🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <nnhut.780760521@bcarh80a>, nnhut@bnr.ca (Nhut Nguyen) writes:
|> Hello netters!
|> 
|> I am looking to buy an used car. Since I haven't done this before, I am
|> hoping that 'net-wisdom (R)' would help me to avoid pitfalls and traps.
|> 
|> If you have any tips and/or advice, or any good/bad experiences on buying 
|> an used cars, please post here or let me know. If there are enough info, 
|> I will post a summary.

Hey Nhut!

I have had a ton of used cars - here are a few of things I've learned over
the years:

  1) There is no such thing as a cheap car - you either pay the guy who sells
     it to you or pay the guy that fixes it for you.

  2) I definitely prefer to buy from a dealer rather than a private sale.  My
     primary reason for this is that the dealer has a vested interest in not
     burning you, since he has a reputation to uphold; a private seller will
     not be as concerned about this, IMHO and IME (the only really bad used
     car I've ever bought just happened to be the only one I ever bought on a
     private sale).

  3) Get the April issue of Consumer Reports to check the reliability ratings
     of any vehicle year/makes that you are interested in (I have a copy of the
     most recent one if you wish to borrow it).  I don't every buy anything
     that this magazine does not like.

  4) I don't ever buy a vehicle that is not already certified, and I am a
     backyard mechanic when I'm not in here.

  5) Drive the thing a few times before you buy it - take it on bumpy roads,
     highways, in the rain, etc. - anything that will show up subtle
     imperfections in the vehicle.

  6) Don't be afraid to take the thing to a garage for a once-over before you
     buy it - a hundred bucks today could save you a lot more later.

  7) Frequently check the classifieds in the paper for the going rate 
     (price-wise) of the year/models you are interested in.

  8) And make sure you know what you want, especially w.r.t. how long you
     expect to keep the vehicle.  If you want to put 30K a year on it for
     5 years, do not buy a 5-year-old car with 100K on it already.

Good luck!

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