How to Buy a Used Car  

Here are the steps to follow for buying a car:

1)   Determine your price range and what type of car you are interested in.

2)   Visit www.cars.com, www.ebaymotors.com, and/or www.autotrader.com to find the car you are interested in.

3)   Compare the cost of the car you want with others very similar to it that are within a 300-mile radius.

4)   If the value is ok, call the owner of the car to ask questions.  See below for 15 Bad Car Elimination Questions.

5)   From the phone interview, if the car is worth seeing, go see it.  Take someone with you who is experienced at looking at cars that have problems.

6)   Negotiate the price of the car and take it to a mechanic to see if there are any problems.  Using the car’s VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) check on  www.carfax.com to see if it has been in an accident.

7)   Buy the car if you determine it is worth the negotiated price.  You will also need to pay to get the title, registration, and license plate put in your name.

You are now ready to start looking for a car

Good sites for car buying:  www.cars.com, www.autotrader.com, www.ebaymotors.com

Reference also Blue Book values:  www.kbb.com or www.nada.com

15 Timesaving, Bad Car Elimination Questions

1.   Are you the original owner of the car?  If not, how long have you owned it?  Did you know the original owner?

2.   Who drove the car most of the time?

3.   How many miles are on the car?  How many of those were highway miles?

4.   Has the car ever been in an accident?

5.   Do you have a file of all the maintenance and repair receipts on the car?

6.   When the car needed maintenance, where did you take it?

7.   If you were going to keep the car, what repairs would you expect to have within the next few month?  years?

8.   After I look at the car, and if I am still interested, may I take it to my mechanic to have it checked out?

9.   How much rust is on the body?

10. Why are you selling the car?

11. Was the car kept in a garage or carport?

12. How badly worn is the interior?

13. Is your asking price negotiable? If not, why?

14. What options does the car have?

15. What is the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) so I can check www.carfax.com?