Purchasing Used Vehicles

jlawrence01

That said, I'm guessing it was somebody's company car. Now, do I run away from it on that basis?

No. As a fleet manager with quite a few company cars, most of my drivers take good care of their cars. I mean, they are not paying for it so they get the cars in for their regular service. They also son't know when\if they are going to get a new one and what type of vehicle it will be ... so they have some incentive to keep current.

I have had bad experiences with the ONE Volvo I have had in the fleet. I do not think that that is representative of the brand necessarily.

jaat

Hi,

One of my friend told me that Memorial Day long weekend is a very good time to buy used car from dealers and dealers come up with nice deals for that weekend. Is that true? I know end of month is a possible good time. Is there a specific time when we should look for Used Car deals?

Thanks in advance !!!

qbrozen

gotta be the area. where do you live?

just hit the first site and did a search and the most expensive '03 to '05 V70 by me is a certified '04 2.5T with only 35k miles for $21,900. Then there is an '03 certified with 42k miles for $18,990.

Oddly enough, only 2 V40s. One is overpriced at $18,990 and the other has over 90k miles.

qbrozen

On used cars? Not really. I mean, used cars aren't like new cars in that they don't carry manufacturer support. What the dealer paid for the vehicle at auction is what it cost. There are no hidden special rebates, no holdback, no nothing. So, for the most part, a dealer has a lowpoint they will sell a used car at and that's that.

automan12

The thing to remember though, used cars are each different, I mean one could have the engine that burns oil, the other's tranny might be on the last miles, and some of these car could still be certified. I worked for dealers, the certification does eliminate some lemons, but I've seen cars that consume a lot of oil and still being certified. I mean the best deal isn't the cheapest car. Best used car deal is a good condition car for reasonable price.

cjandrews

I'm considering buying a used vehicle from a dealer (a 2002) and I noticed on the Carfax/Autocheck reports that the vehicle has spent much of the last 2 years being shuttled from auction to dealer to auction to dealer.

What does this mean? Is there anything I should read into this about the car or is it common?

Thanks!!!

BTW, I couldn't figure out how to start a new discussion in this forum or I would have tried that.

tidester

BTW, I couldn't figure out how to start a new discussion in this forum or I would have tried that.

This is the right place for your question. For reference, you need to use Smart Shopper - Suggest a topic of discussion to start a new discussion in Smart Shopper.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

cjknick

I currently have a 2004 Kia Sedona that I can no longer afford to drive. As a single mom with a limited budget (yes, I have a job and make a fairly decent income), the gas prices are killing me. I've decided it's time to sell and purchase something that receives better gas mileage.

I drive about 1300 miles a month. I need something that gets at least 30 mpg in the city. I've done a ton of research online and cannot figure out what car would be best for me to purchase. And then there's the dilemma of trying to decide to sell my current vehicle on my own or be a bit upside down on a trade with a dealer.

The research I have done indicates a Honda Accord or a Toyota Camry as good options for me but they don't get the gas mileage I'm looking for and I also may not be able to afford them. I need a vehicle that is reliable but really can't afford to spend more than about $13,000, and that's as high as I could really go - and only if the vehicle did indeed get the minimum of 30mpg.

I'm overwhelmed with trying to figure all of this out and am hoping to receive some viable opinions from those who are less ignorant than I.

I should add I have two girls, both teenagers, who are active in one year-round sport each. I don't transport many other kids but do have 4 kids in the car fairly frequently. I do most of my driving in town but also take out-of-state trips about 3 or 4 times a year.

Anyone out there to help me out?

I appreciate your time and opinions.

Cindy
Boise, ID

cccompson

You can no longer afford the Sedonna because of? Payment too high? Mileage too poor? What?

My guess here is that you will get killed trading the Kia and your best bet (without any other info) is to just keep it. The potential loss on a trade will buy ALOT of gasoline, even at $3.00 per gallon.

Anything that gets 30 mpg in town can't carry 5 people (4 teens and yourself) in any sort of comfort. The best of the small cars (Civic, Corolla) command high prices used and are not, therefore, particularly good values.

cjknick

Thanks for the response.

When I purchased the Sedona two years ago, the payment was manageable. But between the payment and current gas prices, it's costing me $500+/month to drive. I also didn't have two teens at that time, now I do (one cheerleader and one competitive gymnast... not inexpensive activities!)

I've considered selling my Kia on my own but am really intimidated trying to do it. I don't know the first thing about selling a vehicle! And there's not alot on the 'net about it either (what do you do when someone wants to test drive? Go with them? Keep something [what?] for collateral? What's and how do you manage the administrative logistics if you do sell it?).

I guess asking for something that would fit my lifestyle that gets 30 mpg is too much?

It's times like these that I wish I had a husband so I didn't have to deal with it

I'm really hoping for another option other than keeping it. The monthly cost of doing so is killing me. I'm open to any ideas... there's sure to be some I haven't thought of?

Thanks again.

Cindy
Boise, ID

jlawrence01

As an acoountant (and fleet manager), you can generally NEVER justify the purchase of a new vehicle on the basis of fuel efficiency. When my car died in February, I replaced the 1996 Ciera (24 mpg) with a 2007 Toyota Corolla (31 mpg). Any gas savings was offset by higher insurance and all the taxes I had to pay on the new vehicle.

When gas hit $2.00 back in 2002 or so, my wife and I decided to make some tough decisions to stay on track to our budget. In the first year, we cut our driving from about 12k to 9k miles which saved a lot in gas costs. Currently, I think that we are tracking near 7k miles this year.

We don't make special trips for groceries. We don't go driving around just to see the countryside. We carpool a couple days a week. We don't head the 65 miles into Chicago by car anymore relying on a train or a bus. On bowling night, I work late and head straight to the lanes rather than heading home.

You will save little by trading in a vehicle with terrible depreciation (which means you will suffer a big hit) and buying a different vehicle.

tidester

You may also be interested in this topic: What's the best vehicle for my needs?

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

bolivar

Ok, I've never had kids.

But, as an option, it may be time to have a heart-to-heart with your two kids. Something along the lines of 'I really can't afford both your extra-circular activities.'

I would bet a lot of that 1,300 miles is toting these kids to locations for their activities. And in Idaho, that location is probably quite a few miles away. Maybe a heart to heart with some of the other mothers that are finincial more 'able' to step up with the out-of-town trips. You might do more to help with the in-town activities to even it out.

And, it might come to a time that the kids would hear that 'I can't afford this any more'.

As I said, this is someone with no kids. But I just don't see parents actually having to spend themselves into a poorhouse to give their kids 'everything'.

This is coming from someone whose after-school activities involved walking about a mile (to 'catch a ride'), or riding a single speed bike 3 miles, over dirt roads, if I wanted to attend an event. And, I did do 3 years Little League and 2 years of Pony League baseball in the summers doing this.

jipster

Maybe do a straight trade with a dealership car you like.

wtap2

There are two identical 2004 Buick Rendezvous for sale in the Detroit Michigan area. One has 34,229 miles priced at $15,799. The other has 19,558 miles priced at $17,995.Both are GM Certified. A 2004 with less than 20,000 miles is kind of hard to believe. Dealers are reputable. There is roughly a difference of 15,000 miles and $2,000 between the two. I need a little Imput. Mileage vs price? Don't know if this is the proper place to post.Thanks

151ranch

I cannot think of any car that will get 30mpg and seat five comfortably that you can drive for less than $500 (even with gas at $2.00!). And the four cylinder Accords and Camrys probably don't get 30mpg in the city, anyway.

I am guessing by the fact you aren't wanting to keep it that you really don't like the Sodona. You will probably need to look at smaller cars. I would look at the Fit, Yaris and Versa, because the small domestics are cheaper, but still don't get great mileage. And gas is going up.
Used cars that get 30mpg aren't available at a any price around me.

jipster

That's still low mileage on the 34,000 mile vehicle. Owner probably got ride of it as warranty about ready to expire.. which is good. Will the dealership look up the service and repair history for you, if serviced at GM should be available on file. I would go for the higher mileaged vehicle and pay less. These prices are asking price, so you should be able to go 15-20% lower.

cccompson

My view is to the contrary, lower miles are almost always worth the extra, both at time of purchase and down the road.

In this particular case, the $2200 difference in asking prices almost exactly reflects fiften cents per additional mile.

Low miles are not all that unusual. A guy that works for me is getting ready to turn in an '04 Rendevous. He bought extra miles upfront on his three year lease (a total of 45,000). As it turns out, the vehicle has yet to hit 30K. He hasn't even asked about the buy-out, figuring it's too high.

jipster

Over the short, or long haul, I don't see the mileage difference making any difference in repairs. Again, the vehicle with higher miles is still a low mileage vehicle. If the lower mileage vehicle was driven short distances frequently, it may be the one that has more mechanical problems... makes better economic sense to save the $2,200, all other things being equal.

thuanvo

Who pays for the new state license if the old license expired before the purchase at a dealer?
On June 10th 2007, I bought a used 06 car that has the sticker on the license plate as May 2007 from a dealer. Who is supposed to pay for the new state license (California)? The dealer or I?
Thanks.

Kirstie_H

They should not have let you drive off with expired tags. I do not know California law, but in many states, they take the old plates off and give you a temporary tag until you can register the vehicle and get new plates. Those plates are probably registered to the previous owner of the vehicle.

Check your bill of sale. Were you charged for tax, title, and license at the dealership?

thuanvo

Thanks for your response.
Yes, I was charged for tax, title, and license.
I drove the car with an expired license plate without knowing.
They posted a piece of paper on the inside of the front windshield.
In California, the license plate stay with the car when you sell it.
I was in North Carolina once where the license plate does not stay with the car when you sell it.
I still wonder if the dealer is suppose to pay for the license?

Kirstie_H

My advice is to call the dealership. If they charged you for registration (license), then they should pay for the updated tags.

It could have been an honest mistake, or maybe the paperwork has been submitted and they're just waiting for the new stickers. If you have a temporary tag in the window, you're at least legal. Just call them up and inquire politely, and hopefully you'll get a positive response.

electic3142

Hi All,

I am planning to buy a 2005.05 VW Jetta 2.5 with package 2.
The carfax record is very clean and "qualifies for carfax buyback guarantee". However, I found something interestingly odd in first couple of records in car fax report.
This is what the report says:

Date: 3/17/2005
mileage: 11
Source: Volkswagen, Charlotte, NC
Comments: Vehicle serviced. Pre-delivery inspection completed

Date: 3/28/2005
mileage: 4,740
Source: Volkswagen, Charlotte, NC
Comments: Vehicle sold.

I have two questions:
1. The vehicle was sold when it had a whooping 4,740 miles on it. Isn't that odd?
2. From 17-march to 28-march (11 days) the vehicle was driven about 4,729 miles, even before selling it. Is that odd?

Apart from these two points everything else looks neat. Its a single owner personal vehicle. Car fax report says no problem with salvage/fire/flood/lemon/actual mileage etc. The car looks and feels great too.

Am I missing something here?
Thanks in advance!

qbrozen

1. The vehicle was sold when it had a whooping 4,740 miles on it. Isn't that odd?
2. From 17-march to 28-march (11 days) the vehicle was driven about 4,729 miles, even before selling it. Is that odd?

5k miles in 11 days is pretty odd, yeah. But not impossible. selling it with only that many miles seems to be pretty common, though. there are thousands of used cars out there with ultra-low miles.

Maybe someone bought it, drove it nearly across the country and back, then realized they didn't like it or needed something bigger or whatever.

electic3142

Thanks for your message gbrozen.

I think, I did not make myself very clear in my first message. Sorry about that. The vehicle was sold by the Volkswagen LLC, Charlotte dealership to the first owner when it already had 4,740 miles on it! Also, almost all these miles were put on the vehicle just within 11 days before selling it to its first owner!

Odd, eh?

thanks!

qbrozen

actually, i was going to suggest maybe a dealership employee took it on a long trip.
sounds like that is what happened.

kyfdx

I'd guess it is a typo..

electic3142

Hmm.. thats what I am thinking too. Thanks gbrozen.

I am not sure if I should take this as a red flag, and walk away from the deal. Or should I keep faith in the over all "clean" carfax report and go ahead and buy the car if I get a good price.

kyfdx

How many miles on the car now?

electic3142

It's 2005.5 Jetta 2.5 with package 2.
Got 18,000 miles on it now.

kyfdx

Over 2 years old with only 18K? Can't beat that.. I wouldn't worry too much about when the mileage was put on.. Just more about how it was driven. And, of course, no one knows that answer.

Any other CarFax mileage entries, besides the first two?

electic3142

Thanks kyfdx.
I am posting all the carfax records for the car (2005.5 Jetta 2.5 package 2). Any idea red flag? (Again, the carfax report in general is very clean. No salvage/accident/lemon/fire. This car qualifies for "carfax buyback guarantee".)
Any idea what price range I should be looking at for this car?
Also, any particular type of extended warranties I should go for?
Thanks in advance!

Carfax records:
2005.5 Jetta 2.5 package 2

Date: Not Reported
Source: NICB
Vehicle manufactured and shipped to original dealer

Date: March/2005
Miles: 11
Source: Volkswagen dealership, Charlotte
Vehicle serviced
Pre-delivery inspection completed

Date: March/2005
Miles: 4,740
Source: Volkswagen dealership, Charlotte
Vehicle sold

Date: March/2005
(No entry for miles)
Source: North Carolina Motor Vehicle Dept.
Registered as personal vehicle

Date: May/2005
(No entry for miles)
Source: Volkswagen dealership, Charlotte
Vehicle serviced

Date: July/2005
(No entry for miles)
Source: Volkswagen dealership, Charlotte
Vehicle serviced

Date: November/2005
(No entry for miles)
Source: Volkswagen dealership, Charlotte
Vehicle serviced
Oil and filter changed chassis lubricated

Date: March/2006
Miles: 7,090
Source: North Carolina Inspection Station
Passed emissions inspection

Date: July/2006
(No entry for miles)
Source: North Carolina Motor Vehicle Dept.
Registration issued or renewed
First owner reported
Loan or lien reported
Passed safety inspection

Date: March/2007
Miles: 16,660
Source: North Carolina Inspection Station
Passed emissions inspection

Date: May/2007
Miles: 18,500
Source: North Carolina Inspection Station
Passed emissions inspection

Thanks!

metro123

A dealer demo maybe?

qbrozen

hmmm... some strange things again, I think. Why did it have to get inspected for emissions in the same state twice in 2 months?? It passed both times, so there's nothing wrong. Just weird. MAYBE a busted windshield, which means the sticker wasn't on the new windshield.

ANYWAY, I don't see anything that should worry you one bit.

metro - I think the issue with the dealer demo is still that it saw almost 5k miles in 11 days. That's an awful lot for a demo. Maybe, just maybe, another possibility is that someone had a problem with their new Jetta right before going on vacation and the dealer lent them this new one to appease them. Anything is possible really. But nothing would necessarily concern me about it.

kyfdx

I'm still voting on a typo... If it really had almost 5000 miles at sale, then the owner only drove it 3000 miles over the next year, versus 9000 miles the year after that.

That doesn't seem likely.

Kirstie_H

In my state, emissions inspections are only valid for 60 days. So, if it's on a dealer's lot for longer than 60 days and emissions inspection is included, then it would have to be inspected every 2 months.

qbrozen

I'm not following you. You mean to tell me you might have to go through inspection every 2 months for as long as you own a car?? Or you always have to go every 2 months?

Since the carfax only shows those 2, I wouldn't think this is the case here.

But, regardless, it would be HORRIBLE if I had to go through inspection every 2 months!! That's at LEAST a 90-minute ordeal here in NJ, and that's when its not busy!

Kirstie_H

No, LOL. I guess I didn't express myself very well.

You only have to do it within 60 days of registering your vehicle. A lot of dealerships have the car ready to drive off the lot when a deal is struck, so that would include having a valid emissions inspection (since the owner has to take the inspection notice to the DMV him/herself and complete the registration/licensing process). So, they tend to get the inspection completed when they put the car on the lot. If the car sits on the lot for more than 60 days, then the inspection isn't valid for the new owner, so they just get another one done so that the vehicle is drive-off ready.

qbrozen

AH!

steine13

A lot of funny things happen when all the paperwork is filled out.

I ran across the pink mileage disclosure slip of the '04 Vibe I bought new a few years back.

It reads "72".

I bought it in October. It was a sunny, beautiful day. The car had around 30 miles on it.
The temperature at the time, as displayed on the dashboard, was 72 degree Fahrenheit.

So I'm with kyfdx; the 4738 miles or whatever were probably read off the trip meter: 473.8 miles.

I had an Aerostar with a digital odometer that was almost impossible to read right at a glance.

-Mathias

khong74

I'm about to purchase a used car which has an awesome deal. But the deal is too good to believe. Please help me out whether this can be a mistake or a huge deal.

Yesterday I met the seller who claims that he has to abruptly move to another state that he has to get rid of it very quickly with a super low prise and inspected the car.

Realizing the great value I did give him $2,000 cash deposit and wrote a personal check for the rest (fortunately I gave a date weeks later). I inspected the title and drove the car back home. And he said we are going to meet tomorrow at DMV to transfer the title. The only thing that I regret not doing yesterday is to see his ID card to compare with the name on the title. So if you guys give me some help, that would be greatly appreciated.

There are several points of which I'm suspicious.

1) please review the car fax of this. and let me know whether it is clean or not. It seems to be but I'm not sure what "commercial lease" means. Maybe that means it's a company car. But he claimed that it was his wife's car he bought for her. And He claimed that he is a graphic designer employed by a company rather than an owner of a company.

VIN: KNDJD736775697438
(Following is the excerpt of the car fax)

Year purchased 2007
Type of owner: Commercial lease
Estimated length of ownership: 5 months
Owned in the following states/provinces: California
Estimated miles driven per year --- Last reported odometer reading: 10

01/05/2007
10
California Motor Vehicle Dept.
San Antonio, TX
Title issued or updated First owner reported Registered as commercial lease vehicle Loan or lien reported

06/24/2007
Kia Motors America, Inc.
No open recalls reported

Other than these, there is no report of stolen vehicle, salvaged, or rebuilt etc.

2) the car is about 5 months ago, but still without a permanent plate. The seller claims that it is okay to drive with the dealer plate for 8 months. Is that right?

3) Is there any way to check that this car has been stolen? or rental car or still under lease?

If I go to a DMV with this guy tomorrow, if ever I get a call back from him (he's not returning my calls), what is the important things that I should keep in mind? Thank you very much for your help.

geffen

How many miles are currently on the vehicle? usually commerical lease means its a company car, unless they purchased the car and carfax isn't updated, i would be a bit leary of the car it still may have a lien holder attached, a huge red flag would be a dealer plate attached doesn't make sense why they would still be driving around with a dealer plate all this time, this car could be a loaner from a dealer he's trying to sell off or stolen. I would be interested in hearing how this all plays out.

khong74

its about 10k miles. But the seller had the title. How could you explain that? And how do you know there still is a lien holder or not when you take a look at the title? Sorry for the stupid question.

qbrozen

Well, what name was on the title? If his, then he owned it free and clear, to the best of my knowledge. I don't believe you can hold a title to a car you don't own. However, did you take the title? Or does the seller still have it? If the seller still has it, I would be nervous.

On the other hand. Its a Kia. So I would also suspect that maybe you didn't get as great of a deal as you think.(??) People are exactly banging down doors to get a used Kia.

As far as the temp plate, maybe its a state-by-state thing, but here in NJ, 30 days is the limit.

british_rover

It is 90 days in some states but I have never heard of using a temp plate as long as this guy has claimed to.

khong74

Well, it turned out to be a stolen car. I'll never trust carfax any more.

qbrozen

ouch!

well, when was it stolen?? How did the seller have the title??

stickguy

Either it was bogus, or they stole the title too?

Sounds like you are out the 2k cash, but hopefully can at least stop payment on the check (although it is likely they wouldn't try to cash that anyway, as it leaves a paper trail).

One of lifes lessons. If something doesn't feel right, it likely isn't, so better to back off.

british_rover

Carfax has a lag time though. If it was stolen fairly recently it wouldn't show up yet.

I have seen this happen with cars that were in wrecks recently.

What happened when you went to the DMV?