would be mightily appreciated.

Thanks!

Some are good, some are not. Read reviews first. If a place has no or very few reviews, then skip it. And an inspection is always a good idea.

 

[eng2d2]

best advice is dont buy from them

 

[Herr Kutz]

Bought a used 08 versa from one of these small no name businesses when I knew nothing about the car business. Car report said no issues but the car has obviously been in some sort of accident. Looking back I’m pretty sure I got screwed, but I’ve put nearly 150k miles on the Versa since purchasing it in 2011 (in addition to the original 49k miles) with no major issues thus far.

 

[Truckguy84]

Does anybody know anything about this? Tons of these little places all over Houston, and I suspect all over major cities. They often have very cheap priced automobiles. These giant used car places (like Texas Auto) will never have autos that low priced. I'm looking to get a cheap truck to haul stuff around in. Anybody bought from these places? Any tips and tricks? If they advertise a price on the car in the lot, or on the internet, can I expect to pay that plus sales tax? Or they play a bunch of games to try and jack up the price?

My thinking was I agree on a price, pending a good inspection from a place like this:

http://www.promobileauto.com/inspections

They do the inspection, if it comes back clean, I buy the vehicle, if not I walk.

Anyways, any thoughts from anyone would be mightily appreciated.

Thanks!

Yas same thing in the north east i like to take it to my mechanic during the test drive if he can squeeze you in to look around make sure nothing ready to go soon. #1 tip also car fax.com make sure its not a lemon. Make sure inspection stickers are good. Some of those places are ok and some are really bad. Also now a days you can go on those apps that rate local businesses and customers rate there experience and grade them and leave a review.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

One good way to select a used car involves shopping the rent-a-car agencies as they turn over their asset-inventory from their fleet.

Such was the origin of my Trooper. The second-owner was a dealership employee, who had it for five of the total seven years. He sold it to me in 2002 most probably because the fact the car was being orphaned by a company that continued in the truck business caused him major palpitations and uncertainties. I've had it for 17. And I don't palpitate.

 

[mindless1]

Ask if it carries the manufacturer drivetrain warranty (where possible), but even then, yeah it was probably sold through auction for one of several reasons:

1) Repo
2) Totaled in a wreck
3) Totaled flood damage
4) Lemon buyback (least common)

I'm looking to get a cheap truck to haul stuff around in...
Look at this link, particularly the 2018 Tundra at the very end for $26k

That seems like it's still a pretty expensive way to just "haul stuff around" if this isn't a daily work vehicle. Guess it depends on your luck and level of repair aptitude. Most things on an older truck in good condition you can DIY repair but if the Great Deal truck has next-level damage, are you up for fixing or paying to fix that? Keeping in mind that if it has a blemished title or carfax you may never get out of it what you put in when it comes time to resell, which is not as big a deal on a $5K vehicle as it is on a $26K.

 

[PISTON1246]

I SAW A USED 1999 FORD CROWN VIC POLICE CAR IN A SALES BOOK WITH PICTURE WITH A $2700 ASKING PRICE IN 2008 IN WICHITA KANSAS. I HAD ABOUT $3000 THAT TIME AND OFFERED $2400 TO TRY TO HAVE MONEY LEFT OVER FOR GASOLINE FOR A LITTLE WHILE. THE TOTAL PRICE INCLUDING TAX WAS ABOUT $2500 TO PAY IT ALL OFF.

THAT CAR WAS RELIABLE TILL I SLAMMED IT INTO A CURB DOING SOME WRECKLESS DRIVING. I MADE SURE THE STREET WAS CLEAR OF TRAFFIC BEFORE DOING THAT TO KEEP OTHER PEOPLE OUT OF DANGER THAT WERE NOT INTERESTED IN BEING INVOLVED IN THE FUN.

WITH THE HELP OF SOME FRIENDS AND BUYING THE REPLACEMENT PARTS I REPLACED THE AXLE AND SOME OTHER PARTS AND FOUND OUT THE FRAME WAS BENT A LITTLE BIT BUT THE CAR WAS STILL DRIVABLE.

DROVE IT TO CALIFORNIA MONTHS LATER AND WAS RACING SOME OTHER CARS LIKE A MAZDA RX-8 AND PORSCHE BOXTER AND BEAT THEM BOTH. THIS GUY IN A CAMARO DID NOT WANT TO RACE. WE STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR AND SPUN SOME TIMES AND HE TURNED LEFT.

I MISS THE SPOTLIGHT SOMEONE BOUGHT OFF ME.

IN 2009 I REAR ENDED SOMEONE AFTER I FELL ASLEEP FOR A FEW SECONDS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. I LEFT THE CAR WHILE GOING TO SOMEONE'S HOUSE AND PLANNED ON GETTING THE CAR TOWED TO SOMEONE'S PLACE WHERE I COULD LEAVE IT SECURE AND PROBABLY FIX IT AGAIN. I CAME BACK TO WHERE LEFT ITA COUPLE DAYS LATER AND IT WAS GONE AND I GUESS THE POLICE HAD IT TOWED TO A IMPOUND.

IT DID NOT LAST LONG BUT IT WAS A GOOD RIDE.

NOW I WANT TO TRY OUT A CARBURETED MUSCLE CAR. I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO WORK ON THOSE OLD CARS MUCH BUT I MIGHT LEARN SOME DAY.

I ALSO WANT TO TRY OUT A 4X4 MANUAL TRANSMISSION 3/4 TON PICKUP CARBURETED OR MECHANICAL INJECTION DIESEL. I AM THINKING OF NOT GETTING A DUALLY RIGHT NOW.

 

[mindless1]

... I REAR ENDED SOMEONE AFTER I FELL ASLEEP FOR A FEW SECONDS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. I LEFT THE CAR WHILE GOING TO SOMEONE'S HOUSE AND PLANNED ON GETTING THE CAR TOWED TO SOMEONE'S PLACE WHERE I COULD LEAVE IT SECURE AND PROBABLY FIX IT AGAIN. I CAME BACK TO WHERE LEFT ITA COUPLE DAYS LATER AND IT WAS GONE AND I GUESS THE POLICE HAD IT TOWED TO A IMPOUND.

Yeah, parking at accident scenes on highways usually has a two hour limit unless you keep feeding the meter more money.

 

[olds]

Doesn't look like that inspection company does compression tests. To me, that's mandatory.