BBI Brain trust! I've never bought a car from anyone but a dealer (all others have been family cars until I bought a mazda RX7 from a dealer when I was 23), so I could use some advice.
In the next week or so, my daughter will be getting her license (assuming she doesn't fuck up the test, of course). So I've been looking to get her an affordable car that I hope can last her a few years (maybe thru college).
I've been mostly looking at private parties (facebook and craigslist and visibly for sale in my area).
I'm nearing the time when I'm ready to pull the trigger.
So, any advice? What do I need to do to make sure the jabroni I buy the car from has the necessary paperwork? Any things to avoid? Any tips for dealing with sellers?
Thanks in advance!
Even the dealers were pricing the used cars too high for what they were.
We ended up giving my wife's car to my daughter and then bought my wife a new car. Worked out best.
If you are not extremely familiar with cars and not a wrench turner, then dont buy a car from a private party without having a mechanic check it out. Give NO MONEY.. not even a deposit until the day you are picking up the car and the seller has the title in hand. A title that has no liens.
Meanwhile... "BBI Braintrust" lol
Even the dealers were pricing the used cars too high for what they were.
We ended up giving my wife's car to my daughter and then bought my wife a new car. Worked out best.
If you are not extremely familiar with cars and not a wrench turner, then dont buy a car from a private party without having a mechanic check it out. Give NO MONEY.. not even a deposit until the day you are picking up the car and the seller has the title in hand. A title that has no liens.
Meanwhile... "BBI Braintrust" lol
I have another driver coming up in a year and a half so my plan is to give that one the older car I'm driving and get a new one for myself. I need a car for this driver.
Is there a way to find out if the title is clean?
This is the stuff that dealers handle for you, limiting the hassle. And good luck finding a private vehicle without tons of mileage on it.
I would suggest something certified pre-owned with a solid three year warranty at least. Go to a dealer. Just went through this process to buy my 16 year old a car.
Take it for at least a 15 min test drive, don't just go down the road, then check the fluids again. Get under the car and see if anything is leaking. And before you drive it look them in the eyes and ask them if there is anything wrong with it. Usually people will crack if you ask them right away before you seem too interested.
As far as paperwork you want a title with no liens. You want the VIN #'s on the title to match the one on the car. You will need to have him write a bill of sale with basic info on it. Date of sale, price, vin #, mileage, both of your signatures as buyer and seller are all you need.
Be prepared to look at a bunch of cars, but also be prepared with cash if you find the right one. Usually good deals get picked up fast so don't hesitate going to look at one that looks good. It's a PIA but goodluck.
I think I did about a months worth of research each time before finally deciding on the car I wanted.
What? Ask about the car in the garage?
Where do you guys come up with this shit?
Go to a local dealer and be done with it.
Don't ask about the car in a garage after granny died. Holy shit.
This is the stuff that dealers handle for you, limiting the hassle.
WHAT!? You seriously believe dealers will obtain maintenance records for you? Or will be honest with mechanic inspection reports?
Dealers NEVER have maintenance records for used vehicles. Even if the original owner submitted maintenance records to the dealership, it would probably be too much of a hassle for them to retain and recall the paperwork.
Other than financing and convenience, dealers are only beneficial from the stand-point that you have a brick and mortar establishment in which to complain should something go wrong.
Scrutinize the person you are purchasing from. They are going to be a good indicator of how they treated the vehicle.
One major mistake that I almost made - make sure the person accepting your money and signing the title...is the actual owner of the vehicle! I almost gave money to the owner's mother (who was prepared to sign the title over). Not saying it was a scam, but make sure your ducks are all in a row.
Another thing, while I would never discourage having a mechanic inspect the vehicle; I think this practice is more false reassurance than anything. A mechanic isn't tearing the vehicle apart. Do your own visual inspection and look for obvious signs of trouble.
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Unless they have all of the maintenance records up to date, clean title, and if that all checks out will pay for a mechanic to do a once-over on the vehicle.
This is the stuff that dealers handle for you, limiting the hassle.
WHAT!? You seriously believe dealers will obtain maintenance records for you? Or will be honest with mechanic inspection reports?
Dealers NEVER have maintenance records for used vehicles. Even if the original owner submitted maintenance records to the dealership, it would probably be too much of a hassle for them to retain and recall the paperwork.
Other than financing and convenience, dealers are only beneficial from the stand-point that you have a brick and mortar establishment in which to complain should something go wrong.
It's not up to the dealer to maintain records in the case of a private sale once the vehicle is paid. The owner is responsible at that point. If they can't produce the maintenence records and you're too stupid to read the carfax, then by all means find another seller. Holy shit.
If the buyer wants piece of mind for his teenage driver, engage a dealer. It's not difficult.
Scrutinize the person you are purchasing from. They are going to be a good indicator of how they treated the vehicle.
One major mistake that I almost made - make sure the person accepting your money and signing the title...is the actual owner of the vehicle! I almost gave money to the owner's mother (who was prepared to sign the title over). Not saying it was a scam, but make sure your ducks are all in a row.
Another thing, while I would never discourage having a mechanic inspect the vehicle; I think this practice is more false reassurance than anything. A mechanic isn't tearing the vehicle apart. Do your own visual inspection and look for obvious signs of trouble.
I just read this post.
You're a complete Fucking idiot.
Are you registered to vote?
Please stay home.
Correct, you just proved my entire point!
Don't buy from a dealer because they can't produce maintenance records for any of the vehicles they sell. In addition, neither you nor the dealer know who was previously driving the vehicle.
Thank you! I love when people reiterate my original statement.
You're a complete Fucking idiot.
Are you registered to vote?
Please stay home.
Argue the points, not the person. Your personal attacks show just how wrong you are on the topic.
You have no valid points, so you resort to Ad hominem. Awesome.
Why don't you go down to your local dealership, they'll take real good care of you. Tell them BBI sent you, you'll get a good price! 'One born every minute'...
When we bought my daughter's car, he did a full run through before we handed over any money.
Great asset to have.
Lots of good advice on the thread. I guess I will have to use a carfax type service for whatever car I settle on.
And yeah, luckily, I do have a mechanic that I really trust. They're great.
Thanks!
1987 Mazda Rx7 Turbo. Looked just like this one. It was super fast and fun to drive. Mine ended up with terrible electrical problems and shorts. Kept it cruising along until my commute got to be 50 miles each way and the unreliability and 20MPG no longer worked. It's been family cars ever since.
Hertz Car Sales | A Better Way to Buy Used Cars
https://www.hertzcarsales.com/ - ( New Window )
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One of my very favorite cars.
1987 Mazda Rx7 Turbo. Looked just like this one. It was super fast and fun to drive. Mine ended up with terrible electrical problems and shorts. Kept it cruising along until my commute got to be 50 miles each way and the unreliability and 20MPG no longer worked. It's been family cars ever since.
Ahh yes. Very nice. I wanted to buy a used one in high school. There’s just something about rotary engines that I love. Probably because they’re so different.
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I just read this post.
You're a complete Fucking idiot.
Are you registered to vote?
Please stay home.
Argue the points, not the person. Your personal attacks show just how wrong you are on the topic.
You have no valid points, so you resort to Ad hominem. Awesome.
Why don't you go down to your local dealership, they'll take real good care of you. Tell them BBI sent you, you'll get a good price! 'One born every minute'...
That was really rotten of me. My apologies.
Lots of good advice on the thread. I guess I will have to use a carfax type service for whatever car I settle on.
And yeah, luckily, I do have a mechanic that I really trust. They're great.
Thanks!
Most of the major online car-sale websites will give you free CarFax reports - including manufacturer's Certified Used Car sites. But then they will contact you. But a free CarFax report is why Kinteen's complaint about the dealer not having maintenance records makes no sense. The CarFax report will also tell you how many owners a car has had. Looking one person in the eye doesn't necessarily give you that information. If they weren't the first owner, they won't know diddley about the previous history. Do you have to be careful with dealers? Of course! But the process I went through three years ago buying a Certified Used Toyota was smooth. One more thing: check the insurance rates for the models you're considering; it could make a difference ... if that cost is any kind of a factor for you, that is.