- Jul 24, 2005
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My fiancee is moving in with me in a month or so and needs to buy a vehicle so she can get to work. She previously was able to take public transportation, but that's not available where I live. So, we're looking to buy a used car for her.
She has already been pre-approved for $15k @1.99%(which is the max budget). We can put money down if needed, but I don't particularly want to unless absolutely required. I certainly don't mind spending less money, however I am not a car guy, I don't have a garage or tools, etc to do most maintenance myself so newer models years are what we're looking at.
Any tips for buying a used car? I'm not considering private sales (due to the loan terms) - does it matter if we go Certified Pre-Owned or "regular" used? I'm assuming the prices are negotiable as well, and was considering offering between 15-20% less that online price to start negotiations. No car to trade in either. I'm not afraid of walking out of a dealer, she isn't moving in until the end of August, so we have about 2 months.
We've been searching on AutoTrader (any other good sites?) and looking up CarFax and VINs to put together a list of cars we want to see.
As for car selection, I'm thinking 2009+ Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla sedans, automatic transmission, <30k miles. She'll be driving 50 miles RT per day in traffic so city gas mileage is a huge consideration, as is vehicle reliability and maintainability. She's not so concerned with high tech stuff (Nav, Satellite Radio), luxury (leather, moonroof, etc) or being a sporty drive. The goal is to keep the car for at least 5 years, hopefully longer.
Any suggestions are appreciated, we're going to start heading to dealerships this weekend and hopefully make a purchase in the next 3 weeks.
If you need any further information please let me know. Thanks!
TL;DR
Requirements:
Questions
UPDATE:
Did plenty of research and found 5 comparable Civics (trim, mileage, year, color, etc) from local dealers. Went and test drove a couple and ended up buying the third one. Got a CPO Civic with 30k miles for $13.6k, less than $15k including TTL, so no money down for us, so I'm pleased.
Since I had trade-in prices (average and clean) + Edmunds TMV & Black Book retail prices I got some aggressive pricing. First offer was 4k below off window, then we basically met in the middle. I don't know what they bought it for, so they likely turned a decent profit, but I didn't pay any more than I wanted to and got a car I wanted (CPO to boot!), which leaves me happy.
Thanks for the help & suggestions.
She has already been pre-approved for $15k @1.99%(which is the max budget). We can put money down if needed, but I don't particularly want to unless absolutely required. I certainly don't mind spending less money, however I am not a car guy, I don't have a garage or tools, etc to do most maintenance myself so newer models years are what we're looking at.
Any tips for buying a used car? I'm not considering private sales (due to the loan terms) - does it matter if we go Certified Pre-Owned or "regular" used? I'm assuming the prices are negotiable as well, and was considering offering between 15-20% less that online price to start negotiations. No car to trade in either. I'm not afraid of walking out of a dealer, she isn't moving in until the end of August, so we have about 2 months.
We've been searching on AutoTrader (any other good sites?) and looking up CarFax and VINs to put together a list of cars we want to see.
As for car selection, I'm thinking 2009+ Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla sedans, automatic transmission, <30k miles. She'll be driving 50 miles RT per day in traffic so city gas mileage is a huge consideration, as is vehicle reliability and maintainability. She's not so concerned with high tech stuff (Nav, Satellite Radio), luxury (leather, moonroof, etc) or being a sporty drive. The goal is to keep the car for at least 5 years, hopefully longer.
Any suggestions are appreciated, we're going to start heading to dealerships this weekend and hopefully make a purchase in the next 3 weeks.
If you need any further information please let me know. Thanks!
TL;DR
- pre-approved for $15k, no down payment required by lender
- no garage or tools to do maintenance at home
- daily driver, 50 miles RT in heavy traffic on highway.
Requirements:
- good city gas mileage
- 4 door sedan
- automatic transmission
- <30k miles
- no private sales due to loan terms
- 5+ years before getting another car
Questions
- Other choices than 2009+ Civic & Corolla?
- does "Certified Pre Owned" really buy me anything?
- Can I offer 15-20% less than asking to start negotiating (without being laughed out of the place)?
- Where can I find accurate vehicle value for free? Is KBB.com accurate?
- what are good sites to search for used cars from dealer?
- what questions should I ask while at the dealer? What should I look out for?
UPDATE:
Did plenty of research and found 5 comparable Civics (trim, mileage, year, color, etc) from local dealers. Went and test drove a couple and ended up buying the third one. Got a CPO Civic with 30k miles for $13.6k, less than $15k including TTL, so no money down for us, so I'm pleased.
Since I had trade-in prices (average and clean) + Edmunds TMV & Black Book retail prices I got some aggressive pricing. First offer was 4k below off window, then we basically met in the middle. I don't know what they bought it for, so they likely turned a decent profit, but I didn't pay any more than I wanted to and got a car I wanted (CPO to boot!), which leaves me happy.
Thanks for the help & suggestions.
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