Best way to get good used car for under $5,000
August 17, 2019 8:43 PM Subscribe
Just totaled a 2010 honda civic with 140,000 miles.
Looking for similar car that's been well maintained for 5,000-8,000 that will last me a couple years without any big hiccups along the way, and be able to withstand some roadtrips. Is that possible to find? I hear maintenance matters more than miles or age.
Also...
I've heard maintenance and service reports are free on CarMax. That doesn't appear to be true from what I can tell. Anyone know for sure?
Thanks!
CarMax (http://www.carmax.com) is a national chain of car dealerships.
I'm gonna guess you're probably thinking of CarFax (http://www.carfax.com), which is a service that offers vehicle history reports to dealers and consumers. A vehicle history report will tell you the title history, if that car has ever been involved in a reported accident, if it was ever recalled and why, etc. It's useful, particularly if you're buying from an owner or a less-than-upstanding used car dealer.
However, a vehicle history report likely won't tell you anything about maintenance at all (unless all the maintenance was done through the original dealer, and even that's hit and miss). And it's not going to tell you anything about unreported accidents, i.e. the sort where the owner got in an accident and had his amateur mechanic friend fix the damage in a backyard garage. So a CarFax vehicle history report is not a catch-all that will reveal everything about the car's history.
posted by gritter at 6:48 AM on August 18, 2019
I'm gonna guess you're probably thinking of CarFax (http://www.carfax.com), which is a service that offers vehicle history reports to dealers and consumers. A vehicle history report will tell you the title history, if that car has ever been involved in a reported accident, if it was ever recalled and why, etc. It's useful, particularly if you're buying from an owner or a less-than-upstanding used car dealer.
However, a vehicle history report likely won't tell you anything about maintenance at all (unless all the maintenance was done through the original dealer, and even that's hit and miss). And it's not going to tell you anything about unreported accidents, i.e. the sort where the owner got in an accident and had his amateur mechanic friend fix the damage in a backyard garage. So a CarFax vehicle history report is not a catch-all that will reveal everything about the car's history.
posted by gritter at 6:48 AM on August 18, 2019
Flooded cars are a thing lately. I doubt if that would show up on carfax, unless it had been replaced by insurance, and maybe not even then.
posted by H21 at 8:50 AM on August 18, 2019
posted by H21 at 8:50 AM on August 18, 2019
I've heard maintenance and service reports are free on CarMFax.
Sort of kind of. As I understand it, CarFax pulls from various public records, which may or may not be complete. For instance, there may be a public record that a car was involved in a reported accident, but the record doesn't describe the severity of the accident. Fender-bender? Rolled into a ditch? It may not say. The CarFax will only report that an accident happened.
Also, never, ever, buy a car with a salvage title. You just never know how extensive the damage was to the vehicle, and the seller (who is usually the one who has restored/repaired the car), generally, isn't required to reveal the extent of the damage.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:59 AM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
Sort of kind of. As I understand it, CarFax pulls from various public records, which may or may not be complete. For instance, there may be a public record that a car was involved in a reported accident, but the record doesn't describe the severity of the accident. Fender-bender? Rolled into a ditch? It may not say. The CarFax will only report that an accident happened.
Also, never, ever, buy a car with a salvage title. You just never know how extensive the damage was to the vehicle, and the seller (who is usually the one who has restored/repaired the car), generally, isn't required to reveal the extent of the damage.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:59 AM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
Seconded: A non-mechanic buyer should almost *never even consider* a salvage titled vehicle. Absolutely never without a serious mechanical inspection. Even then, you are gambling big time. And it’s also likely you cannot finance or insure such vehicle easily.
Here’s a nice piece from Jalopnik’s professional auto buyer Tom McParland entitled “How not to buy a used car.”
Do not trust CarFax reports. They are notoriously inaccurate.
Pay $100-200 for a pre purchase inspection of any car you buy used at any price. It could save you thousands. And if a seller won’t let you do this, they’re hiding something. No one sells a beater car that’s running well. They sell when a problem is developing they don’t want to deal with. Almost always.
posted by spitbull at 11:57 AM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
Here’s a nice piece from Jalopnik’s professional auto buyer Tom McParland entitled “How not to buy a used car.”
Do not trust CarFax reports. They are notoriously inaccurate.
Pay $100-200 for a pre purchase inspection of any car you buy used at any price. It could save you thousands. And if a seller won’t let you do this, they’re hiding something. No one sells a beater car that’s running well. They sell when a problem is developing they don’t want to deal with. Almost always.
posted by spitbull at 11:57 AM on August 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
Also from jalopnik albeit 2014: “How CarFax works and why you should take it with a grain of salt.”
posted by spitbull at 12:40 PM on August 18, 2019
posted by spitbull at 12:40 PM on August 18, 2019
We got a Toyota Corolla 2006 last year for 2.5k off Craigslist. It has had zero problems and we know if problems do come up it's super cheap to fix Toyotas. I think if you're willing to look at older cars you can find them in good shape. Our car's previous owner had meticulous records of all the oil changes and any other maintenance. There's a group of people out there that buy quality (though not flashy) cars and take great care of them for years. Try to find one of those!
posted by KMoney at 2:56 PM on August 18, 2019
posted by KMoney at 2:56 PM on August 18, 2019
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posted by theora55 at 11:57 PM on August 17, 2019