How to get a good used vehicle?

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I may be shopping for another vehicle soon. Since 1984, I have bought a stripped down, new Toyota for cash and driven it 150,000 to 200,000 miles and then sold it. After buying each new vehicle, I started saving for the next one. Fast forward to today, I am married and broke due to prolonged underemployment and rental vacancies. Buying a new Toyota, even a stripped model, is probably out of the question. If I buy another vehicle, it will have to be used.

How can you select a decent used car? My greatest fear is spending 4 or 5 thousand on an unreliable wreck. I am a pretty good shade tree mechanic but always want to learn more.

Thanks in advance for any advice :)
 
All you have to do is research which cars and engines have the best reputation for reliability. The best cars will rarely ever be advertised. Try finding a Buick LeSabre for sale...
 
Depends on what you want.

Small sedans are all the same. Avoid the DCT auto on the Focus, and you should be okay.

You can get a great deal on remaining Dodge Darts....
 
Originally Posted By: Oldtom
I may be shopping for another vehicle soon. Since 1984, I have bought a stripped down, new Toyota for cash and driven it 150,000 to 200,000 miles and then sold it.

I'd suggest sticking with Toyota as that is what you seem to be familiar with.

Used cars are expensive the days, anything decent in the $4-5000 range is going to be about 10+ years old and have around 100,000 miles or more. However, lots of modern cars can go 200,000 miles with proper maintenance. Might take a lot of looking to find something eventually.

Try https://www.carsforsale.com
 
A truck of any brand would be fine. I drive about 6000 miles per year, mostly short trip since my job is only 3 miles away. I have noticed that even badly abused, hi mileage trucks seem overpriced. I may just get an old Dodge caravan and remove all but the front seats. I already have a 2003 Dodge Caravan that runs well and seems easy to maintain.
 
Originally Posted By: Oldtom
I may just get an old Dodge caravan and remove all but the front seats. I already have a 2003 Dodge Caravan that runs well and seems easy to maintain.


Caravan with the 3.3L would be a great choice, prices are very reasonable but the 2001-2007 models are notorious rust buckets.
 
Get familiar with your neighborhood and start looking around. I have found ripping good deals that way and those cars have been from families with a good understanding of the condition of the car and often times have good records.

I got a usually hated car called a Chevy Shove-it, an often troublesome car. Two daughters learned how to drive with it and for 5 years it was zero problems until the youngest daughter crashed it. This car was from a co-worked that lived near by. His kids told me everything I needed to know beyond the maintenance records.

Anyhow, this system provided me with some good cars, trucks and VW buss's.

A friend in International Falls, Ice Cube Land travels to Arizona and S California when he need a new pick up. He buys a 10-15 year old model, great condition, takes it home, fixes everything and then turns it into rust. And then he repeats the process. When he's done his truck becomes spare parts, not much else is left.

Sometimes the used car you end up driving is the one in best shape at the time but maybe not the best possible vehicle of its type.
 
1. Have cash in hand.

2. Be very patient. Might take you several months to get car you want. I got 2001 Toyota Camry 60,000 original miles grandma car off Craigslist for 3500. Car was very good condition but took me 7 months searching every day on Craigslist.

3. Must act fast. Once you see car you want, schedule appointment to meet right away. Don't delay 1 day. Don't haggle over price. If car in very good condition these gems only come along every so often. An extra couple of hundred bucks in your pocket isn't worth losing the deal.

4. Patience and ability to act quickly.
 
It really isn't that difficult to find a good used vehicle. Budget less than you actually have available for the vehicle, and if you don't feel comfortable doing an assessment of a vehicle's condition, find someone you trust to do it for you. Once you purchase the vehicle, keep some aside "just in case", and continue to build the maintenance/repair/replacement fund.
 
1) Brand/type of car
2) pre purchase inspection
3) research done on recalls and common failures on that specific vehicle.

Im biased but id buy another corolla any day 2003-2008 model years. Easy to work on and reasonably priced parts and availabilty. A few folks on this form have them with quite high mileage so getting one with 50-100k miles doesnt make it a bad choice. Im of the tye that rather buy used and save the depreciation hit. I bought mine in 2010 with 50k miles for 8500 and spent very little in repairs til now. Buy a 3 year old car with 50k miles and make it last!
 
Keep looking, and keep walking. I looked at a couple and walked as they didn't seem right. When I found my '99 Camry it had been on CL for at least week, maybe two. Its issue? Seller was honest, and had listed that it needed a paint job. The pics on CL didn't do justice to the amount of clearcoat damage. Most buyers want shiny. When I gave in and looked I found out that it was from down South, and as such... rust free. ! Cosmetic damage rendered the car practically free for the miles it had. Price matched what I was willing to spend--and I had been carrying around what I was willing to spend, so I bought it on the spot.

It does help to limit one's search to a number of models. That way one can learn what the problem areas are. All cars have their problem areas but it's nice to know that model xyz has this really expensive fault problem, while abc might have this cheap failure mode that most owners won't know about--and will sell on the cheap because of.
 
Any used Corolla or Civic can be a good deal considering the price point and the expected mileage you will get out of them.
 
Look for a long maintenance history.
[Recently a neighbor bought a $3500 03 Altima with 127k miles that had FOUR carfax PAGES of dealer maintenance and no repairs.]
Have the car inspected by a mechanic/body shop.
....AND have $500 for the unexpected repair (I mean the previous owner must have SOME reason for selling it, right?)
 
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Originally Posted By: Oldtom

How can you select a decent used car?


A bright flashlight in the oil fill hole often tells a lot.

So does a GOOD, thorough look under and around the car.
A lightly wrecked car is NOTHING to be afraid of
as long as the damage wasn't severe and was fixed properly.
 
Don't buy a Maryland car - they are never inspected. Get on Craigs List and buy a N VA car - the owners take much better care of them (generally, not always) and they're inspected yearly.
 
Look at the reliability ratings of the car you want then ask for the service records so you won't be one of the I bought this car and 1 month later I realized the engine is full of sludge and the piston rings are stuck, so what oil cleans the engine and will restore it to like new.
 
Fear is the enemy of logical thought, so is blind loyalty or overexcitement.

1. Set a budget and stick with it.
2. Allow about $1k of your budget for small repairs/maintenance to get the vehicle to the proper state of repair.
3. Find out what you want to get.
4. Research any chronic problems and known recalls once you narrow down your search.
5. Shop based on condition/maintenance records not badge.
6. If you don't feel up to the task of inspecting a used vehicle, bring it to an indy mechanic.
7. If you can, bring a friend with you when checking out the vehicle, do so, they may notice things you missed.
8. Don't fall in love and feel that you have to get the vehicle, or someone else will snatch it from under your nose. Some slick sellers are pretty good at installing this feeling. There are plenty fish I the sea when shopping for economy vehicles.
 
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Fun Car

Put a little fun in your life. I've become a huge fan of these cars. A lot of the time they are babied (unlike the Crown Vics that were half beaten to death by the local P.D.). The drivetrain is very reliable and they have a reputation of going 200K+ miles easily with minimal maintenance. Mine gets 20+ mpg and 26 mpg on a trip. No less than 19mpg around town.
 
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