I am taking everyone’s input into consideration. We’re in a tight spot trying to find something for my (new driver) daughter for commuting to college. She has a nice little nest egg, but it still doesn’t buy much. The reviews of cars you think you can trust really are worrisome, for example Toyotas Camrys that lurch out of control and have killed without precipitating a recall. This is too serious to simply ignore (per NHTSA reports and other websites for consumers to air complaints). Add to this the whole airbag mess that has really played havoc on the used car market, in my opinion. Checking VINs, one can tell if the recall was acted upon; yet, many were not probably because the parts were so backlogged with this vast-sweeping recall. Eek!
I guess we just have to keep pounding away searching websites and local sellers (private and public) to find the pot of gold at the end of our rainbow.
Check out your state’s Lemon Laws concerning used car purchases. As far as I know these laws would only apply to dealers and private sales are generally considered ‘as is’. Whether or not it’s a dealer or private sale don’t buy anything that is supposed to be a car in good running condition unless you can have an independent mechanic examine it first. And if it’s not supposed to be in good running condition you shouldn’t be buying it unless you have plenty of mechanical expertise already.
We lucked out on our most recent purchase. A guy who did some tree work for us really wanted to buy our 1990 Corolla. At the same time a neighbor was selling his 2002 Accord. We got the Accord for $500 more than we got for the Corolla. The neighbor was up front about issues with the Accord. It needed new tires, and it needed new rear bushings. High mirage cars are a cralshoot,but this one was obviously well maintained.
I would stay away from private party unless you are personally able to make a reasonable evaluation of the car initially. You can still take it to a mechanic to inspect, but you need to be able to look over the car first to see if it’s viable. You don’t want to be taking a bunch of cars to the mechanic, and the person selling might not be agreeable anyway. You also have to be aware of scams and such. One common one is to buy cars at auction and then sell them as if they are a personal vehicle. Another is that they sell a car with a salvage or rebuilt title. Stay away from those, as they were in a wreck and you have no idea how well they were fixed up. Some of the best deals with be through private party, but you need to know what you’re doing. The advantage to private party is that you can get the best deal, but you need to be careful or else it will cost you a lot in the long run.
Regardless, most used cars will need some work regardless of how you get it. That’s just the nature of an older car. Plan for that.
