Tips for Buying a Used Car

The used car market has done incredible lately. When the economy goes down, used car sales go up. This is for good reason too. I am a firm believer that purchasing a used vehicle is smarter than buying new 99% of the time. Is it risky? Sure it is. Most things that could potentially provide huge benefits are. But if done the right way, risk can be minimized and rewards can be maximized.  Buying used instead of new can literally save you thousands of dollars. And I don’t know about you, but I could use thousands of dollars for all sorts of things, like buying another motorcycle, or maybe a snowmobile, or a four-wheeler or some other fun toy. Or maybe to pay rent. Anyways, the point is, if you’re willing to put in a little bit of effort and follow these simple tips, you’ll be driving a very reliable used car before you know it.

Tip #1- Do your research! Decide what kind of car you want before you just go out and buy what seems like a good deal. I don’t just mean what type of car either, like compact car, or minivan, I’m talking make and model such as Ford Taurus or Toyota Camry. If you don’t know exactly what make and model you want then go test drive a few and figure out which one fits your wants, needs, and budget best. If you can’t narrow it down to one then narrow it down to two or three.

Tip #2- Look online! There’s an endless supply of websites devoted to selling cars. Some of the bigger ones are cars.com and autotrader.com. While these are great they’re typically flooded with dealers trying to sell cars. Try to find a website that caters to your local area. Usually the smaller more local websites will let sellers list their cars for free so there are many more private sellers, which means better deals.  For instance, here in Utah ksl.com is very well known for their classifieds section, and I personally have purchased 5 vehicles that I found on their website. All of which I got a great deal on.

Tip #3- Ask a million questions. Ok, maybe not a million, but a lot. For example, some good questions to ask include:

Why are you selling the car?

How long have you owned the car?

How many owners has the car had?

Has the car had regular maintenance?

Do you have proof of the maintenance?

The more questions you ask the better idea you’ll have as to the car’s history and how well it’s actually been taken care of. This will greatly reduce your chances of buying a “lemon”.

Tip #4- Find a mechanic. One of the best ways to prevent buying a car that will break down 5 minutes after you purchased it is to have a mechanic look at it before you buy it. Many places will charge a minor fee to do a quick overview of the car and make sure there are no major problems with it. This may seem like a bad idea to spend money on a car you don’t even own yet, but in the long run you’ll be happy you did.

Tip #5- Last but not least, negotiate, negotiate, negotiate! When you finally do find that “perfect” car don’t simply pay what the seller is asking. One of the best ways to get a great deal on a used car is to negotiate! Sellers always ask more than they’re actually willing to take. They do this on purpose to leave a little room for negotiation. So don’t just hand them your hard earned money without trying to bargain for a better price. When you finally do come to an agreement you’ll be happy you got a good deal and the seller will be glad the car is sold.

I’ve bought my fair share of used cars and by following these simple yet effective tips I’ve been able to save thousands of dollars and drive good reliable used vehicles. So next time you go to purchase a car remember these tips and you’ll be able to spend the money you saved on that toy you’ve been dreaming of lately. Or rent, of course.