Used Cars - Where to find the good ones?

Hi guys,

I'm going to be looking for a good used car for one of my boys soon and would like to find some good resources. Obviously there's CL and local dealers, but can you guys point me in the direction of any other reputable resources to help with the used car search? I'm not opposed to driving a little bit (~200 miles or so) to find a quality used car. so far, it seems like Autotrader.com has the nicest/easiest to use site.

I'm trying to stay under $5,000 total. He'll be driving a fair amount over the summer to jobs, baseball, etc. so I want to get something that will give me peace of mind.

What sites have you guys used? What was your experience like? Would you recommend it? I haven't shopped for a kid's used car before, so any tips will be appreciated.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Try Bring a Trailer. Awesome site, seems to be one of the most honest ones out there. The guys that run it really make an effort to have the seller describe in detail the condition of each car with 100+ photos. There seems to be a standard photo run because most of the submissions look very similar. I bought a 1971 240Z there and got it at a fair price and pretty much in the condition described. I've never heard of a bad transaction but several good ones. Obviously you'll have to wait until the car you're looking for comes up but it's such an active site you probably won't have to wait too long.

The best deals are usually through someone you know - or someone who knows someone...

Echoing Ross slightly I've noticed some pretty fair deals on Facebook recently. If you use social media like that just put out a request among your friends and see what comes up. Often there will be someone upgrading to a newer car or someone with a recent death in the family or moving to a retirement type setting where they'll no longer be driving and won't need their car anymore.

I've used cars.com to find both of my last vehicles, in the last 3-1/2 years. Both were 18 to 24 months old, trade-ins on lease-backs at dealers, and I didn't need a car immediately. That makes a huge difference, since I could search at leisure, and wait until I found the car I wanted at the right price. There are quite a few detailed search parameters you can pick or change, which really helps eliminate the chaff. As you know, you'll get great advice on this forum from many experienced sources; use them all.

(I found an 18-month-old Honda Ridgeline three years ago, and bought it for about $9,000 less than it sold for new. It had 14,100 miles on it, and a year and a half of warranty left. But I had been looking for the right vehicle for eight or nine months. Your experience may vary...........)

M/G - I think you have taken the very important first step. You buy a kid a $5,000.00 car. Any more than that you are literally throwing money away, cause the kid is going to have "oopsies". That is what they do. Besides, they need something to look forward to anyway.

My office teaches driver's safety. I've been asked dozens of times for advice regarding teenagers and "first cars". I tell them all the same thing. When my own kids got the keys to their first car, after the immediate joy and excitement (I gotta get a hug whenever I can), I sat them down:

(Pants) "OK - this is VERY important, so listen up. There are 4 things you need to know about this car:

1. You are required to pay for every drop of fuel that goes into this vehicle. The only way I can reduce my exposure to risk is to reduce the miles you drive, and this is the best way to do that.

2. This car only has liability insurance. That means if you wreck it, and it's your fault, either you pay to fix it or it dies where it sits.

3. Your insurance reflect a good student discount. That means if your grades fall, or you get a speeding ticket or any accident that is your fault, and our insurance goes up, either you pay the difference or ..... you guessed it, the car gets parked in the driveway.

4. This one is the most important part. This vehicle is NOT your car. This is my car that I'm letting you use, subject to change without notice on a case by case basis for any reason I deem necessary.

Now - go have fun and be careful."

I just happened to hear this yesterday and it made sense to me, so I'll pass it along. There's this weekend radio show called "Car Talk" I had on yesterday that's hosted by a long-time former car dealer named Jerry Reynolds who seems knowledgeable. He usually talks about new cars, but this guy was asking a question similar to yours about a used car.

Jerry named two specific cars that he said are both good buys used, the Chevy Malabu and the Ford Taurus. He liked them both because he said they don't hold their value worth a damn! But that just means there isn't that much of a demand for used models later on, and that's good for you because it means that used ones can be had much cheaper than a very comparable but more in-demand car like similar models of cars like Honda or Toyota. And he felt like the two he named were as good in every way, dependability, life expectancy, features, as those others. I thought it was a great point and worth passing along. Good luck.

Good advice, so far! Another option, if there is a specific car of interest, would be forums devoted to same. Much like here, although rarely as good overall, one can learn about problem areas and often prices to forum members are better than to the general public.

My kids cars came from two different sources:

Source One - us My wife was in need of some upgraded wheels - She got the Convertible she wanted and my Daughter drives her old Honda Pilot.

Source two - My parents. My family believes that if a car get 60,000 miles on it you need to replace it before it starts to nickel and dime you to death. I don't know how this got started - probably something to do with the harsh winters in northern Wisconsin and the salt they use on the roads. Two of those vehicles are in Texas now. A 2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEI that my son loves and that car can haul. It now has 109,000 miles. There have been some repairs but well within reason. The other is a 2001 Dodge Dakota - this is a cream puff. Came to me 16 years old and 14,000 miles. It had spent most of its life parked other than a weekly trip or two to run it a bit. After my Mom passed away Dad only needed one car. He traded his Taurus SHO off and bought a very nice explorer. The truck was going to get traded but I stepped in and gave him more than the dealer would have.

Short version - reach out to your family.

Joe

I like Facebook Marketplace. You can usually find out a bit about the owner through their profile and get a feel for how they treat things...

Buying a used car is a crap shoot no matter what venue you get it from. Car dealers will at least (sometimes) give you some kind of warranty, but most only last 90 days. If your looking for a "cheap car"... that's exactly what you should expect.

You want something at or under $5,000? Look at cars that are low to start with...Economy cars with 75 to 90,000 miles. Most have simple motors that likely can go much farther. Stick with American brands (even if the car was built by a Japanese company) the suggestion for the Taurus or Malibu is a good area to look. Do a little research on car models you find offered.

Figure that what you buy will only be owned by your son for two years before he trades it in for something newer/cooler.

I just bought a used car from a dealer I located on CarGurus. This site will tell you if it's a great, good or fair deal. Very easy to search and links you to all the details of the cars listed. Can search as far out from your area code as you want.

BTW I now have my old car for sale but unfortunately I'm way further than 200 miles from you :^)

Thanks guys. I got a line on a Camry from Autotrader. One owner, she says she has all of the maintenance records from her servicing dealer, 2007, 125,000 miles (mostly highway commuting), car looks immaculate in pics. I'm meeting her this Saturday to take a look at it. I'm bringing a friend along to act as a second set of eyes.

Perfect first car for a kid.

(Edit: And plenty of room to get laid. But don't tell the kid that......you didn't hear that from me.)

I couldn't agree more. It's REAL hard to break a Toyota.....

Also... A $5000 bike is really nice!!!

A $5000 car is kinda old....

.... just a point of interest if he rides.

Well, the Camry deal fell through. The seller decided to keep it for her niece. So I began the hunt again. Now I have a 2007 Mazda 3 in my sights. Same situation, one owner, all maintenance records, same mileage (125K miles), adult driven as a commuter.

This one looks promising as well. Going to take a look at it Saturday morning. Asking price is $4,500. Would $3,900 be too much of an insult / low ball offer?

If I was asking $4,500, it would depend on how long I had it on the market. Just listed the other day? No dice. Been for sale for two months? Id take it and run.

Gentlemen in this situation will follow the Golden Rule. The one with the gold makes the rules.

Mad German said:

Well, the Camry deal fell through. The seller decided to keep it for her niece. So I began the hunt again. Now I have a 2007 Mazda 3 in my sights. Same situation, one owner, all maintenance records, same mileage (125K miles), adult driven as a commuter.
This one looks promising as well. Going to take a look at it Saturday morning. Asking price is $4,500. Would $3,900 be too much of an insult / low ball offer?

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FWIW, my sister had a Mazda 3. She put a lot of miles on it and she had very few problems, if any. She traded it in when she got a new car. Either way, that Mazda was reliable and treated her well. Obviously, that's only one example, but at least it's a positive one.

Good luck!