Purchasing Used Vehicles

leonfam

We are looking at some used Acuras. A bunch seem to come from out of state. We are in CA. Local cars seem to have a price "premium"...so I wonder what is behind the pricing difference. NY cars have risk of corrosion, for example. We are looking at 04 or 05 TSX...mostly certified, so i would expect the dealer to have confirmed no corrosion. So..what gives?

Karen_S

A magazine reporter is interested in consumers who have purchased a used vehicle in the past few months. Please send your email address and phone number to jfallonedmunds.com by Wednesday, February 11, 2009, if you fit the bill.

hpu2000

I just wondered if you did business with Atlanta Best deals? I''m thinking about it, but am a little wary because of the really good prices... Thanks!

doing_research

We stopped there - it was very busy. They seem to be very nice - no overhead, such a fancy showroom, etc. They have a lot of cars on their small lot. The car we were considering was on a test drive and then purchased, so we did not purchase a car there. Many people take the cars on test drives and then to a mechanic to get it checked out. I highly recommend doing that. See what a mechanic says. This dealership is all about turning over as many cars as possible and to do that, they offer great prices. Worth taking a look at.

Karen_S

A reporter would like to speak to someone who has recently bought a certified pre-owned vehicle after an extensive amount of research. Please respond by Friday, February 20, 2009 to jfallon@edmunds.com with your daytime contact info and a few words about your choice.

lhy

I have heard that it's not a good idea to buy a used car with any type of transmission repair history, like an overhauled or rebuilt tranny.

It this true?

I am thinking about buying a 1998 Toyota Corolla CE, but it has a 4-speed automatic transmission that was overhauled (taken apart and then reassembled). The repair was done at 107K in 2007. And the car has about 112K miles on it now.

Should I stay away from this car based upon its transmission history?

oldfarmer50

"...Should I stay away from this car based upon it's transmission history?..."

I had the tranny rebuilt on my Plymouth at about the same milage and it was still working fine at 158K when I sold it. Same story with my Ford truck which was rebuilt at 212K and now is pushing 250K. So rebuilts can last.

You might worry about why a tranny on a Toyota would fail so early in the first place. Could there be a lack of maintence or some abuse? If so, the rest of the car might be weak also. I would want to see any maintence or repair records to indicate that the car got at least basic service and I would want to see the transmission repair records to make sure it was done at a professional shop rather than some shade tree mechanic.

jipster

Should I stay away from this car based upon its transmission history?

Only driven 5k miles in 2 years since overhaul??? "Warning Warning... Danger Will Robinson!!". :sick:

Unless the seller has sales receipt from a reputable trans. shop or dealership, I would be hesitant to buy.

lhy

Thanks for advice. I should clarify that this Toyota is a 1999 CE, not 1998 CE. It has had three owners. The car seems to belong to the daughter in a family with 4 cars. So that might be why it has only been 5k since the transmission was overhauled 2 years ago.

Other than having a mechanic do a pre-purchase check, how can I check the tranmission when I inspect the car? I know about checking the tranny fluid color and level, looking for leaks under the car, and watching how the tranmission reacts when I shift gears.

Is there anything else to watch for?

lablover2

test drove a toyota highlander 2006 4cyl on saturday-we are at a stalemate on price. without getting too specific his original offer was my car and $10,300 appr.-we are now at $7977 and my trade-i want to pay $7500. what can i do to seal the deal? i told them i would buy today at my price-that basically got me about $300 off his price. i came up $500 to $7500-is there anything else i can do? this dealer is pretty far from me so its not feasible to spend the day there-i offered to pay a deposit by cc if they took my deal-what now?

lablover2

low miles 20,000-base model-what is it worth? its on a dealer lot

jipster

Ask the dealer to split the difference, pay the dealers price, or look somewhere else.

lablover2

tried splitting the difference-says they are at rock bottom. trying to get a realistic price on this vehicle now so i know if what they want is correct. maybe someone will reply to my ? on what the highlander is worth??? thanks

Kirstie_H

Check out our Real World Trade-in Values discussion - provide info listed at the bottom, and someone should be able to help.

dtownfb

What are you trading in?

jipster

Really don't know how pursuing what the Highlander is worth is going to help you obtain the thing. If the dealership has already said they are at rock bottom price, and you've offered to split the difference with no counter from the dealership, I would say it is highly likely that the dealership is indeed at rock bottom, and it is time to move on. Still, ya never know, never hurts to ask, etc etc.

In the future, I would try to determine the price of a vehicle I was interested in buying, and then negotiate the price with the dealership.... not the other way around.

lablover2

it looks like the dealer and i are at odds on this one. i feel like where i want to be is $500 less and they say, no way. i like the highlander but am not in love with it. the new ravs are almost the same size with more horsepower and better fuel economy so i may need to look at those. thanks though, i did post over in the trade in forum to see what they think.

deltheking

It all depends on what u are trading in to actually know how much u are paying for the Highlander.
But if u are getting decent value for your trade,then,I would say just go ahead and buy it.
A low mileage Toyota,superb reliability,,go ahead and pay the extra 500 as this will serve u a long time.
Not worth thinking too much on 500--Yes if it was 1000 or more ,,yes think more.
But again your trade and the actual price of the Highlander are the info we need to know for an accurate opinion.
Just MHO.

jipster

but am not in love with it.

Good choice... if you're not in love you're not in love. No sense paying $500 more than what you think a car is worth.

I test drove the Highlander back in 04. It was nice... but I didn't love it. It probably didn't love me either. Ended up buying a Mazda MPV... love it!

flightsimmer

Hi
I live in Pennsylvania, which has weak protection for the used car purchaser. In my opinion, "buyer beware" are the 2 dirtiest words in the English language, but I digress. I recently saw a 1995 Toyota Avalon at a local used car dealer. Car looks OK superficially, but not only are the warranties this dealer offers a joke (and the dealer might try to sell this vehicle "as is" because of age), but--HE WON'T ALLOW ME TO TAKE IT TO A MECHANIC. I have to bring the mechanic TO HIS DEALERSHIP. :mad: Question, do you think it would be worthwhile for me to bring a qualified lawyer skilled in consumer affairs to do the negotiation for me? Laypeople are generally intimidated by laywers; who knows, this person might not only be able to find a loophole to compel this jerk into letting me take the car to my own mechanic, but might even be able to get me a real warranty (I'd love a 24month/24K bumper to bumper) Any opinions?

jipster

Question, do you think it would be worthwhile for me to bring a qualified lawyer skilled in consumer affairs to do the negotiation for me?

No, it won't be worthwhile. A lawyer, a mechanic, and a 2 year bumper to bumper warranty on a 14 year old car? I'd suggest just test driving the car and inspecting it youself, or get one of those mobile car inspectors to check it out at dealership, probably around $140.

Kirstie_H

Think about it from a totally skeptical perspective: You take the car to your mechanic. Your mechanic messes with some stuff, disconnects stuff, and you bring it back and claim it's got all of these problems in an attempt to negotiate a lower price. He's then forced to sell the damaged vehicle to you at a lower price, or keep the now damaged vehicle.

He has no more reason to believe that you're trustworthy than you have to believe he's trustworthy.

jeffyscott

I've never had a dealer not allow the car to be taken to another mechanic. I never actually have done this, but have asked a few times.

Does the dealer say why?

How much can a car this old be worth anyway? Seems like a lot of worrying over a (presumably) fairly small amount of money.

dtownfb

I think the OP needs to set their sights a bit lower when trying to purchase a 14 year old vehicle. I've seen dealers offer a 3 month/3000 miles powertrain warranty on vehicles like this. A car 24 month bumper to bumper is a bit unrealistic. Not unless they want to pay $15,000 for this car.

joel0622

You are kidding right?? You are not actually considering bringing a lawyer with you to buy a car are you? Only a fool would offer you a two year warranty on a 14 year old car.

epec

Like on in dealer's lot, 2008 Santa Fe GLS AWD, 11k miles, pre-rental, with sun roof, ask for 18,990, can I get it twith 16,000? another is same GLS AWD, 2008, 18k miles on it, no sun roof, ask for 18,990. I would like to pay 15000 for it. Is it reasonable?

jijinggre

Hi , I am trying to get a bigger sedan for my coming baby and interested in a Camry listed on Craigslist. After meeting the seller, i found it very complicated.

The seller showed me two paper work. One is something like"small estate affidavit " and the other is the title with signature of "J P Morgan Chase bank ". The seller told me that the previous owner is dead and the car is liquidated by Chase who is the executor of the owner's will. He is selling the car for the bank. ( He has a company to do the house clean work for the bank and has nothing to do with the previous owner.)

Yes, it sounds very suspicious to me in the first place because his name is not on any of those paperwork. It is also the first time i heard of "small estate sale". Here are the things i have done:

1. I asked him to give me the contact in JP Morgan chase bank and I called. The guy works in the bank confirmed that the seller got this car from the bank liquidation.

2. I called the corporate number i got from Chase.com and comfirmed that the number and contact were all correct. The contact does work for Chase and it was his office number.

3. I checked Carfax and it is a clean title with no lien, no accident and no issue. One owner only.

4. I called DMV twice to tell them the story, The first gentlemen suggested me to walk away due to th complexity. The second lady suggested me to ask the seller to bring the document to DMV together with me.

5. I called the seller and he is willing to do so.

So, on one hand, it is so complicated that makes it very suspicious. On the other hand, the car is in good shape and price and i don't want to miss a good deal.

My question is: if we present the paperwork to DMV and we successfully transfer the title to me in DMV, does it mean this transaction is legal and i am out of risk?

If not, what else i can do to minimize any potential risk?

Thanks a lot!

kiawah

That's not too complicated.

If you can both go to the DMV, and the DMV accepts their signature and transfers the title to you, you have the bill of sale and title, you are good to go.

The same advise for buying ANY new car, take the vehicle BEFORE PURCHASE and pay to have a reliable mechanic check over the vehicle. Unless it's still newer and under manufacturer warranty, used car purchases are bought AS-IS. If you don't like it, too bad. If it has bad brakes, or an oil leaking engine, too bad - you bought it.

jeffyscott

The only thing seems strange to me is Chase is the executor of the will. Maybe the actual situation is the dead owner had a loan on the car with Chase and rather than deal with that the familiy just turned the car over.

We did that when my brother died, he had a high interest rate loan and the balance seemed to exceed what we would be able to get for the car. So my sister left the vehicle at the airport parking lot with keys in it and then told the loan company where it was. Presumably they came and got it and re-sold it.

cccompson

It sounds quite possible that the seller here actually bought the vehicle himself and is trying to flip the car for profit on an "open" title (it never having been in his name and he didn't pay tax on it).

kyfdx

If the title is clear (no lien), and he is willing to go to the DMV with you to transfer it.. then, I see no issues...

I do agree that he may have bought the car, and is trying to flip it, but if the DMV is okay with it, then you should have no problems. He should have some sort of power of attorney from the bank, or the DMV will probably not let him transfer it.

not an expert
kyfdx

billy44bob44

I'm looking at a used 2007 Saab and the dealer says no vehicle history report is available because the vehicle was originally acquired by the 1 original owner using Saab's European Delivery program, where you fly to Europe to pick up the car, drive it around, and then they ship it to the US (it is built for use in the US not in EU).

Does this sound right to you? When I put the VIN into Carfax and Autocheck they both say "0 records". Any other way I can get vehicle history on this car?

Thanks.

kyfdx

You still have to register your car with the DMV when you get back.. If the car is two years old, it should have some records..

Is this a Saab dealer? If so, ask to see the service records.

billy44bob44

It is not being sold by a Saab dealership, it is being sold by a Lexus dealer who received the car as a trade-in.

I contacted a Saab dealership and also Saab customer asssistance and they both said they could find no record of this VIN. I double-checked the VIN myself by looking at the car. They said that they can normally find vehicles in their system even if they were obtained via the european delivery program or even cars made for europe. They could not think of why a Saab VIN would not be in their system.

I am concerned about buying this car because I don't know anything about its history and I might not be able to get saab warranty service (it should have some of its 4 years remaining).

Any ideas?

Thanks.

british_rover

That is weird we do a ton of Euro delivery saabs and vovlos and I have never heard of this happening before.

kyfdx

Something isn't right.... maybe a V substituted for a U, or something..

No way a car is in the US for two years and doesn't have some sort of records... even from Saab..

Canadian model?

wtap2

04 BUICK rendezvous:Due to worn bushings mechanic said I needed to have both lower control arms replaced. Buick dealer inspected and replaced only the RT/LT control arm bushings. Should I be concerned about lower control arms?

dtownfb

The lower control arms are pretty beefy parts. Most of the time only the bushings need to be replaced. These are the parts that wear out and cause the problems. I would not be concerned at all.

jpall11

Hi,

New to forum. Sorry to post 2 different topics.

Distraught over totaling my beloved Subaru Forester 2001 with very low milage!

I had no idea Christmas would bring replacing my car.

I want to know 2 things:

• They say end of year is a good time to buy. Is that true? Esp. of used cars or does it not matter? I may not want to deal with this till January.

• Any makes and models I might be overlooking beyond another Forester? I camp and like a hatchback and space for gear. Also live in Oregon. Wet a lot, so AWD is nice, plus I go up the mountain to x-country ski. I also haul food weekly for a homeless shelter.

Please throw your recommendations into the hat. I really like the wide visibility of the Forester. I don't much like the small windows of most newer cars. I am very interested in a hybrid or other type of green vehicle as well.

Thank you!

suydam

Probably the Forester is your best bet. The only other vehicle that I can think of in the hybrid line is the Ford Escape hybrid. It is boxy like the Forester so has good visibility.

rvalverde

kyfdx,

It's a little odd that there is no VIN for your vehicle, like someone earlier mentioned you should check to see if you spelled it correctly because there should be records. If you're still set on buying this vehicle you could try getting it inspected by a professional inspection service.

It's a little different than knowing its history, but you'll know if there are any current problems with it right now that you need to worry about. There's a lot of inspection companies (AiM Mobile Inspection, etc.) that will go on-site and handle it for you. Might be worth considering...

nightmancometh

I'm looking to purchase a used vehicle. What is the best website to use in order to find the cost of a used car? I used kbb.com and their prices do not seem to be accurate. I'm looking for a starting price when I enter negotiations. Thanks much

qbrozen

Did you try Edmunds?
Where do you live? (region determines value source in many cases)
There is also a discussion here on Edmunds titled Real-World Trade-in Values that can be very helpful.

jwilliams2

There really is no website that can show you a dealers true cost on a used vehicle. Most dealers use Black Book or Galves to base the amount they will allow for a trade or pay at auction. KBB or Edmunds should get you fairly close. Then add repairs & reconditioning, CPO (if any), detailing expense, etc.

Although it really doesn't matter what the dealers cost is, but what they will sell it for. By researching Edmunds and some competitive shopping you should be able to arrive at a fair price.

isellhondas

What a dealer paid for a used car should have nothing to do for what it sells for.

Sometimes, a dealer has to pay well over book for exceptional cars. Teh books are just guides and nothing more.

Also, quite often once the car is inspected, unforseen repairs need to be made to bring the cars up to top condition.

If it's overpriced, it won't sell.

newcarusedcar

In the market for a car and wondering if people are finding used cars prices higher than normal? Several I've checked seem to have asking prices well above Bluebook. I thought there might be a glut of used cars in this economy and prices down.

jeffyscott

Looks like they have gone up quite a bit in the last year, about 12%.



from: http://www.manheimconsulting.com/Used_Vehicle_Value_Index/Current_Monthly_Index.- html

backy

I've been shopping for a used car for several weeks in and around the Twin Cities (and as far as Chicago), and prices have definitely come up in the past year, 10-20% depending on model. And every time I found what looked like a good deal, the car was already sold by the time I called. I couldn't find anything I wanted below about $9000, and those were scarce. So I went the new route, a lease. Payments are about the same as if I bought a $8000-or-so used car + T&L and financed it for five years at 4.29% (rate from my bank). And no guarantee I could finance it for five years--depending on age, best I might do is four years. Sure, I might wind up spending more money overall than if I bought the used car, but all it would take is one major repair to flip the balance to the new car. And I don't have to worry about any unexpected costs with the new car--pretty much put gas, oil, and filters in it for 39 months.

stickguy

supply and demand at work.

fewer new cars (especially leases), and more people looking to go cheaper due to finances, combined with people keeping theirs longer, means a shortage of nice used cars. So, prices go up.

and like what you did, lots of buyers figure out that it makes more sense to just buy new.

backy

In the recent past, actually as recently as last fall, I wouldn't have agreed that buying new is a better deal than buying used. Now I'm not so sure about that. I mean, three year old Elantra GLSes with 40k miles (most likely a rental) for $12,000?!? A year ago those were $10k or less.