A friend of mine is looking into a new car that she needs by mid June. She's looking into used and asking me for advice, I'm not a fan of used cars and she can buy new too, but she prefers used at this point with low miles.

There are so many methods of buying used cars, which would you guys suggest would get the cheapest and safest way.

Going private will probably be the cheapest, but I'm not sure if they know a mechanic to have the car checked out so it may not be the safest way?

Used car dealers like CarMax is another way, but I would say this is one of the more expensive ways, but I dunno how thoroughly they check their cars and how well they fix problems.

Then there's dealers with and without CPO certified cars. I'm guessing the CPO cars would be one of the safer bets but the more expensive way?

I was talking to my friend and he told me that his dad worked at a honda dealer and that for their used cars if it had a problem, they just found the cheapest/shorterm method of patching it up so it would seem to be fine.


If you want to know, she's looking for a car around 20k, coupe, 4 seats, w/nav, low miles ~ 25,000 miles, If you want to suggest go for it, and if its something I think she would like I'll suggest it.

 

I think you can get a good deal from either a dealership or private individual if you look hard enough. Buying a car from a private individual can be tricky, so be prepared to do your homework.

This includes:
-ask why the car is being sold. Does the answer sound realistic?
-how long has the current owner had the car.
-ask to see all records of maintenance and repairs. Even a receipt for an oil change. They should have something. If not, be persistent and ask why.
-check for body damage. Look for the obvious, such as poor repairs and loose fittings. Also check around the trim to see if it has been masked and most likely some overspray. Check inside the doors, bonnet, and decklid to see evidence of overspray and masking.
-check tire wear. Is the wear even? Have the tires been rotated?
-how clean is it? Cleanliness is often an indication of how the car was looked after.
-when test driving the car, don't be afraid to put it through it's paces. Check acceleration, quick and hard braking, and steering feel.
-obtain the serial number and take a trip down a dealership of the manufacturer that produced the car. Talk nice to the service representative, and they'll most likely run the serial number, checking the number of warranty claims against the car, and what the specifics were.
-Inquire if the car is paid for. Determine who eventually gets the cheque and demand a release. It would probably be a good time to do title check to see if there are any demands or liens against the car.
-use your best judgment. If the car makes you uncomfortable, then walk away. No exceptions.
-always get the car inspected by a third party if you are unable to properly inspect it yourself. NO EXCEPTIONS.
-if you do make an offer, make a low one, but not an insulting one. Make it clear that you are open to negotiation. If you can't arrive at a figure that makes you comfortable, then be prepared to walk away. Make sure the seller has all of your information. Always remember YOU are in control of this situation. Most often, a seller will phone you back to see if you are still interested. Let them come to you, and you in turn control the situation.


Good luck.





Terry

 

I know my friend really has no knowledge in cars, I dont have that much of a mechanical knowledge either, I wouldnt be able to tell much just by looking at it, so when you say get it inspected by a thrid party can you take it to a dealer to get a diagnostic check? or find a shop that specializes in that certain makes of cars and have them check it out? Would the owner let you just take their car to a shop and use their time like that?

 

Mazda3, Civic, Golf, Mini...

 

No to golf, civic she doesnt really want, and her dad wont buy mazda since they've had bad experiences in the past.

She likes the mini, is considering that. How reliable are mini's btw, I've heard both sides, I know someone owns a mini on this board, should pm them.

Other cars she's into: Accord coupe, G35/37 may be hard to find in her price range though unless she gets a car with higher miles.

edit: I also told her about genesis coupe, rsx, and tsx even though its a sedan, its a great car.

 

an 08-09 accord could be found in that range. they are great looking cars both coupe and sedan.

 

In a circumstance such as this, I wouldn't have a problem taking it to a dealer that sold the particular type of car when it was new. Phone a few places and make an appointment, letting them know you want the car up on a lift to have a tech inspect if for a couple hours. May cost you a couple hundred bucks, but it would be well worth it.

If you do find a car from a private seller that you like, make a deal conditional upon inspection. Hammer out a price, again YOU keeping in mind that there may be additional costs for reconditioning, and insist the car will need to be inspected before any monies change hands. If the owner is serious about selling the car, he/she won't have a problem. Especially if the current owner takes the car down to the repair facility himself. If this something the current owner doesn't agree to, then he's not serious about the selling the car or is hiding a thing or two he doesn't want you to know about. If he is reluctant, then walk.





Terry

 

Yup she's going to look into accord coupes
Thanks a lot terry!

 

I think most shops, independent or at a dealer, will do a pre-purchase inspection. This really is a must, and I'd be suspicious of a seller who balked at the request.

Teranfon's list is excellent. Personally, I watch for signs of abuse or neglect, particularly with the tires, oil condition, general condition of the car. I'd also be wary about poorly done modifications or anything that's been sold by a buy here/pay here place. I'll ask for records and generally piece together what I see, how the seller/owner seems, check records, etc.

Anyway, I have a 2000 Accord Coupe at 175K miles now, despite being driven in a salted-road/long winter region and can easily recommend them. At least where I live, Mustangs are plentiful on the used market, and the advances in the 2011 models seems to have driven down the prices of 2008-2010 versions.

Does she like driving or want a manual transmission? Does she prefer something responsive and fun or something a little softer and isolated? That would help. Finally, make sure to get insurance quotes on some of these. For instance, I came across what appeared to be a fairly low-milage, unmodded, seemingly very well-maintained RSX-S a while ago and decided to ask for an insurance quote beforehand. It was pretty absurd and, annually, the premium would be nearly double that of a BMW 3-Series or Subaru Legacy GT.

 

No manual, I tried convincing her haha, but nope. Its mostly a car ti get her from point A to point B thats cool I guess. Dunno how else to say it. So reliability, ergonomics, ride comfort, fuel efficiancy, performance is most likely lower on her list.

 

If she's looking used she has many more options.

I would guess she could find a Genesis 2.0T with Nav for $20k somewhere.

A new Focus with auto/nav/myFord touch is about $23k. Gets about 40mpg with the SFE configuration.

 

Something with a warranty and loaner cars so you don't have to fix it.

 

Along with the Accords, she may want to check out Nissan Altima Coupes, then.

As for Carmax, I haven't used them and their prices generally seem a bit high, but I have yet to hear of anyone having a bad experience buying there.

 

Excellent tips!


If you hate negotiating, then Carmax is the place for you because the price you see on the window is the price you pay; no negotiating! And their prices are not the best to begin with.

 

Minis have shit reliability. Fun to drive? Yes. Cheap to own? No. Go CPO Japanese for cheapest ownership costs.

 

If you go with a Honda a CPO is a good bet. They have a lot of minimum standards that need to be met for them to call it CPO. Tires need to have 5/32" of tread brakes need to have 50% or more of the pad left.

You do pay a little more for them but you take a lot of the , "I'll need to replace ..." stuff you get when you buy private party out of the picture.

 

can you post a pic of your friend?

 

G35? it's pretty easy to find a cheap one in SoCal.
GTO? Just giving options out there lol.

Isn't a coupe but TSX?
If she doesn't like the Civic, what about the Si? Edit: forgot she doesn't want manual.

 

i had no problems buying from a dealer. just picked up cpo 2010 mazda3i touring for the wifey. 9k miles, bose, sunroof, had the dealer put in heated leather seats. previous owner traded up to a 2011 3s. nice little car!

 

^ so somebody bought 2010 3 and returned it for 2011 3?? wow lol

 

If you know someone at a dealer, ask if they have anything coming in off-lease. Those cars have to be cared for, fairly low mileage, and will have factory warranty left.

Just a thought.

 

this is a good idea ... who at the dealership would u ask to find a newly off lease car?

 

I think it depends, but I know a friend of mine who's mom knew the internet sales manager at the local Honda dealer; when they got anything on trade that was in their price range she would get a call and look at it before it was listed.

After a few misses, they bought a 2002 Accord with 117k miles that had been traded into the dealer by someone. Not a bad way to buy a used car...

 

You could always ask Shoofin' ... Though whatever deal he could might be offset by the transport costs ... But I bet he'd know if a specific car he was picking up off-lease was treated well.

 

A Civic really is the best car she can get with her requirements. Try to get her to test drive one and see if it changes her mind.

How much are used Altima coupes going for?

 

Yea, the Genesis was one of my higher choices for her. Especially if she can find one with low miles and options, that would do her good. Are they already selling the Focus's? Because she will need the car by early to mid june. Thats one vital aspect.

Hmm forgot about the alitma coupe, will check up on that and see if she likes it.
That I did not know, thanks for the heads up.

Thanks, I didnt know those were some of the requirements of CPO, which is a good thing since you wont need to service it right away after buying the car.

I'll look into the prices of used G35's and the miles it will have around 20k. The TSX is one of my more favorite choices even though its not a coupe.
Thats good to know, will ask her dad if he knows anyone!
Should be pretty cheap since you can get a base one around low 20s.

 

In my experience this is 50% true. Some people who lease take very good care of the car out of fear of extra charges at lease termination. There are also many people who take absolute shit care of their leased car because it's not theirs and they no that there probably won't be any extra charges.

I know of cars that were leased for 3 years 10K miles per year and had their oil changed only once in the 3 years.

 

I refuse to buy a leased/former rental car for that exact reason. Yeah, there's a chance they might have taken care of the car, but given society in general and the fact that buying a used car is a dice roll as it is already, I prefer fewer risk factors rather than more.

I don't know that many people who lease their cars since I don't ask that question, but I know someone who otherwise takes good care of his cars who did just that, changed the oil once during a 3-year lease. He got some good usage out of it too... it definitely wasn't an easy 30k miles.

There is certainly less of an impact on the conscience when someone leases a car more often than not. People see it as "this car is going to go back to the dealer, let them deal with it" instead of "this car is going to go to another person". Add in the not-uncommon perception that 'stealerships' are just that... well you get the point.


Someone is bound to chime in with "well, I have/had a used car and I take/took great care of it and there aren't/weren't any issues". Good for you

 

I can't speak for people who leased cars but I've leased 2 in the past and never took care of it and probably changed the oil twice in 3 years. Knowing I'll be sending it back, I could care less if the suspension is f_ck up or not...running over pot holes or whatever. Just as long as the body damage isn't visible, the dealer won't care much. Most dealer will just have a walk around the car, check the inside and mileage and that's it!

For this reason, if others are like me, I surely don't want to buy a leased return.

 

It really is a near 50/50 split Costco, some lease returns are absolute gems and would be a good purchase on the used car market. I just think it's a bad idea to assume all leased cars are good buys on the used car market. It all depends on who well it's original keeper took care of it.

 

I take care of my leased car just the same as of the cars I've owned.

When buying used, I prefer to get a PPI from a dealer. I did that with my TL, paid $135 to the dealer to check everything, and it came out to be great. Even if the car is in warranty, its a little piece of mind.

As for a coupe - I would suggest the Scion tC ( I had one and really liked it), Genesis Coupe or the Altima coupe.

 

how similar is the accord and tsx here. Mechancially? I know the drive train is the same, right?

 

The MINI I owned was bullet-proof in terms of reliability.

 

My two current cars were both bought used. Bought Lexus at a local lexus dealer but was not CPO. Still think to this day that I over-paid. Was it a good purchase? yes, but i think I could have done better as far as pricing goes. Then acura, I bought it off an old man local. Great deal but it took me awhile to find it. Took it to a local acura dealer, paid them to perform an inspection which came out spotless. Bought it on the spot.

When buying used vehicles... IMO if you have time to spare, I would search private. This may take longer but in my experience, it comes out better deal. If car's under original factory warranty then you're covered. If not, you can still take it to a local dealer which you trust (or at least have experience taking your previous cars) and ask for their opinion. If you have a friend that's mechanic, that's even plus!

 

Private/Auction + research on market prices + knowing what to look for in a used car (fluids/signs of repaint/etc).. = Good to go.

NEVER buy salvage nor rush into a deal, there's always something better around the corner.

 

So she's leaning toward a genesis coupe at the moment, anything to be wary of for that car? Are there any major problems anyone has heard of? I know a couple people here have a genesis coupe, if they could chime in that would be great

 

Well they're both K24 and the automatic transmission is probably a bit similar, but the TSX has a higher compression ratio and of course requires premium fuel. The Accord is i-VTEC, don't know if the TSX is VTEC or i-VTEC.

They're not too different though. If you compare the interior of a TSX with an EX-L Accord, a lot of the components look similar. The TSX's interior is probably more upscale. A lot of the parts from the TSX can bolt up to a 4-cyl Accord. The intake manifold from the Acura is a popular upgrade, and a number of aftermarket suspension and stiffness bits made for the TSX fit the Accord.

So, uh... kinda.

Interior pics for reference:

 

thanks, I figured that for the interior.

Get to go to the dealerships today, love car shopping. Wonder if I will be able to test drive the genesis, never driven one before

 

/used genesis

 

Genesis 2.0T was a disappointment for me. Didn't like it at all.