buying used car at dealership? yay?

[Semidevil]

so after spendng some time determing what kind of car I can afford, my most ideal situation is to purchase a pre-owned vehicle.

my initial thought was to buy a hyundai or some car with the xx,000 mile warranty, but after reviewing, my best bet is to get a used car from the dealership.

my first concern is the warranty. all the used cars I saw at the dealership are as is and has no warranty. Seeing as they are coming from the dealership, are they safe to buy since they are used and have so and so miles already on it? Can I really trust a used car at a dealership? Are there high chances of them going bad soon?

what's a good or bad brand name for used cars?

also, up to what mileage should I buy a used car for? A car with a 50,000 miles is probably not good right? what about a vehicle with 20k to 40k miles?

suggestions on buying used car please.

 

[compuwiz1]

In the USA, factory warranties go with the car, no matter what the dealer says. While the dealer says "no warranty", the factory warranty, if still in effect will follow the car, regardless of how many owners. The exceptions are extended manufacturers powertrain warranties, which may, or may not be transferable. RTFM! Read the manual!

 

[DeadByDawn]

Buying a used car anywhere is going to be a gamble. I've seen horrible deals parked right next to great deals on the used car lots at a dealership. You just have to do your research, run a carfax, and get the car inspected by a mechanic you trust before purchasing. Do those things and it lessens the chances of you getting stuck with a clunker.

 

[Pacfanweb]

If it's a good price, yes. Plus, you probably can buy an extended warranty from the dealer if you want one.

BTW, a used car at a dealership is no worse than buying one from an individual. In fact, you'll probably get a better price at the dealer since everyone these days thinks their cars are made of gold.

But unless you are really comfortable with an individual and what he/she says about the car's history, they are actually MORE likely to be lying about a car than a dealership.

Basically, the used cars at the dealer are just individual's cars anyway....that either got traded in or bought at auction.

Read a lot. Not just here. You have much to learn, it seems. And there's plenty of info out there.

 

[captains]

as far as warranty goes... they will probably offer you an extended warranty plan.
I get some comfort buying from a dealer but it does usually cost more than buying it out right from another person. Being lied too about the car.... its a chance you take buying something used from any body

spend the money and get a carfax report

 

[ponyo]

I would not buy an used car at a dealership unless they had the perfect car I was looking for. I much prefer buying from a private party since the price is lower, and I save on tax which makes a big difference in the final price.

Find out much as you can on its history and maintenance and pull a carfax on the VIN. Pay a trusted mechanic to inspect the vehicle.

I'm shopping for an used car myself at the moment, and I'm looking for '01-'04 Corvette Z06. I'm mainly looking at cars for sale on the Corvetteforum as its an enthusist site and those people usually take better care of their cars. I'm also shopping now because winter is approaching and best deals on cars such as Corvette can be found now through early Feb. With the interest rate high, people are having hard time unloading expensive cars so you can score some good deals. I've my cash ready and looking for my perfect Christmas present.

Research on used car value on sites such as Edmunds and KBB and look for cars for sale on Autotrader, Cars, Ebay, and others to get general idea on the price. Then find your perfect car and negotiate.

 

[DrPizza]

and I save on tax which makes a big difference in the final price.

How do you do that? I thought there were 3 options: pay the tax at the dealer and have the dealer register it for you, pay the tax at the dealer and register it yourself, or buy from another party and pay the tax when you register the vehicle. The only way around the tax is through fraud - i.e. you purchase the vehicle for 5k, but convince the other person to write a receipt for 1k to avoid the tax.



Here's another option: look for auctions. Fairly frequently, cars are auctioned at estate sales. Quite often, these cars are well maintained and have low miles. Of couse, there's a LOT less selection (as during a given week, you only have so many estate sales in your area), but the prices tend to be quite a bit better than even 2nd party sales.

 

[altonb1]

Something that has not been covered yet...

Legitimate dealerships usually only keep the used cars that are worth keeping. In other words, if I trade in a car at a delaership, after the deal is xcomplete, they will look the car ov er to evaluate whether they want to sell it themselves. High mileage, potential for future mechanical issues, etc are all considered. If it does not meet the dealerships's standards, it is sent to auction. Eventually, your car ends up on a mom & pop used car lot for sale. So keep this in mind when searching for a used car. If you buy a used car, make sure you stick with the big guys in your area. Buying from a place with a name like "Ed's Used Cars" is far riskier than buying from the used car lot of the major car park/dealership.

Also, CarMax seems to get good reviews, so consider checking them out.

 

[vi edit]

There's a couple nice things about buying from a dealer -

1) If you choose so, you can typically by a warranty through the original car manf if the dealer sells that brand of car. Meaing, if you are buying a used Chevy at a Chevy dealership, you can buy an extended Chevy warranty. This is IMHO the *only* extended warranty worth it's cost. It's no hastle and the most thorough.

2) It's a lower hastle from my experience. You know when a dealer is open, and they will have a car waiting for you if you call ahead. Working with private sellers is kind of pain. You have to set up a time to look at the car. And then hope they are there when you arrive. I've had people reneg on appointments, sell the car before I get there, ect. And then once you do get there, most people aren't keen on the idea of letting you drive it alone. A dealer will typically let you do that if you ask.

3) This is purely my opinion too, but I feel that dealers are actually *more* honest in used cars since they have to comply to some laws and have a reputation to uphold. With a private seller I feel that most people will falsely represent many things just to get the thing sold. Not saying that dealers don't do this, but they have a lot more on the line than a private party.

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

and I save on tax which makes a big difference in the final price.

How do you do that? I thought there were 3 options: pay the tax at the dealer and have the dealer register it for you, pay the tax at the dealer and register it yourself, or buy from another party and pay the tax when you register the vehicle. The only way around the tax is through fraud - i.e. you purchase the vehicle for 5k, but convince the other person to write a receipt for 1k to avoid the tax.



Here's another option: look for auctions. Fairly frequently, cars are auctioned at estate sales. Quite often, these cars are well maintained and have low miles. Of couse, there's a LOT less selection (as during a given week, you only have so many estate sales in your area), but the prices tend to be quite a bit better than even 2nd party sales.

In GA, you don't pay tax on private party car purchase as long as it's from an individual and not a corporation or business.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: altonb1
Something that has not been covered yet...

Legitimate dealerships usually only keep the used cars that are worth keeping. In other words, if I trade in a car at a delaership, after the deal is xcomplete, they will look the car ov er to evaluate whether they want to sell it themselves. High mileage, potential for future mechanical issues, etc are all considered. If it does not meet the dealerships's standards, it is sent to auction. Eventually, your car ends up on a mom & pop used car lot for sale. So keep this in mind when searching for a used car. If you buy a used car, make sure you stick with the big guys in your area. Buying from a place with a name like "Ed's Used Cars" is far riskier than buying from the used car lot of the major car park/dealership.

Also, CarMax seems to get good reviews, so consider checking them out.

I was going to say that too. Your big dealers do tend to keep "the pick of the lots" on their lots. Typically well equipped, well maintained cars. They toss the clunkers and abused ones to the auctions.

I don't knock all the "Mom & Pop" dealers though. I know a couple family owned shops that go to the auctions and hand pick what they want. They are very selective in what they grab and do a pretty good inspection before buying and then putting them on their lots. But as a whole, the bottom tier of car dealers are pretty shady and put some really abused vehicles on their lots.

 

[ponyo]

You can get extended warranty on any vehicle as long as that vehicle is still in warranty. It does not matter if you buy it from a dealer or a private party. It's usually cheaper to buy the same extended warranty yourself after shopping around rather than from one dealer.

I don't care for extended warranty but I know some people like it.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Naustica
You can get extended warranty on any vehicle as long as that vehicle is still in warranty. It does not matter if you buy it from a dealer or a private party. It's usually cheaper to buy the same extended warranty yourself after shopping around rather than from one dealer.

I don't care for extended warranty but I know some people like it.

Yeh, but you can't typically get a original OEM warranty buying through any dealer other than the original brand dealer.

The off name warranties are a hastle and typically cost even more than the OEM ones.

 

[doze]

Dealerships get used cars 2 different ways trade-in (or end of lease) and auction. Most dealers will have their techs look over used cars as they come in and change oil, top off fluids, change worn belts etc... If a car is not worth fixing then a dealer will unload it an auction. Dealers also generally have multiple finance options available, and banks have no problem working with dealers to get a loan processed.

 

[LordMorpheus]

Originally posted by: Naustica
I would not buy an used car at a dealership unless they had the perfect car I was looking for. I much prefer buying from a private party since the price is lower, and I save on tax which makes a big difference in the final price.

Find out much as you can on its history and maintenance and pull a carfax on the VIN. Pay a trusted mechanic to inspect the vehicle.

I'm shopping for an used car myself at the moment, and I'm looking for '01-'04 Corvette Z06. I'm mainly looking at cars for sale on the Corvetteforum as its an enthusist site and those people usually take better care of their cars. I'm also shopping now because winter is approaching and best deals on cars such as Corvette can be found now through early Feb. With the interest rate high, people are having hard time unloading expensive cars so you can score some good deals. I've my cash ready and looking for my perfect Christmas present.

Research on used car value on sites such as Edmunds and KBB and look for cars for sale on Autotrader, Cars, Ebay, and others to get general idea on the price. Then find your perfect car and negotiate.

When I was looking for Town Cars last spring, I was planning on buying from private party, but found exactly what I was looking for, low miles, great shape, and better price at a dealership. Had a mechanic look at it and it checked out.

Talked to the guys at the dealership about it for a while, it was a Cadillac dealership, and new cars only. The '97 LTC was a trade in, and they were only keeping it for a while before they sold it to a used car dealership.


So I guess in clarificiation, would I buy a used car from a shady used car lot? No. In my situation, though, I'd buy the car again.