Help Me Buy A Used Car Anand Pimps

[Clocker]

I know people often get great deals and I usually buy fairly well when it come to computer related items. But trying to buy a car I feel stupid.

I need some suggestions. I plan on spending no more than 11k on the vehicle. Truck car whatever.

This is what I have gathered so far.

1) I used autotrader.com
2) and bought several papers and mags
3) most places i call are dealers
4) most good deals are salvage titles and they dont freakin tell you untill the last possible moment

However,
I did find that hertz auto sales offer cars for a fair value.
Also, I did see some vehicles on EBAY but I never bought anything that big from them.


C'mon I know you guys and gals have mad shopping skills help me out.

Clocker

 

[ElFenix]

1) don't buy a salvage title.
2) don't buy anything from a rental/commercial fleet.

 

[StattlichPassat]

I'm not an Anand pimp! :Q

 

[Clocker]

WHy should I not buy rentals it has less than 30 k miles and they have a safety inspection check and I know that they have to discloce everything to me. And they have all maintenance records.

I know those cars get abused but I do have some mileage left with the manufactures warranty.

ARe those rental car purchases really that bad.

 

[Emrys]

I would also recomend looking into dealers cars, you can generaly get a good deal on a car that has been taken good care of, and has all the records.

 

[Ameesh]

buy a brand new hyundai and pocket a couple of thousand.

 

[badluck]

WHy should I not buy rentals it has less than 30 k miles and they have a safety inspection check and I know that they have to discloce everything to me. And they have all maintenance records.

Think about it for a few minutes. What do most people do when they get rental cars? They treat them like rental cars. They beat on them. If a car has 30k and is a rental car, you have to think that at least 100-200 different people used that car, maybe more.....Say out of those 100-200 people, 50 people beat on them badly. You are going to have a car that might be fine up until 50k (random number), but in my opinion, will see problems much, much sooner than a car that has been driven by someone who is making a $300 payment on it monthly. I pay on my car monthly and rarely beat on it. The reason, I can't afford to get it fixed. In my opinion, that is the type of owner you want to buy from.....

 

[Ornery]

Buy from a private owner. There must be classified ads where you live. I wouldn't buy a used "sports car" for the same reasons you wouldn't want to buy a rental or leased car. They're likely beat to hell! That little old school teacher who lives across the street, and only drives 5 miles to her teaching job? That's who you want to buy from!

 

[dwil]

Originally posted by: Clocker
WHy should I not buy rentals it has less than 30 k miles and they have a safety inspection check and I know that they have to discloce everything to me. And they have all maintenance records.

I know those cars get abused but I do have some mileage left with the manufactures warranty.

ARe those rental car purchases really that bad.

No rental purchases are not that bad. But they aren't that good either.
the companies tr to take care of them, but I have been in quite a few 20k rental cars that felt like they were falling apart.
People rent a car when they don't want to put the mileage/abuse on their own. People rent cars and don't really care what happens to it after they drop it off.
Jackrabbit starts, stop and go driving, and sometimes your car gets a break, rarely does a rental car sit too long on the lot before it's rented out again.

IF you do get a rental -- get the extended warranty. It will make you feel better....

 

[UltraQuiet]

From Consumer Reports. Recommended vehicles in your price range.


$10,000?$12,000

Acura Integra '95-96
Buick Century '98
Chevrolet Prizm '99-00
Chrysler Cirrus (V6) '98
Ford Crown Victoria '97 ? F-150 (2WD) '95
Honda Accord '95 ? Civic '97-98 ? Prelude '94-95
Infiniti G20 '96 ? J30 '94-95
Lincoln Town Car '94
Mazda B-Series (2WD) '98 ? MX-5 Miata '97 ? Protegé '99-00
Mercury Grand Marquis '96
Nissan Altima '98 ? Maxima '96 ? Pathfinder '94-95 ? Pickup '97 ? Sentra '99
Plymouth Breeze '00 Saturn S-Series '99-00
Subaru Impreza '97-98
Toyota Avalon '95 ? Camry '95-96 ? Celica '95 ? Corolla '99-00 ? Echo '00 ? Previa '94 ? RAV4 '96 ? Tacoma '95
Volvo 940 '94

 

[Vette73]

Chevy Impala all the way

 

[N8Magic]

'95-'97 Maxima SE.

Sweet, sweet engine, and enough toys to keep you entertained until your next vehicle.

*edit* Search results from AutoTrader

 

[bmacd]

*not proud of the fact*, but i'm 19 and had two rental cars. I beat those two cars to hell for the couple weeks that i had them. Just thought you should know....

-=bmacd=-

 

[T2T III]

It's not only the fact that a rental car is beat on quite badly, but who here has rented a rental car and checked the oil? Why would you? They give you a number to call if the engine locks up while you're driving it.

Here's some suggestions to add to what the others have provided:
1) If you're purchasing a vehicle from a private owner, have the car inspected by a mechanic and have the owner present along with yourself so you can resolve any issues that come up during the inspection.
2) If you find more than one car you're interested in, pay Carfax.com $19.95 so you can use their services for 30 days to check out several VIN numbers to ensure the cars don't have a *salvage* title.
3) If you are purchasing the vehicle from a private party, ask to see the maintenance records for the vehicle.
4) Once a vehicle has checked out fine and you're ready to purchase it, pay the seller with a bank check or cashier's check. Personal checks are a no-no.

Good luck with your purchase!