Buying a Used Car

[EricTheCarGuy]

Here are some tips when buying a used car. Feel free to add your own opinions and experiences.

Topic

[toyodagreg]

That is very true Eric. I work at a toyota dealership, our owner has a lexus down the street and we get lexus vehicles coming in all the time becaise they cant afford to take their car to lexus. Also seen so many high end cars that people cant afford to maintain. My opinion is if you cant afford the upkeep dont buy it.

[jeffrey]

There’s a reason those used beemers are so cheap. But most people don’t look at a vehicle as just transportation. In our culture “you are your car.” You’re saying “I’m successful. I’m fast and furious. I’m a cowboy.”
Get past all that crap and its not hard to come up with good, economical transportation. A luxury car to me gets me from point A to point B cost effectively without any troubles. Starts every morning. Doesn’t drink a lot of gas, cost me a fortune in insurance and monthly payment. Believe me, thats a luxury.
But who can resist? Literally back in High School girls would date you because of your car. Culture gets complicated, doesnn’t it?

[Hope Balvanz]

I could go on and on about this subject with all my used cars that I have bought.

[Hope Balvanz]

I’ve had good and I’ve had bad. I’ve never owned a new vehicle and I probably never will, though it would be nice, since I live on a gravel road two and a half miles from the nearest blacktop. Our theory is drive them ’til the wheels fall off, figuratively, or until the sliding door falls off as in the case of our Silhouette, literally (see picture). Out of all the used vehicles I’ve owned over the years (7 of them not counting ones that my husband has bought), three of them I had issues with. One was from a family member so I didn’t hold a grudge. The second was from a dealership that was no longer in business within two years after I bought my car. The third was my fault for listening to my husband instead of my instinct. I don’t listen to my husband any more.

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[Michele Pensotti]

I could not agree more with you, I have always bought used cars since in my opinion a (good) used car has more value and less surprises than a brand new car.

And this is true also but not only because a new car starts losing value as soon as it leaves the parking lot, but also because new cars contain an awful lot of “surprises” that need to be resolved, sometimes with costly repairs, and with “costly” I mean also they cost a lot of “downtime” (forgive my IT terminology! 😉 ), and time is money!

Also, every single time I have considered buying a new car, always, always, always I tried to make a proportion between the *high* buying price and the *real* value of the car, which in the end is a means of transportation, and in my way of seeing things, the price is always too high for a *car*.

I know too many people which bought a new car, and it really was their pride, they “loved” it almost as if it was a baby, but in the end they felt “betrayed” by it, when it started breaking down in a series of defects, which the dealer could not or did not want to resolve.

I mean, the money they gave the dealer was good money, but what they got in exchange was not that good.

Instead , when you buy a used car, you really need to do the homework and with that I mean to check the model’s history of pattern failures, then check the price and availability of the parts, then you check the availability of information on how to do some of the repairs by yourself, and lastly you check the cost of of consumables (for example tyres, brake pads, clutch, exhaust, filters & c…etc etc)

But with a used car this is very much easier, because it’s “old” and a lot of people already have encountered those problems, and so there is some statistics to use at your advantage, to try and foresee (and avoid!) possible problems, even before they happen.

And the Internet is a very very great help in this (and I also mean YOU Eric 😆 )

I didn’t buy two very old cars in a very short amount of time to hurt myself, but just for the opposite reason, they are simple, no electronics or very little, their engine bays are accessible, the parts are still available and don’t cost much, the tyres are small and cost very little, they use very little gas since they are light (one is 700kg and one 900kg!!), and last but not least the very old cars (those with an historic interest I mean) can use some huge fiscal and insurance advantages (at least here in Italy) , so they are very convenient all-round.

Also, if a car that’s been used is still around, it’s probable that some (sometimes lots!) of its “youth problems” have already been fixed by its previous owner, and you get it already “pattern-failure-free”. Not bad!

And, by they way, I don’t feel that the latest cars are that much more comfortable than those of 20 years ago…maybe I don’t have very special tastes in the matters of comfort….but that’s it for me!

That’s my opinion folks! 😉

Live long and prosper (and stay dirty!)

10nico

[Darren]

So Im 16 and my parents had an 05 Dodge Durango 4.7v8, 4×4, tow package, pretty much everything I was looking for. My dad does no kind of maintenance on his vehicles whats so ever. He changed the oil in the durango every 5000 miles and put a water pump on it, and that was it, it was very reliable and never broke down. So I was given the car with 113k miles on it in late June. I did know that the engine wasn’t in very good shape, but I was assured by my dad that it was “no big deal that it burnt a quart of oil every 100 miles” which I knew was a major issue inside the engine. I did a compression test, leak down test and found that the head gasket need replaced. so I was being given a $5000 car that needed an engine. not a horrible deal in my eyes. By the way I have done all of the work on this truck listed below…

engine with 50k miles…$2000 with 2 months of my time to put it in.
tires (goodyear wranglers)…$800
fuel pump…$200
bodywork and paint…$600
parts, gaskets, etc. for engine swap…$500
slotted rotors and wagner pads all the way around…$500
4 oxygen sensors @$75 each…$300

I also…

changed the tranny fluid
changed the transfer case fluid
rear diff pinion seal and fluid change
front diff fluid change
had to have someone vacuum and charge the AC from the engine swap
rebuilt the emergency brake
4 shock absorbers

and I get 9 mpg, I drive about 200 miles a week, a 22 gal tank, I spend $80 a week on gas, and $300 a month on insurance.

So the truck is about to hit 119k miles and in a 6k mile period I have spent…a little over $5000 in parts!

the truck still needs…

2 CV axles and 2 front hub assembly’s
alternator is going bad
I have to figure out why it has a hard downshift every once in a while
power steering pump, and i will probably replace the steering rack when I do the front drive line

So yes I know SUV’s are expensive, and yes the durango will be running like a watch in no time, but used cars can be a good deal, just don’t buy them from my dad. haha stay dirty everyone!

and I know what you mean Eric about people with 4×4 thinking their exempt from road conditions, this is what my friends truck looks like that hydroplaned and hit 4 trees. I was the first one there and it was not pretty. He is OK though, I don’t know how but hes is. his head went though the driver side window. he wasn’t wearing a seat belt.

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[Duncan MacPherson]

Well I myself have only bought one used car, and it was an 86 Camry. Pride of ownership was the main reason I got it. He had every piece of paperwork, every oil change you name it. He had every record of what the car had done to it. He was the original owner. I got it for 850 and have only had to put 200 into it. It is a great little 5 speed to get you to and fro. The body is meh along with the interior, but she runs like a champ. There are minor issues with the syncros, but I can live with that. Like you said though 2G is where it seems to lie. It would cost about 1G to get it fixed. In all honestly though it will probably last another good 200K All in all a great experience in buying a used car. Craigslist is how I found mine. At least in the VA. Area. Also another reason I got it is because of Toyota’s reputation. My father leased an old Toyota pickup 5 speed. He ended up buying it. 400K later he sold it for 1.5K. The only thing he had to replace was the master cylinder. Other than regular oil changes and mantince zero problems. So I will always buy Toyota. Other than Kerns Toyota having a bad GM for their garage I will always be a loyal Toyota owner.

[surge]

Don’t trust Carfax when it comes to looking for a used car because

my car has been in 3 THREE accidents that have all been reported to insurance and when I ran the carfax it came out squeaky clean! LOL what a joke.

slid into a curb going 35 (4.5k damage reported to American Family)
friend backed into fender and headlight (3k reported to PEMCO)
someone hit and ran me in the back and front (8k reported to Progressive under by collision policy since that dude didn’t have insurance, got his plates though)

this is a 2005 Maxima, and eric or anyone else, what can you say about the reliability in general is of the 6th gen(2004-2008) maximas?

[Dylan]

Ah used cars, i could write a book (as we all could). every vehicle i have ever owned was used and bought from private sellers because, well im broke. First car, my 94 chevy half ton, biggest piece of sh*t ever, not going to get into the issues here but it lasted me a year and a half before I sold it to my uncle (never doing that again). I would have kept it but it was to costly to put gas in, 34 gallon tank three to four dollar gas, do the math. I then bought a 2000 Chevy venture minivan. Right out of high school i had a minivan, no lies. I paid 1500 for it and was very happy. I did not know much about the 3.4 and 3.1 motors at the time, a few months after owning it and putting tires on it head gaskets went out. would have cost 1500 to fix it so it got sold for a few hundred and I still see it rolling around town. Then i bought my lumina, great car had no problems until the head gaskets went out in that one about 7-8 months later. it had a 3.1. Then I found my current ride a 96 Dakota. Always wanted one, it was a good deal, looked great. I also wanted it because i wanted to learn how to drive a manual. After I got the title I found out it had a salvage title, and found a few things wrong with it and was thinking i was an idiot for wanting it. Well a clutch and some other misc. parts its arguably the second best vehicle i ever owned, behind my old half ton.

Now on to the dealership portion, one thing that was failed to be mentioned was after the inspections and they are certified some poor guy is going to have to clean and detail the car (me). That is the biggest problem when buying used at a dealership, i have seen 50 thousand dollar suvs destroyed inside and out, that have to be as clean as we can humanly possibly get them. Or the hammer from hell (salesmen) comes after you because it doesnt look good enough to sell. Not my fault you guys bought a pile of sh*t. Will they tell the next owner that it was brought in looking like crap? i doubt it. Also i have gotten sick from some of the cars ive had to clean. It sucks at times but right now I cant see myself doing anything else. anyway, i am not going to say not to buy used from a dealership, there is the good point of the certified used however you end up paying so much more than you really should for the vehicle. I love being able to talk to the previous owners to find out what really was done to the car before it was sold and how they treated it. Its a lot better than a salesman telling you “oh yeah its a great car, they dont have a lot of problems blah blah blah” Knowing exactly what you want is big too. I see so many people that know what they want they look at it and they like it and they buy it, there are some people that are clueless and dont know anything and just buy because its cheep, or it looks cool. Do some research about the vehicle and the car line themselves first, you might avoid a problem that way as well.

[Leon]

Eric,

Mechanically and reliability wise, which car is better? An E36 M3 (92-99) or a 97-01 Audi S4? I will get a better paying job in the summer and do much of the maintenance/repairs myself to keep costs down. I will also only get a 5/6 speed manual.

[Wayne]

Actually just bought a 1997 Chevy C1500 (silverado) the day before yesterday. $600. Craigslist buy.

Knew I wasn’t getting anything awesome, but frame is good. Engine and trans at the least need rebuilding/replacing. And as it was a kid using it for mudding and such from the look of it, the interior isn’t exactly in the best of shape either… But for $600, about what a salvage yard would pay for it, I think I made out ok.

As Eric indicated, by the time I’m done it will probably be in the $2k range to fix up, after trim, HVAC control, engine and trans rebuilt/replaced, etc..

I think the rules were a bit different for me than the usual person looking to buy a used vehicle though. I knew I wasn’t going to get anything fully functional for what I was willing to pay for a pickup, and I have no problem pissing off my neighbors leaving it in pieces in my driveway for stretches while I fix it. 😉 A fixer-upper for a second vehicle capable of hauling is all I was after.

I would add, in my experience, even if you have it inspected, expect to spend about $500 on it directly in the first month AFTER the purchase. Usually brakes, wires, and other miscellaneous bits such as fluids will need to be done in most private purchase cases.

[moodit tang]

Lol I just posted a long list of parts I changed on my 94 Lexus Es and I still have a missfire issue with it 2 weeks at the local shop with no luck I have the money that I have saved from not buying a new car so I just keep spending my extra cash on it 7 years in a car for 5,000 dollars is not to bad I don’t think.

[Lord Ihcalam]

I’ve had 7 used cars since the day i turned 16 and sold my mongoose for gas money. 2 biggest piles of sh*t ive owned were the ‘mini’ trucks, the first a 85 S10 Durango with a 2.8 shaker in it. spent more time and money on that pile than i did buying my first car. the second was a 93 Exploder. started off well went downhill fast. I picked up my truck in 98 with 99,950 on the odometer for 7900.00 first thing i did was mud the shit out of it, thus replacing the transmission. i got 12 years and 70k out of it before i had to start replacing a bunch of stuff. Rearend blew up on me, and locked up the transmission 3k in repairs right there. i figure i got my money out of it and was happy to put out the money for something i know intimately. I picked up my 9c1 for 700.00 guy wanted 1250 for it. i knew buying it it needed tons of work, but i had a parts car and a free summer so i went at it.

point is know what you are buying. when you test drive, if the salesman in the passenger seat isnt white from fright you arent testing the car properly. And always ask the detailmen and the service technicians about the car that you are looking at. if nobody is around you will probably get a better feel for the condition than the story the salesman will give you.

[Macsloverd]

About the Germans’.

I’ve had 17 used cars since the day I’ve got my license in the Europe and only one of them is Japanese (which was produced in the Europe). I have some personal experience about Germans’ cars that I would like to share.

VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat….to be honest, I am not quite a fan of VW groups, for one thing, they are the same. You buy an Audi TT, you get a Golf/GTI engine in it. What you get is a look and tripled money. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love the looks of Audis but VW group is like GM. Mechanically, VWs are not as strong as other German cars: head gasket failure is like maintenance work – at least to my 6 VW, Audi and Skoda experience. Oh, BTW, their transmission is not so hot either. First the CVT and then the DSG transmission problem… and no, the gas mileage is poor. About the driving, speedy and powerful.

BMWs, I am a big fan of them. I’ve had E46 (facelift and pre-facelift) 3 Series, E90 3 Series, E53 X5, E60 5 Series, E65 (facelift and pre-facelift) 7 Series,F07 (I think) 5 Series Gran Turismo and I have never met any serious mechanical problem. the E65 was known for its electronic problems but not to me. However, the E46s do have problems with its rubber parts, e.g. engine mounts, transmission mounts, lower control arm bushings…the gas mileage is great. The driving, sensitive and fantastic.

Mercedes-Benz, I have owned a 2004 S320 and a 2004 S55 AMG, extremely comfortable to drive due to the air suspension however, this type of suspension on Mercedes would fail and quite common and they are very expensive to fix – even in Europe. And also the vacuum pump of the soft-close doors are pron to fail – more money to spend. The engine sound (not the exhaust sound) is too loud, maybe its the “sound of power” but it’s just too loud. The gas mileage, not as good as BMW but the S55 was an AMG (5.4L supercharged V8) and it can be as bad as 11 MPG.

Personally, I appreciate the German craftsmanship and with a good ownership-history, they can last (I have a friend, he owns a Merc with over 600k mile on the clock!). All the used car I have owned are not bought from private person and all come with full dealer maintenance records (but not certified pre-owned).

[marilyn35]

I’m lucky, I’ve only owned 2 cars and I’ve been driving since I was 15. First car crappy Nissan Pulsar, I hated it and it hated me. Second car purchased when I was around 21…still got it. ’95 Toyota Corolla, got it at Toyota dealership as a Signature Class vehicle (warranty, free service for 2 years etc etc), with only 52000km on it, an ex-lease from Auckland Airport! This car is unbelievable, got 260000km and still going strong (it’s only a 1.3L) but Toyota did a quality run-around car in those days. She is well looked after, even when I knew nothing about cars she was well looked after.
Buying a new car is something I will probably never do, and don’t want to really. Why? When you get get such a good deal on secondhand if you are careful. However, I do see the attraction, not only a lovely new engine but an untouched interior….blissful lol.
I know my car won’t go forever but I have no idea what I’ll go for next. I like to think I am loyal to Toyota, but Hyundai has got a very good name here now (New Zealand) and I have heard some less than tasteful things about newer Toyota’s for reliability.
Oh well, here’s to happy motoring in second hand cars!! 😉

[Author]

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