First, I noticed the Flag on the shelf behind you. I don't know whose it is, but know that their service is appreciated.
I lost my husband (a retired mechanic) a while back so will be doing this for the first time and on my own. What should I look for that I want and what should I look to avoid as I look? Any chance that you can fly up here to Michigan and take me shopping for a used car - do a video on what to look for and look out for under the hood, behind the tires, and under the body as you teach me and other viewers?
The best way to used car shop is to not stress yourself out before you get started. It is a big decision, but you do not have to be a car savvy person to make good choices.
Start with what you want from a car. What is important to you? Reliability? Power? Comfort? Price? Decide what options you have to have, and what ones you can live without. This will help you narrow down what trim you are looking for.
Next, look around online and compare like vehicles with each other to see what kind of price would be fair for your area. It is important that you research your local market. A truck in Houston, Texas is going to bring more money than one in Delaware someplace. So just make sure you know what range of price you are looking at.
When you find one you like, go look at it in person. Take your time and really try to picture yourself living with the car on a daily basis. I sell high performance cars and build them for a living. Sometimes someone THINKS they want a Porsche 911, but really a Corvette is a better fit for them. You want to make sure that you keep your budget in mind at all times. Do not get emotional and make rash decisions. Drive the car and see how it feels. If you like it, and it seems ok to you (no smoking, odd behaviors, etc.) then go to the next step.
Find yourself a good independent mechanic to check the car out from top to bottom, front to back. Some shops will do this for a minimal fee as well if you can not find an individual who is knowledgeable and willing. You want to make sure they have a good scan tool and can read all the data on the car. You want someone with no skin in the game, so make sure they have no relation to the seller.
Finally, if it checks out and you like it, buy it. As long as you are in budget, you are good to go. That's really the extent of it. Don't let it be this HUGE task that intimidates you. Have a little fun with it! Drive a few cars, sleep on it overnight. You are the customer, so you control the deal.
Follow your common sense and go with your gut and you will be fine. Nothing is 100% guaranteed, but if you do your due diligence you can increase your chances of buying the right car for you. Best of luck!
@mod_man
Exactly. Have fun with it.
@mod_man
Yeah with stress you will make bad decisions. If you are stressed out and don't know what you are doing, sleep on it like you said
Papa Scotty has a few videos on what to look for when buying a used car. Those are about 20min altogether and give alot of good insight. Past that I would recommend what the others did in narrowing your scope according to your most important must haves in your new (used) car. Some people value cargo space over fuel economy over reliability over safety features or whatever, it depends on you and your needs. After you narrow it down to a few makes and models I would recommend that you check out carcomplaints.com if you live in the USA. Some models (even Honda/Toyota) have certain years and models with alot of problems that are better off avoiding. Those 2 or 3 hours of research into the car that you really want could save you a lot of stress in in the long run. If you come across a listing on a website or dealership for a certain car I'll personally help as much as I can. Best wishes and Merry Christmas from California! :d
First you need to write down what your expectations are for a vehicle.
For example:
- It needs to fit in my 6 ft garage
- I need to put my great Dane in the back. Or my 4 kids.
- It needs to handle our harsh winters, or that dirt road to my cottage.
- I have knee problems so it has be easy to get in and out of. Or back problems and needs a comfortable seat ... adjustable steering...
etc.
Then you can start matching a vehicle to your needs.
The first step is to stay away from Fiat-Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram car and refer to the steps in the answers above:)
In addition to researching the car, once you find one be sure to research the dealer. Juse do an internet search for "X reviews" (X being the dealer). Some shady dealers tend to change their name as to trick folks, so I'd hopefully be buying from a dealer with a lot of reviews, and mostly really good reviews at that.
