Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with car and used

Buying an used car in Ontario

tksh — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:57:23 -0800

What's the process to buying an used car in Ontario? I am about to buy an used car from a private seller and so far, I am just using this page from the Ministry of Transportation as my guide. It's a bit overwhelming though compared to buying brand new from the dealer. For example, which party takes care of the safety standards certificate?

Has anyone bought an used car in Ontario recently and can give an overview?

Auto-broker, good or bad idea?

furtive — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:13:48 -0800

Does buying used through an auto-broker make sense for me? I'm in the market for a used car (1-4 years old, one owner, still under warranty) but I live 90 minutes away from the nearest urban area with a proper used car market. To compound things my truck is on it's last legs and every trip out I expect it to be the last. This makes shopping around for a used car rather difficult.

It dawned on me that there must be a market for auto-brokers, and googling them found me several in the nearest city. Does anyone have experience with these? What should I be aware of? I don't mind paying a few hundred extra for the convenience.

What should my counter offer for a used car be?

FairlyFarley — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:51:40 -0800

I'm in the middle of negotiating with a dealer for a used car. I need to know what a good counter offer would be and how many offers I should be expected to make. I know I want a used toyota tacoma truck. I found one locally on the internet. I really want to buy it, however I don't want to go into the dealer yet and get milked so I'm communicating with a salesman from the dealer through e-mail.

The truck was listed for $11,700. I sent an e-mail expressing my interest and also my findings that kelly blue book and edmunds list the value of the vehicle at $8,100 and $8,300 respectivly and that "this amout was closer to the amout of the load I've been approved for" without coming out and making an offer.

I have been approved for a loan for up to the whole asking price.

The dealer e-mailed me back saying they "taked with the boss" and will be willing to sell the vehicle for $10,800.

What would be a reasonable counter offer? And how many counter offers should I be expected to go through? Is there some magic percentage that they are allowed to go down? What's the lowest I can offer and still be taken seriously?

I want this truck, but I don't want to feel like I got a bad deal.

Car buying virgin!

KateHasQuestions — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:11:59 -0800

Buying a used car from a dealer - what questions should I ask, what should I ask about, and what deals should I insist on so I don't get cheated? I'm about to buy a car on my own for the first time. Out of all the ones I test drove I loved both the Toyota Matrix and the Pontiac Vibe. I liked them both equally and this isn't a question about which one I should choose, I'm not putting the year/mileage/price on here specifically for that reason. I am going to decide based on which dealership gives me a better deal. My next stop after knowing that I like how these 2 cars drive is to look around at the prices at the nearby dealerships are asking for (online as well as at the dealer) and try to get them to beat the other guy's price. Is that the correct next step?

Also,
- How much should I be willing to pay compared to the Kelly Blue Book values? $2000 less? $3000 less than kbb?
- Aside from buying from the dealer with the best price, what statements should I be saying in order to get them to lower the price? Stuff like "some of the buttons in the car are peeling and there's a scratch, I don't feel like it's in good enough condition to justify this price" or do I pretend I am not interested and walk away to get them to lower the price? All my friends are telling me to "play the game" and I've just never done anything like this, so any tips are appreciated!
- Is it worth having a male friend come along just so the salesman doesn't think he can take advantage of me as a girl? I feel like even going to get my car fixed I get different responses whether I'm alone or with a male friend.
- If I finance the car, does the dealer really get a bonus from the bank? If yes, how do I get them to reduce the price of the car for that amount?
- Do I need to know which bank I would use to finance it? What's a good interest rate now, in NYC/NJ?
- If I officially live in NY and I'm buying the car in NJ, anyone know which sales tax I pay? If I have to pay the NY one is it worth asking if the dealer would take the difference off the price of the car?

As you can see, I am clueless as this is my first experience, and out of the dealers I did talk to today, most of them were exactly the way I expected them to be - they seemed sleazy, like they were ready to take advantage of me and not listen to me and just talk over me. So any tips of how to talk to them and exactly what to say and do to get them to lower the price would be appreciated.

Out of state used car headache

zvs — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:44:26 -0800

I'm looking into buying a used car, and found a pretty good looking one from a colleague in New Jersey. I live in Brooklyn. How the heck does this work? Parking and title questions follow... I've never bought a car before, so it's all new to me. If I buy this car, the original owner has to take the plates off -- then I guess I'll need a NY in-state temporary plate to get it to my house.

Problem 1: Do I just leave it in NJ until I manage to get NY plates? Do I have to get title to get a transfer plate, or does that include title? The website is less than clear.

Problem 2: Where the heck do I keep it? Will I get ticketed if it's on the street? Will I get ticketed for moving an unplated car during street cleaning?

Problem 3: Where do I pay sales tax?

Anybody done this before?

New England Car Needed

billtron — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:07:51 -0800

I'm moving to the Upper Valley of New Hampshire in a month and need to buy a car for the first time. Help me choose the right one. We've narrowed it down basically to two general options: something resembling a 2 year old Subaru Outback and something resembling a new Prius. Our choice will depend on the availability of options, incentives at the time of purchase, and the necessity of getting an all-wheel drive vehicle for the harsh winters versus the fuel efficiency of getting a hybrid for our monthly trips to NYC. What, o great metahivemind, do you suggest we do?

Of course I just paid it off

girlmightlive — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:24:20 -0800

I need a cheap, used car (~$6000) that can handle the hundreds of miles I drive every week for work. I was driving a used 2001 Kia Rio that I just paid off (of course) and that broke down a couple of weeks ago. My regular mechanic thinks I need a new engine which would cost about $2500. I bought the car for $5000, and it has about 120,000+ miles on it. I've already put so much money into maintaining this car that I think I should just buy a used one that's more reliable. But I'm concerned because I drive so much.

Not only do I have to commute about 30 miles each way to work 4 days a week, but I also drive a lot after I get there, so driving 500 miles/week isn't a rare occurrence. Moving closer to work isn't an option.

I'm looking at Toyotas, Volvos, Hondas, etc. If any of you drive a cheap, used, reliable car a lot, I'd love to hear recommendations and your experiences. (I'll be stopping at the library soon to pick up a copy of Consumer Reports).

Selling a dead battery car: Dealership or Craigslist?

carpyful — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:23:17 -0800

Car with a dead battery (sorta). I want to sell it immediately. Will I be better off selling it to a used car dealer or on Craigslist? If the former, can anyone recommend a dealer in Seattle? So when I first moved to Seattle, I bought a used car ('95 Mitsubishi Mirage) for $1300. I just needed a jalopy to get me from point A to point B -- or so I thought. It turns out, I don't really need a car at all. So the car has just been sitting around, with me driving it around every couple of days to make sure the battery doesn't die.

As it happens, I kept procrastinating moving the car around and now the battery is dead. Even though I got it jumped (and had the battery checked by AAA), I don't drive the car nearly enough to hold the charge and it's just a hassle now.

Really, all I want now is to sell the car quickly and without hassle... but I don't want to get completely fleeced.

Will I be better off selling it to a dealer or putting it on Craigslist as a car with a dead battery? It seems like both options are equal, hassle-wise. Which do you think will get me more money? If the former, can you recommend a place in Seattle that buys used cars? .. and assuming the car is in slightly below average condition, what's a reasonable price to ask for / expect?

Help me just get this over with, please.

How to get rid of a once nice car, now sitting by the woods.

bobbyno — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:42:36 -0800

What should I do to get a car that's been sitting for 2 years out of my life, without feeling like I've wasted it? I have a 1993 Volvo. A couple of years ago I left it at my in-laws house because I did not need it in the city. I sort of let it go to seed. I know--lame. It's been sitting outside for a couple of years.

I now want to get rid of it, but I don't want to just give it away. It doesn't run, but it was at one time a real nice car. Do you think anyone like a Volvo body shop will want it for parts? Whatever happens to it, it's going to have to be towed away by someone. It could, in theory, be tuned up to running condition.

Should I:
a) Donate it and just write it off.
b) Call one of those "We pay cash for junk cars!" places. Does anyone have experience there?
c) List it on Craigslist and show it, which will take a little time and effort but possibly yield some cash?

Thank you for your help. This is my first question here. I am not trying to sell this car here! I just need a little guidance.

Forced into the car market: Lease or Buy?

lonemantis — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:00:56 -0800

We just lost our car in a garage fire, should we now lease or buy? We live in a condo, and a bunch of us homeowners lost our cars (and other belongings) in a garage fire. My wife and I want to know the hive-mind's opinion on whether we should lease or buy now that we're forced into the market for a new car. Some information: we're "tree-huggers" so we appreciate good gas mileage (and we're enamored with the upcoming 3rd gen Honda Insight). But we also drive the cars a ton, we drive everywhere. We live in Indianapolis, but our parents and families are on the east coast, so we drive to NYC and the D.C. area multiple times a year; not to mention the Chicago area, too. So that would also be a consideration whether we lease or buy... Thanks for anyone's opinion.

Whither Pacifica?

Mr. Anthropomorphism — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 18:16:48 -0800

Does anyone have anything to say about the Chrysler Pacifica? It seems to be a really good fit for our growing family's needs, but searching online for reviews has turned up polarized opinions. It seems they either last forever or fall apart as you drive off the lot.

We're looking at 2006 AWD Touring models with low miles.

I am aware there was a recall on some during this model year, and also see a lot of complaints about ABS sensors breaking.

What have been the experiences of the hivemind?

How to test A/C in cold weather.

unreasonable — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:04:07 -0800

Buying a used car in the winter, how can i test to see if the A/C works? I want to be sure the A/C works on a used car before I buy it, but it is only 15 outside right now. What can i do?

Please help find a gently-used, luxury-ish sedan.

fieldtrip — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:27:20 -0800

Please help find a gently-used, luxury-ish sedan. My girlfriend’s stepmother is in the market for a new used car. I have been recruited to help but I am kind of at a loss. The cars that she says that she likes are the Chrysler 300, Cadillacs, and Lexus. She wants to buy a 2007 or 2008 with warranty and not many more than 19,000 miles. Her budget is roughly $20,000. What she wants is a four door sedan with ideally leather seats, heated seats, wood trim, and built in navigation (this last one is very optional). In the research that I’ve done there seems to be a lot of Chrysler 300s in this range. There are a few Cadillac CTS and no Lexus (Lexi?). She currently drives a VW bug but says that she is now at that age, early sixties, where she wants something more comfortable and maybe a little fancier. I’m wondering what other cars that you know of that fit these criteria that she isn’t thinking of. All of the Acuras and Infinities also seem to cost too much but there must be other luxury-ish 4 door sedans that we aren’t thinking of. She lives and wants to buy in the Albuquerque area if that makes a difference. One of the problems for me to wrap my brain around is for someone to want to go from a car the size of a bug to a behemoth Cadillac. Are there some nice cars (leather, wood trim, etc) that are in between these two sizes that also fit in this price range? I think most of the European cars are out just because of cost of upkeep (unless you can make a great argument otherwise). What are we missing? Your personal anecdotes are extremely welcome.

How to buy a car across the nation?

AMP583 — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:49:47 -0800

Buying a car....1000 miles away. What steps and how to do it? I would like to buy a used vehicle that was posted on Craigslist that is located in Oregon. I am located in Chicago. I've gotten quotes for shipping the car to my door but i would like to know how to go about with the transaction, title transfer, etc. I would like to minimize costs of course. Im sure agents are available but is it possible through my bank? I do not need a loan, i will be paying using cash.

Used Car Dealership near Providence

Murray M — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:56:47 -0800

Any used car dealerships--and particular dealers--near Providence, RI (or around) whom you would recommend? I'm looking for a Subaru Forester with around 50K miles.

WTB Wheels, Not Enough $$$ On Hand

BeerFilter — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:06:11 -0800

Are individuals selling used cars frequently willing to work with a purchaser with regard to a payment plan or are they really expecting the full asking price all at once? I need to buy a used car soon. I have a job but I don't have a lot of money saved up.

For instance, there's a nice-looking used car for sale on my ride home from work. The writing on the window says $2700. I don't have $2700 right now. I could put $1000 in the seller's hand right now, but it'd probably take me 6 weeks to earn up the rest. I could pay the rest out over say, a couple months.

FWIW, this is the 3rd used car for sale I've seen sitting in front of this house in the last couple months, suggesting this person liquidating his personal fleet. I bring this up because maybe this could be an indicator of someone eager to make a deal? Someone who just wants to get rid of it as quickly as possible?

Of course everyone's different, and some sellers would be willing to work with me and some would not. I'm just wondering what the general expectation is when people sell their cars to other people, and whether I shouldn't bother looking for cars until I have more money saved up.

Subaru motor of death?

SirStan — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 16:02:50 -0800

Girlfriend fell in love with a 1996 Legacy Outback. It has the 2.5 liter motor that everyone and their mother says died a horrible headgasket death.. The interwebs would have me believe that the 2.5 liter Subaru motor (generation 1, specifically) is prone to blowing headgaskets. My girlfriend needs an economic car (ie, <$3k.. more like $2500) and we found a really nice, well taken care of, private sale of a 1996 Outback, 145k for $2500. The stickler is it has never had headgasket work - but it has receipts for major service.

So hivemind -- is the 2.5 as bad as the reputation that precedes it?

Looking for a green family car

Reverend John — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:35:58 -0800

Help us pick a car! We're looking for a good used family car. We have two daughters, a 2 1/2 year old and a newborn and need a car that can accommodate an infant car carrier without putting the front passenger's knees in the glovebox. We'd really like something that gets good gas mileage and is reliable. We'd consider a hybrid, but its hard to find them (new or used) to test drive and check to see if the car seats fit well, and we're also a little concerned about the battery life on a used hybrid, as we've heard they can be expensive to replace.

A few more datapoints:

We really liked the Subaru Outback, but found its gas mileage to be a little disappointing. We also liked the Mazda 5 but were also disappointed with the gas mileage.

Can anyone suggest a used car with good fuel economy, decent room for the kids, and good reliability that we ought to consider?

Help me not donate more money to dealer profit than I really need to...

Asherah — Sun, 18 May 2008 14:29:39 -0800

2006 Honda Civic service schedule: Maintenance Minder or dealer service recommendation? I've listed my 2006 Civic for sale, but am still unsure as to which maintenance schedule the car should follow, and would like to provide this information to any potential buyers. The operational and service manuals (as well as the Honda Owner's website) indicates that maintenance is only required when specific number/letter codes appear on the dash display.

Of course the dealer recommends services as specific set intervals, the next of which is 35K miles. They stated that this service includes: oil change, transmission fluid check/refill, air cabin filter and engine air filter (?) change, new brake pads, tire rotation, and a valve check. The quoted cost being a semi-outrageous $449, of course.

This car has been well maintained and not driven hard by any means. I know the dealer will obviously overcharge for the amount of work that will be done, but it would seem that getting this service done would bring more piece of mind to a used car buyer. I also already have one serious buyer who has driven the car and has not expressed concern over the lack of the 35K mile service (mileage just barely exceeds 35K).

Recommendations on what you would you do? Pay the dealer for the service, find a non-dealer who can to the equivalent for a lower cost, state to any buyers that all maintenance has been done per the 'maintenance minder' codes, which it has for the past two years.

Help me pick a used car, econ majors!

slow graffiti — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 17:18:42 -0800

How do you determine the sweet spot between price and age/reliability when looking at used cars? I'm about to buy my first car on my own; the car I learned on and drove for five years belongs to my parents, and it's time to give it back. All I'm sure of at this point is that I want something small (I really like the Fit and the Yaris, but I've always heard it never makes good economic sense to buy new) and fuel efficient, probably foreign. My budget is potentially as much as $15K with about half of that available as cash for a down payment. Price and reliability are my only big concerns; I don't care much about names and looks if it gets me around and never fails. I think cars are pretty silly but necessary in my case, so I don't want to spend any more than I have to. Now I don't know how to narrow down my search any more, because that means I would have to be more specific about my budget and models and the kind of mileage I'm willing to accept. Is there a point that's definitely "too used" when looking at used cars, where reliability issues make the cost to drive similar to a more expensive, less used car over time? Basically, I know I want the lowest cost per month of ownership over the life of the car, so is there some rule of thumb that says a used car that costs about $X will give me that? What bar should I set for mileage? Nothing over 40K? 100K? You can assume that whatever I buy I will drive until it's totaled or develops annoying mechanical issues; I won't be trading up any time before 5 years, hopefully more like 10. Is there any scenario in which it would make sense to go for one of the cheap new hatchbacks instead of something used?

Help, I'll drown in all the options if I don't intelligently set some parameters! I'm in California if it matters. Specific model recommendations are appreciated, but I figured framing the question in terms of find a used car "sweet spot" is more useful.

What should I expect in a used car given a budget of $4000-6000?

deansfurniture5 — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:15:38 -0800

What should I expect in a used car given a budget of $4000-6000? After reading through past posts on MetaFilter, along with poking around the web, I'm pretty set that I want to get either a Honda, Toyota, or Nissan for my first car (I'm a 19 year old college student). I've got a budget of right around $4000 to $6000, and I've been poking around craiglist, autotrader, and other similar sites. However, I really don't know what to expect in a car (i.e. what's a "good" mileage to get, what year). I've looked on kbb.com and edmunds.com, but what I really want to know is what to look for in terms of reliability.

Any thoughts/suggestions? Also, just to note--I'm not necessarily as interested in which make/model to get, but rather what to look for in the car.

Hopefully that's enough info to start the discussion, thanks in advance!

buying a car from an individual with my bank in another state, protecting him and me

amtho — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 09:37:51 -0800

How do I be fair to myself and the guy whose car I'm buying, when the actual title transaction will be taking place mostly between banks in another state? Contract/time of delivery/protecting of interests question. background

I'm in the process of buying a 2007 Mazda3 from a nice guy who determined that he couldn't afford the payments. I've had it inspected by a mechanic, it's apparently great. I told him that I could be laid back about when I actually got the car since he still needs to find an inexpensive used car for himself. In exchange, he's going to have it detailed/cleaned for me. It's got around 6000 miles on it, and is probably racking up more, but I've decided not to worry about that.

The total price I'm paying is less than he owes to the Mazda [something] financing co. -- he purchased the car in June and "owns" very little of it. I'm taking a loan out for about 60% of my price from my credit union, which is in GA (I'm in NC). The rest will be sent to the credit union in the form of a cashier's check made out to Mazda [something] financing co.

status

I'm working with my credit union, who has sent a power of attorney form for him to sign that basically says "your credit union lawyer can take care of the title". The credit union requires that POA or the one from NC; I think the POA situation is under control. They also have asked for various bits of legal information, contact info for the Mazda financing co., exact spelling of his name on the title, etc.

How to I make sure that the ownership, and drivership, of the car takes place at a time that protects us both? Should he hand over the keys just based on my word that I'm going to mail stuff to the credit union? Should I let him keep the keys even after sending the stuff to the credit union, until I get a phone call from them saying that the transaction is complete (how inconvenient)? How does this work?

what I'm trying to prevent

What if he wrecks, or otherwise damages, the car between the time the credit union sets up the ownership/loan and the time I get the car? What if he sets up the paperwork, gives me the keys, and then somehow the paperwork gets lost in the mail? What about things that could happen during this time now, between our verbal agreement and any contract/exchange of funds?

wrap up

I did a quick search of the web and even the local library, but example contracts I found were, as far as I could tell, not right for this situation.

I'm thinking we might make some kind of written understanding between us would help, or parking the car somewhere neutral until the transaction is officially complete.

Has anyone done a transaction like this before? What steps make sense?

I'd be willing to hire a lawyer for an hour or so, but am hoping it won't be necessary. On the whole, the seller and I trust each other, but I'm older and feel a responsibility to protect his interests as well.

Also: Should I insist that he provide an actual title, even if it's not in his name? Would he have access to this document? Or will the bank people handle this entirely?

Thanks in advance for any "Not a Lawyer/Not Your Lawyer" advice.

Car purchase could be the death of me...

liquado — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 23:24:43 -0800

I just got a kick-butt new job, and I'm already in stressed-out, dejected pain -- over buying a stupid car to get to it. I've just gotten this great new communications officer gig that kicks all kinds of ass (short hours, lots of holidays, good pay, interesting travel, casual office environment, networking opportunities galore -- yay!). I start on Monday, and am crazily excited.

The catch is the car.

We're currently a single-vehicle family (minivan), having just booted our last beater into the back-40 three weeks ago, because of terminal fixability issues. This job showed up out of the blue, and I was hired, literally, three hours after the interview. We had planned on single-car-ing it for the next little while, but this has massively accelerated the need to purchase something. So, I have five days to find a vehicle. Here are my issues:

1) We live in a rural area, four hours from Winnipeg and Thunder Bay, so there is a dearth of used vehicle options;

2) I want something that's in the 5-8K range (so I can pay cash);

3) I've looked at all kinds of used vehicles in Winnipeg, and though I know many will recommend a Corolla, Civic, Tercel or Accord, the price on these cars in Winnipeg are *insane.* I cannot in good conscience pay $8,000 for a 1994 four-door Tercel with 170,000k on it, that looks so cheap, the gas pedal must be an option;

4) I'm not super image-conscious, but I want something that has a little style. I have a minivan for hauling the kidlets around in, so it would be nice to have something a little sportier -- yet still good on gas -- to drive to work in;

5) I'm not a mechanical idiot, but I also don't have the time in my day to dink around with a car that's not going to be reliable.

I'm totally dejected over this, because I'm running out of time, and feeling like I've got to spend substantially more money than I thought, on cars that look not-so-reliable. I guess I'm looking for some opinions on other cars that are in that price range that I've found (all in the 1999-2003ish age):

-Olds Alero
-Pontiac Grand Am (I swear to god, half of Winnipeg owns this or a Cavalier)
-Pontiac Grand Prix

....or, should I suck it up and spend more on something else?

Thanks, hive mind....

Yet another Used Car question

tradeer33 — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:13:26 -0800

I’ve found a nice used 2004 Honda Accord EX that I’m interested in which is about 30 miles away in another town. The dealership is only asking $14,995 and both KBB and NADA both list the worth over $18,000. I did a carfax report for the car and it shows a one owner history with no accidents or anything. I also contacted the local Honda dealership (not the selling dealer) and asked them to pull warranty work done to this car via VIN. The only thing that was done was an Automatic transmission that was recalled and replaced under warranty. What am I missing? Why are they selling this car for what seems to me, much less than the worth of it? I have always assumed that car dealerships are there to screw you however they can. Any help would be appreciated

Should I buy a used rental car?

Cogito — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 12:18:06 -0800

UsedCarFilter: Is buying used from a rental car company, specifically Enterprise, a good idea? First hand experiences appreciated. I just don't trust my '89 Volvo on long journeys anymore, and since I hardly drive except to go on roadtrips, it's becoming increasingly useless to me.

When I go on roadtrips I've been renting cars from Enterprise. I've been quite happy with their service and the cars seem very well maintained. I've noticed that they sell their used cars after a couple years, so I thought maybe this would be a good way to avoid the "new car" price hit, but still be sure that the car was well maintained.

I'd like to hear general thoughts as well as people's specific experiences buying from rental companies. If this question's been asked before, I couldn't find it.