Pick a Toyota or Honda.

Buy from a private party and have a trusty mechanic check it for you if you like the car. 

I would avoid large dealerships and probably dealerships all together especially right now. Economists are saying that the used car inventory is low, resulting in inflated priced. Scotty has a video about this and as a result it might be worthwhile to wait until the prices come down. Most of the time you will get a better deal from a private party unless you are looking at buying a newer car that still has time left on its warranty and it will be transferred to you when the car is sold to you. 

When you say you need financing, does that mean you have good credit and minimal cash, or lousy credit and a pocket full of desire? That makes a huge difference.

If you credit is reasonably decent(700 plus) go and talk to your bank. They will tell you what you can borrow, at what rate and what the parameters are. If your credit is in trouble (don't feel bad, you aren't alone) now your stuck. Franchise dealers have access to financing that independents don't. That's step 2. If that's not possible then you're in the clutches of the BHPH guys. If this is your option, buy the least expensive car possible. Your payment will still be high, but pay it off quick and then make payments to yourself....

Good luck!

• Hey Scotty,

  I recently lost my vehicle in a wreck and I am looking for another vehicle between a 2014-2018 for around $8k-$14k. This is a two part question. 1.) Are there any cars/suvs that you recommend? And/or ones to avoid? (Brands or specific cars would be helpful here)

  2.) Should I look for a used vehicle at a big fancy car dealers or a smaller used car lot? (Need to do some financing, so not able to do private sellers)

• Also, I am pretty ignorant on cars, so any tips would be helpful.

If you've watched Scotty's videos you know the answer to that. 😀  In general, Toyota and Honda are at the top of the "good" list. Chrysler, GM, Mercedes, Audi, Jaguar, Nissan, and Land Rover at the bottom. Others fall somewhere in between.

Dealerships are nicknamed "stealerships" for a reason! The big fancy ones are expert at giving you a walletectomy. Most of the smaller used car dealers are small-time crooks buying bottom of the barrel cars with unknown history at auction.

When people ask, I have been advising by Scotty's list

Best Luxury cars:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JneJpdEzwEY&t=213s

Best Cars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN30KqBl6HA&t=534s

Best SuV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=852Xl8mYoEY&t=5s

Stay away from the pop up used car places, and the strictly used car sales dealers.  They get their inventory from auctions mostly and you are not looking at the best ones.  If you have to go to a dealer go to the brand dealer.

Previous advice is sound - try to buy independent.

You can get financing (and even lease) from

Credit Union

Bank

Finance company

Online bank of Finance company

Even some of the auto insurers.

Keep in mind when you are at the dealer they are shopping these same places and make money off the loan so they will pick what is best for them (or will get you the car payment you want).

Try to buy independent, ask for paperwork (if they have the maintenance records it is good) and do get it checked out by an independent mechanic you trust. This goes for buying from a dealer or individual,

Now this has been a strange year.  I do not like buying new cars because of the dip in depreciation you get as you drive off the lot.  But because it has been a strange year and we are getting to the end of the year and the new models are in (also go near the end of the month), you might stand a chance in that 10-14K range of getting a fantastic deal on a new car that would have a warranty.  This is like a one time fluke thing that it could not hurt to check this next month.  Know the low price people have ever paid and shoot for even lower in your range there. 

Hope this helps some

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