Trying to follow all of Scotty’s tips in getting an older Toyota or Honda. Would prefer it to be an SUV or at least an AWD vehicle because I live in Colorado and go up into the mountains a lot. How are people buying cars now a days? Where do I find “good deals”. All the apps like cars guru and cars.com I feel are way overpriced. On top of that, privates sellers on craigslist or marketplace are charging a fortune as well. Do I just refresh the marketplace page daily waiting for a decent deal? Do I try and manage until car prices come down? How is anyone buying a car without getting scammed today? Very frustrating especially when you read about people online getting such good deals on cars but have been looking for months and can’t find anything reasonable.
It’s tough. Imho, there are more scammers these days than ever. And I’m not even talking about getting a bad deal, or a bad car. Sometimes these scammers that supposedly sell cars aren’t even actually selling a car. They will just take your money and run.
Anecdotal evidence suggests trustworthy friends or friends of friends may provide the best deals. Reputation matters when it comes to friendships. At the same time, there are the anomalies to watch out for, of friends / friends of friends that try to screw you over.
At the same time, there are the anomalies to watch out for, of friends / friends of friends that try to screw you over.
Aside from that, a trustworthy friend or family member may not even know they're selling you a time bomb if they don't know much about cars.
Agreed.
Thanks for the feedback. Chuck, so what would your advise be then? Sounds like you really can't trust smaller car dealers and most private sellers. Also your note to be about buying from friends/family with little car knowledge makes sense. Would the only logical answer to be either by from a reputable dealer? Or befriend a mechanic?
Private party is still best but you really have to have it gone over by a good mechanic and you also have to be sure all the paperwork is OK. All sellers, even if they are not deliberately lying (hopefully the case with family and friends), may be unaware of developing issues. The thing about dealers is they are experts at misrepresenting their wares. They do it day in and day out for a living.
1) Avoid Carvana and similar on-line sellers.
2) A locally-owned, established brick & mortar dealer is more likely to give you a square deal. But they’re still used car dealers... you have to do your due diligence.
3) Private party sales may advertise a price as high as the dealers, but they are generally more likely to come down.
4) Always get a mechanical inspection from a pro. No matter where you find the car, always ask yourself, “Why, really, is the owner getting rid of it?”
Getting a fair deal means paying what the car is worth. It is worth what someone is willing to pay. What other people are willing to pay is tracked by services like KBB, Edmunds, NADA, and “Blackbook”. I am fully aware that those sources tend to favor sellers over buyers, and their data is a bit behind a rapidly changing market, they still can give you a reasonable ball park.
Good luck.
How is anyone buying a car without getting scammed today?
By doing your research and being smarter than them.
Somebody out there is selling a car for less than it's worth. Find it.
Do some research, if you are looking for a used car all wheel drive SUV, I would say Subaru but be very careful with the mileage, if you can find like 30k miles with standard AT would be a good choice and look for a good owner...