Hello everyone its your favorite middle school cafeteria meal MYSTERYMEAT1!!!

Anyway I am looking to TL to find out more about buying a used car in the states (Washington) to be more specific. The budget is 5k and a smaller car. Can anyone recommend me good websites to check out besides craigslist. And is carfax pretty much a necessity? Thanks!

I can update with more information if necessary but as im kind of lost on what im supposed to do i need all the help i can get!

DarkPlasmaBall

United States46221 Posts

July 01 2013 17:37 GMT

Kelly Blue Book that shit ( http://www.kbb.com/ ).

Also, in general, make sure you find out why the previous owners got rid of the car. Was it because they just wanted a new one, or was there an inherent problem with the car? Whenever I see a car that's switched owners frequently over a short amount of time, that usually brings up a red flag for me.

Oh, and any previous damage to the hood or front of the car is usually a bad sign too in terms of possible future repairs (who knows what's been rattled near that engine, even from a fender bender).

Good luck, and don't settle

MysteryMeat1

United States3292 Posts

July 01 2013 17:39 GMT

On July 02 2013 02:37 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:
Kelly Blue Book that shit ( http://www.kbb.com/ ).

Also, in general, make sure you find out why the previous owners got rid of the car. Was it because they just wanted a new one, or was there an inherent problem with the car? Whenever I see a car that's switched owners frequently over a short amount of time, that usually brings up a red flag for me.

Oh, and any previous damage to the hood or front of the car is usually a bad sign too in terms of possible future repairs (who knows what's been rattled near that engine, even from a fender bender).

Good luck, and don't settle

Ya i figure buying a car is something that you patiently wait for. Also if it has a salvaged title it means a no go

FuDDx

United States5015 Posts

July 01 2013 18:10 GMT

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/10-great-cars-under-5-grand#1

Some good info for cheaper cars !

Aerisky

United States12129 Posts

July 01 2013 18:39 GMT

Also talk to MountainDewJunkie! He spends a ton of time looking at user cars and trucks but not buying any hahaha. He's not a mechanic himself by profession, but he definitely knows a ton about getting a good deal/identifying ripoffs/selecting a good car overall. And yeah definitely, as a durable good, you car selection should be made carefully.

Tell him I sent you and ignore him when he calls me a lil bitch :D

ziggurat

Canada847 Posts

July 01 2013 20:06 GMT

Check out ebay motors, an absolutely huge number of cars are sold on ebay. There are some gigantic dealerships in the states that sell cars at pretty nice prices. Even if you don't buy the car through ebay, looking there will give you a really good sense of the true market values of the kinds of vehicles that you are looking at.

QuanticHawk

United States32157 Posts

July 01 2013 20:12 GMT

edmunds.com is a good place to get an idea of value

as far as what you should be looking at, that price range is always the cheap and durable japanese cars: civics, accords, the like. unless you need a truck or something for work. but those will get you the best bang for your buck in the low end used market

On July 02 2013 05:06 ziggurat wrote:
Check out ebay motors, an absolutely huge number of cars are sold on ebay. There are some gigantic dealerships in the states that sell cars at pretty nice prices. Even if you don't buy the car through ebay, looking there will give you a really good sense of the true market values of the kinds of vehicles that you are looking at.

eh, edmunds or bluebook is better for getting a sense of value where you are. prices can vary a lot depending on where in the country you are

micronesia

United States24782 Posts

July 01 2013 21:59 GMT

If you are trying to price things out, you can search on autotrader.com

I can not speak to how good it is when you actually want to buy the car though as I haven't used it for that.

Dosey

United States4505 Posts

July 01 2013 22:39 GMT

autotrader is severely overpriced when compared to craigslist/cars.com and its users are generally larger assholes than your most hardcore BW elitists. Unless you're just going there to find local dealers or compare prices, i'd stay far, far away from autotrader.

NADA (this is what most dealers use to price cars)
KBB
Edmunds

Are your three top sites for getting a general value of the car you are looking at.

With a $5000 budget you wont be getting much. You're looking at 07 or older with 100k+ miles in that range. I'd just simply suggest not buying the first car you see, shop around, do your research, don't pay sticker price, and make sure you get a car history report (carfax/autocheck). Be smart and you'll get a good reliable car for a fair price.

ziggurat

Canada847 Posts

July 01 2013 22:46 GMT

#10

On July 02 2013 05:12 QuanticHawk wrote:
edmunds.com is a good place to get an idea of value

as far as what you should be looking at, that price range is always the cheap and durable japanese cars: civics, accords, the like. unless you need a truck or something for work. but those will get you the best bang for your buck in the low end used market

Show nested quote +

eh, edmunds or bluebook is better for getting a sense of value where you are. prices can vary a lot depending on where in the country you are

If there is a big variation in price between states then why not go to the cheaper state to buy? I live in Canada and I was extremely close to flying down to Texas to buy my current car.

UniversalSnip

9871 Posts

July 01 2013 23:05 GMT

#11

A few tips. You pay significantly for up front guarantees about the car and it's history so there is a good chance you will end up getting one off some dude with crazy tats on craigslist.

Find an empty street. Drive the car very fast in a straight line and then brake very suddenly. If the wheel shakes, the car has a problem. Also, drive at a normal speed and release the wheel for a little bit and see if it pulls to one side. If it does you will need to realign.

Squat down and shake the tires. As in, you put your hands behind them and pull one side toward you, then the other - just give it a shake. If you hear a weird sound, there is a problem with the ball bearings.

Take a few sharp turns to see how that feels.

If there is a bumpy road nearby, this is good, take the car down it and see if you notice anything odd.

Look at the engine and see if anything has fluids on it that shouldn't be there. Look for worn or loose belts.

Don't dismiss cosmetic flaws, some are fine but if there are a lot this is a strong sign the car has not been cared for which is not good.

Never feel pressured, if you don't like a car or a deal just walk away.

"sunburnt" or damaged paint hurts the resale value of a car significantly down the road.

QuanticHawk

United States32157 Posts

July 01 2013 23:55 GMT

#12

On July 02 2013 07:46 ziggurat wrote:

Show nested quote +

If there is a big variation in price between states then why not go to the cheaper state to buy? I live in Canada and I was extremely close to flying down to Texas to buy my current car.

it's probably not much more than a few hundred bucks give or take. most likely, whateve you're saving would be mitigated by either driving it back yourself, or shipping it. neither are cheap.

universal's tips are good. i would add that if you have a mechanic you use frequently, i would see if he would mine doing a quick inspection for you. toss him a few bucks if necessary. this is also a really quick way to weed out bs people. if the prospective seller wont go there when you're paying for it, just tell them to piss off right away

Ettick

United States2434 Posts

July 02 2013 00:28 GMT

#13

This image might help narrow down your choices a bit if you're looking for something specific
+ Show Spoiler [kinda fucking massive] +

sundersoft

91 Posts

July 02 2013 01:23 GMT

#14

The Haynes used car guide is supposed to be good, although I haven't read it: http://www.amazon.com/Used-Buyers-Guide-Haynes-Techbook/dp/1563921561

I recommend inspecting the car as much as possible by yourself and then paying a mechanic to also look at it.

To find price data you can use Ebay and search closed auctions only; you can also search within a certain radius of where you live.

I would recommend also searching on Ebay and any websites that have classified ads for your area; some of the news websites for where I live also have a classified ad section on their website which lists used cars. On Craigslist you can exclude results from dealers which can get you better deals but you also have to be more careful. I didn't buy my car from a dealer so I don't have any advice about them.

I don't recommend Carfax because they only let you do 5 lookups by VIN; there should be some other services which have unlimited VIN lookups but I haven't looked in to it.

Buying a used car can get pretty time consuming so ideally you'd have a month or so during which you can look at cars. It could take a few hours per car to drive to where it is, inspect the car, do a test drive, and drive home. Taking it to a mechanic also takes time. You're spending a lot of money so don't rush anything and don't buy anything if you aren't absolutely sure that it's what you want.

QuanticHawk

United States32157 Posts

July 02 2013 02:58 GMT

#15

re carfax limit, just save it for ones that, pending a clean title, you're like 95% sure you wanna buy