I have a question about car shopping

Benevolent One

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Is it any more fun to shop for a car when you have a nice budget to work with?

It certainly seems like it would be. I have about $2000 to spend on a car. I don't need much, I just have to have an additional car. Mine was repo'd a while back and I just had to wait until I got my tax return to replace it. It cracks me up to see what some people think their cars are worth. I see something that looks like it might not be a bad deal and then I click on it and it has like 200,000 miles or a blown engine or doesn't shift.

The good thing is, I don't have to do anything immediately. I can wait on a really good deal. My wife has a car and my son has an old beat up pickup. The one thing I have in my favor is that if I do end up with a bad car, at least it's not like it will be a big money mistake like someone buying a much nicer car is risking.

By the way, I am using craigslist and checking ebay also.
 
Is it any more fun to shop for a car when you have a nice budget to work with?

It certainly seems like it would be. I have about $2000 to spend on a car. I don't need much, I just have to have an additional car. Mine was repo'd a while back and I just had to wait until I got my tax return to replace it. It cracks me up to see what some people think their cars are worth. I see something that looks like it might not be a bad deal and then I click on it and it has like 200,000 miles or a blown engine or doesn't shift.

The good thing is, I don't have to do anything immediately. I can wait on a really good deal. My wife has a car and my son has an old beat up pickup. The one thing I have in my favor is that if I do end up with a bad car, at least it's not like it will be a big money mistake like someone buying a much nicer car is risking.

By the way, I am using craigslist and checking ebay also.

Check Autotrader.com best car shopping site I have found.
 
My advice..

If it doesn't have a FORD logo on it, dont buy it...;)
 
Craigs list seems to be the best if you are near a city that has it...But you will have to sift through the scams.
 
The good thing is, I don't have to do anything immediately. I can wait on a really good deal. My wife has a car and my son has an old beat up pickup. The one thing I have in my favor is that if I do end up with a bad car, at least it's not like it will be a big money mistake like someone buying a much nicer car is risking.

Unfortunately, you might be waiting a while. Years ago, you could get a decent car that would last two or three years for a couple grand, but good luck with that today. Cash for clunkers took a lot of perfectly useable, cheap cars off the road, and the ones that are left are a lot more expensive because of it. You'll be lucky to find something with minimal issues for any less than $4,000, depending on where you live of course.

You'll probably have better luck finding something cheap through private sale, but it wouldn't hurt to call around to dealers, tell them what you want, and they'll probably be willing to call you back when they get something they think you'll be interested in.

One car I suggest you keep an eye out for is a second gen Saturn SL. Those surprise people with their toughness, probably because they don't have the typical 4 cylinder GM garbage from the Cavaliers and the like. You'll save a ton on gas too.
 
As James said, a 2k car here will cost you at least 2k in repairs the first year. At least it will here. That's if it'll pass the states *&&^%$## emission test.

Hate to suggest this because they nail you on the interest rate but the 'buy here,pay here' places do have some decent cars, mostly bank repo's bought at auction.

I do know someone who bought a car from one of them. IMHO he paid a little too much and the interest rate is 16% IIRC but a year later he's still running strong with not one problem. My 2¢.
 
try carfinders.com might help also.i see that commercial alot. i'm trading in my 01 grand am gt soon for a camero rs2 11. my car has 40thou miles and i have already replaced engine,windows,ac,brakes,tire rods.the only thing that hasn't broke yet is the sunroof,computer and transmission.knock on wood.gotta make this car make it till atleast may. good luck and let us know what you decide to get.
 
The way you phrase the question confuses me.... but, imho .... look mid 80's mid or full size car with a frame. Don't buy anything unibody ... don't buy anything with a computer or emission controls. Frankly,if you could find one, an old Lada is unbeatable. It ran like **** when new off the lot, and will run like new today. They're bullet proof.

I last year bought an '85 parisienne ... and I couldn't be happier ... right up until I have to pump the gas. No matter if it rusts ... it's got a solid frame... the sheet metal is only sheet metal .. not critical structural support. under the hood ... maybe 6 wires that don't go to spark plugs ... far far less potential problems. No computer to short out ... manual fuel pump ... The point is ... simple is best. Would I want to be driving this in heavy traffic every rush hour? Probably not ... but it only took me slightly more than a tank of gas to go from mtl to Detroit last year. It LOVES highway.
 
Be very wary of scams. One of the newest are advertisements for vehicles via private ads such a Craig's List and news print, for a lowball price. Once you make contact the party meets you at a parking lot somewhere and the the deal is consummated only to find later the vehicle is stolen, title forged, vehicle totally worn out or a scrap car retitled with a VIN from a stolen vehicle.

Best bet, whatever you find and are interested in buying, invest in a short term subscription to Car Fax (I used service in early 2000, I think it cost $19.95 for 12 Car Fax lookups) and don't forget to give the vehicle a good inspection rather than a "WOW! Standing ten feet away it looks like new" approach.

Check Frick and Frack, the auto guru's on NPR (I forget their program name) as they might have data on older vehicles with a reliability and/or problems of concern area. Consumer Reports at the local library for the most reliable and do some research online. There really are vehicles w/200,000 miles that will give good service.

In the 1980's, we owned and operated a used and new car rental fleet (eleven vans & trucks, 32 cars) for five years before selling. We rented used vehicles with well over 100,000 miles and new cars, and because of maintenance, had no more problems with used as new cars.
Car Fax will give you much info and save you buying a good looking vehicle at a cheap price but had been in one of the floods and later titled in ten different states to try to hide the fact. GOOD LUCK!
 
Thanks for the info guys and gals. I'm still looking. Everything I like the looks of is being snatched up before I can even get out to see it. It looks like there are a lot of other people who got their tax refunds and have been waiting to use it on a car, like I have been.

The local paper was a bust. Car ads used to be reasonable to place, but they are way too expensive any more. There were a total of 3 vehicles in the paper that sounded interesting and all of them sold before Sunday, as most ads run Friday, Saturday and Sunday as a package deal. Maybe I'll go out and get a paper this Friday.

I do know an awful lot about what kinds of problems certain cars have and how reliable most cars are, or aren't, from my years as a service manager and store manager of several tire stores and parts stores over about 20 years.
 
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