getting a used car

[bds0688 10+ year member]

One of the biggest problems I had with that list is the fact it seemd to lay blame on the vehicles, rather than the drivers.

SUV's, sport compacts, some sport sedans, work trucks and vans. Who the hell doesn't drive

those a lot, beat on them, etc?

Subaru Baja on the list of good cars? Who the **** actually bought one of those things?

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

Prius.

 

[Jmac 10+ year member]

I just recently gave my car to my mom because she had no vehicle. I wasnt working so i had no money to pay the payment and insurance so it worked out fine. Anyways i had the car for a little over a year and i hated that i still needed 4 years to pay it off. For that reason im going used and cheap. lol.
I want a car that has a decent size trunk, mpg's and thats reliable. Heres what im looking at. Dont know about the trunk size but it looks good.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=21&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&criteria=K-%7cE-%7cM-_18_%7cB-5000%7cN-N%7cR-30%7cI-1%7cP-PRICE+descending%7cQ-descending%7cZ-85323&aff=national&paId=135758913&recnum=10&leadExists=true

What do u guys think?

I think asking for opinions on used cars is an exercise in futility at best, irresponsible and expensive at worst. With used cars, you have to take into account things such as maintenance, treatment by the previous owner, repair history, etc. that are going to be unique to each individual car and will have a HUGE impact on how much money you're going to have to put into the car in the short-term and long-term.
My advice is to spend a few days researching features that you like (MPG, trunk space, etc.) and make a list of suitable models. After that, go through the classifieds finding advertisements that feature the models you've chosen and make appointments with their respective owners to test drive them. You may need to spend several weekends test driving, depending on how many there are in your area and how much time you're willing to devote to this (the more time, the better, IMO). Don't forget to get the VINs for checking out accident/repair history.

After you feel you've test driven enough, make a short list of the cars you liked and do some research on repair history. Cross out any cars which have had required major repairs (especially frame work). After that, arrange with the owner of the car on the top of your list to have it inspected by a professional mechanic (not just your buddy who knows cars, spend the money and get a real mechanic to look at it). The mechanic will give you a break down of what needs to be replaced immediately, what will need to be replaced shortly, and the estimated costs of each repair. If the car will require only minor, cheap repairs, go ahead and buy it. If you feel the car will require too much work/money in the short-term for it to be worth it, move on to the next car on your list.

Hope this helps.

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

Jmac,

Do you think car sellers are really willing to let you drive around to get it checked out my a mechanic of your choice? I have often considered this, but have been apprehensive to ask. Like they are just going to let me drive it around to any mechanic...How did this transpire in your experience?

 

[Jmac 10+ year member]

Jmac,
Do you think car sellers are really willing to let you drive around to get it checked out my a mechanic of your choice? I have often considered this, but have been apprehensive to ask. Like they are just going to let me drive it around to any mechanic...How did this transpire in your experience?

If they're not confident enough to let a licensed mechanic give it the once over, they probably know it has issues that need to be addressed.
When I bought my car back in 2001, the then-owner didn't have a problem w/ taking it to a licensed mechanic for a pre-sale inspection. The mechanic gave me a list of issues, none of which were major nor required attention immediately (rear pads wearing, leaking rear differential, high-beam switch needed replacement). I bought the car, replaced the high-beam switch that year, had the rear brakes fixed in 2003, fixed the leak in the rear differential in 2007, replaced the tires and exhaust this year. Total cost of repairs is slightly over $1000 over a 6.5 year span and $600 of that was tires (I could've easily sufficed w/ $50 tires, but I wanted good rain tires).

My friends who have taken my advice have not run into any owners who have taken issue w/ having the car inspected prior to purchase, either.

 

[DDeitz 10+ year member]

Got it backwards mang! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif
I had an auto once, maybe twice. I get bored of the auto's.

manual in traffic is no fun though

 

[Pyro_By_Nature 5,000+ posts]

manual in traffic is no fun though

I never understood why some people complain so much about manuals in traffic. You just get so used to it after a while.

 

[SocMunky 10+ year member]

Eh...manual in traffics not horrible...manual when you're trying to scarf down a burger and fries? Brutal...