I'm looking for a used car with less miles I've searched lots of cars on craigslist but in my price range 5,000 cash I only saw something like 2008 Honda Fit 142k miles, 2013 Chrysler 200 148k miles, 2012 Volkswagen Passat 176k miles, 2010 Dodge Caliber 131k miles and more these cars still runs do you think it's old and many miles or ok or just buy it from the dealer with higher year and lower mileage?
Stay away from dealers. Shop carefully, steer clear of junk (Chrysler, VW, Dodge in your list), and you can do OK. Be sure to have any vehicle you're considering inspected by a good mechanic before purchase.
Thinking about buying a used economy car for my girlfriend this past week. Her Chevy Colorado is rusting apart. Dealerships nearby want over $10,000 for high mileage Chevy Cobalts and Ford Focuses. See an interesting 2007 Toyota Corolla 45 minutes away for $5,500 on Craigslist. Five speed manual. Has 135,000 miles. I'll bet that Corolla has many more trouble free miles than anything those dealers have. My personal 2007 Corolla has 298,000 miles with only a few minor problems.
Find a private sale Honda or Toyota. Take it to a mechanic before you buy it. Stay away from dealers.
Welcome new member. A few thoughts:
1) at that price range, you are mostly looking at older cars. Maintenance history and how well it was cared for is critical. Avoid any cars with deferred maintenance.
2) Those are all fairly sensible cars, that likely were driven sensibly. Which is good.
3) The car will need repairs, so repair costs have to be part of the equation. VW, for example, not only has a reputation for poor long term reliability, but as I understand, parts are relatively expensive.
4) Spending a few hundred $ to get a prepurchase inspection from a qualified mechanic will be well worth it. After all, there is a reason the previous owner is dumping the car, and it might be an impending expensive repair.
5) going private party rather than dealer will save money, but you have to do more legwork on the legal stuff.
