Buying a used car.

[Mosells]

Well it’s been 60 years since a bought a used car. Ive been checking the classifieds here and on craigslist, inserting by owner The Villages. I found several reasonable looking cars in $4000 to $7500 range that go from !998 to 2005. So my question is has anyone else looked for and purchased such cars and how did you make out.

[Toymeister]

Is all in the mileage and the odds. Most vehicles in the 50 -65K range need brakes and struts, Most approaching 90-100K need plugs and coil packs. Of those repairs most people will only repair the brakes when they squeal and the plugs/coils only when the engine light comes on. The struts are very rarely replaced.

If you factor these costs into an inexpensive car it's still pretty affordable at the price point you are looking at.

[PaulDenise]

If you go a few more bucks, you can get a 2-3 year old car from Hertz. A 15 to 20 year old car is pretty old.

We bought a little Nissan Versa Note from them and have been very happy.

https://www.hertzcarsales.com/all-inventory/index.htm?geoZip=32163&geoRadius=75

Here is a good example at $9600, a 2017 with 40k miles:

https://www.hertzcarsales.com/certified/Hyundai/2017-Hyundai-Elantra-028df3320a0e0adf02394b95fbd5c9e1.htm

[John_W]

I would stay away from Craig's List, that's a good way to get scammed, robbed or killed. Buying from the classifies probably would be OK as long as they live in TV.

I look for cars using Autotrader, the last 4 cars I bought I found on that site. You can set your search for example, 100 mile radius, price $8000 to $12000, brand, model, mileage, etc.

Then I look at Yelp.com to see reviews for that dealer. Main thing is to find a dealer that doesn't add dealer fees. For example, a Hyundai from Jenkins has $899 added in dealer fees, from Hyundai of Central Florida in Clermont has zero dealer fees. There are other sites such as dealerrater.com, but I found reviews are more honest on Yelp.

My most recent car was a new Hyundai Kona and it was $3300 cheaper in Clermont than at Jenkins. Besides price, on Yelp Hyundai of Central Florida had great reviews as far as the dealer itself in customer service. On Autotrader click on advanced search and you can put in parameters of your search.

Autotrader Find Your Car (https://www.autotrader.com/)

Yelp - Reviews (https://www.yelp.com/)

After you find the car at the right dealer, go to Kelly Bluebook and find what your trade is worth and what you should pay for the car you're buying.

Carmax in Orlando is a good company for used cars. I sold two cars in different years to Carmax in Baltimore and they paid me exactly the KBB wholesale price. Carmax has a large inventory and they are all over the country. They can bring a car from another Carmax if it fits your needs.

Kelley Blue Book | New and Used Car Price Values, Expert Car Reviews (https://www.kbb.com/)

Carmax (https://www.carmax.com/)

There is an Automax in Ocala, it's a different company and I don't know anything about them. Looking at their place, they have far fewer cars than Carmax dealer would have.

[Mosells]

Thanks guys all good advice. Mileage I’ve been looking at goes to 129k

[Kerry Azz]

Well it’s been 60 years since a bought a used car. Ive been checking the classifieds here and on craigslist, inserting by owner The Villages. I found several reasonable looking cars in $4000 to $7500 range that go from !998 to 2005. So my question is has anyone else looked for and purchased such cars and how did you make out.

With 30 plus years in the automobile business I can tell you stay away from the used car dealerships here, I’ve actually bought a few cars here in the villages, if you use Craigslist make your keyword the villages in your search. Car fax and,wwwkBB. Com is a good way to figure the value of what your buying but only use it as a private party sale. If you need assistance feel free to contact me it’ll be my good deed for the week. I won’t charge you for helping.
Kazzariti@gmail.com
The last villager I helped buy a new Benz saved over 4K

[Bay Kid]

Thanks guys all good advice. Mileage I’ve been looking at goes to 129k

Check if the car has a timing belt. Most timing belts need to be replaced around 100,000 miles. Depending on the car this be very expensive.

[perkfarm]

No matter what year you buy....always have an independent mechanic check it out for you.

[Northerner52]

Check out this link: Access Denied (https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/used)
Toyota stopped using timing best years ago but Honda still uses them a lot.
Big fan of auto trader.
Have you considered a low cost lease with no money down?

[JerryP]

I purchased a used car that I saw on Autotrader. I also purchased the Carfax report for the car in addition to taking to the dealer for an inspection.
Carfax was very helpful it provided;
Title history.
How many owners.
How many accidents.
Water damage.
Maintenance history.
Odometer reading.

[VillageIdiots]

Due diligence is the key. Get the VIN and run a Carfax or other reports that are like Carfax. Also ask if you can have a mechanic check it out. Even if you don't intend to follow through with having it checked, it is very telling if you ask that question and the owner says no. I haven't done anything with Craigslist down here but when my kids were getting to driving age, I used Craigslist several times for both buying and selling. Common sense applies - if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. There are many websites and apps that you can use if you want to stay away from Craigslist though. The classifieds section here on TOTV is good but selection may be limited based on what you are looking for, unless you are shopping for a sports car or antique.

[tophcfa]

We bought an absolutely beautiful used BMW convertable that we saw in the classifieds right here on TOV. We paid less than the price of a new golf cart for what we view as the luxury car of our dreams. A one owner car, always garaged, very well cared for (with all service records), never seen snow or road salt, with only about 60,000 miles. The low price is because the car is 13 years old . I would say the car is about a 9.5 on a scale of 10 condition wise. It is almost too nice because I feel the need to wash and wax it to keep it looking like when we bought it. I plan to put a couple thousand dollars into it just to be sure the components that typically fail with age are updated (I wish it was that easy to do with my own body). It appears to be hit or miss when good cars are available, but if you take your time and are patient one will come along.

[retiredguy123]

If I were selling a car, I would allow the buyer to bring a mechanic to look at the car, but I don't think I would allow the car to be taken to a repair shop. I would be more suspicious of the buyer then he would be of me.

[tuccillo]

Honda has not used a timing belt (they use a timing chain) in their 4-cylinder engines in quite some time - at least 14 years, maybe longer. Their V-6 engines have been using timing belts. I would certainly recommend going with a car with a timing chain if at all possible. You can easily determine this with a Google search.

Check out this link: Access Denied (https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/used)
Toyota stopped using timing best years ago but Honda still uses them a lot.
Big fan of auto trader.
Have you considered a low cost lease with no money down?

[ColdNoMore]

Be watchful for vehicles that were anywhere near the Houston, TX. area...in the last couple of years.


Buyers beware of flood cars from Houston (https://www.caller.com/story/news/local/2018/02/15/buyers-beware-flood-cars-houston/342445002/)

"(A damaged car) can pass a general inspection. You'll need to get the mechanic to search specifically for flood damage," he explained.

An estimated 500,000 to 1 million vehicles were ruined in the recent floods from Hurricane Harvey, according to a news release from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.


Another good reason to have a good mechanic look it over before purchasing...even if it costs you a few dollars.

[eweissenbach]

Dittos on the Carfax! The last used car I bought was in 2008. I decided I would buy either a one-owner Cadillac or a Lincoln - why? - because they had the greatest depreciation of any brands, they are usually owned by older drivers, who take it easy with them, and they are often owned by well-off individuals who keep them well maintained. I found a 2003 Cadillac DTS with just under 50k miles at a local dealership. I got the Carfax and it was a one-owner with no accidents. The original owner was 80+ years old and had brought it in to sell as he was ordered by doctors to quit driving. I bought the car, which was perfect, for $10,800. This car was $55,000 originally, so the first owner got 50,000 miles for about $45,000 and I got the next 110,000 carefree miles for about $ 7000 after trading it on a new car for $4000 six years later. Somebody probably got a great deal on it after me because it probably had another good 60-80,000 miles or more in it.

[retiredguy123]

I think it is important to consider safety when buying a car. The newer cars are way more safe than older cars because of the latest safety features. Things like electronic stability, backup cameras, automatic headlights and wipers, blindspot alarms, tire pressure indicators, and other indicators and alarms. When I replaced my 13 year old car with a similar new car, my car insurance rate actually went down because of the safety features.

[Topspinmo]

If I were selling a car, I would allow the buyer to bring a mechanic to look at the car, but I don't think I would allow the car to be taken to a repair shop. I would be more suspicious of the buyer then he would be of me.

I agree, I’m not going to let somebody I don’t know drive off and take my car to unknown mechanic. Just cause someone a mechanic at job blows shop don’t make him an expert. The problem are if you can’t determine the condition of the car and rely on someone else or system that only has history that was inputted it’s still gamble, even if you are real expert it still gamble unless you know the person, conditions, and the car.

I just my vehicles cause usually don’t want to deal with selling vehicle privately. Yes, I usually get took, but, it is what is is,

[Mosells]

Thanking everyone for their replies and good advice. I’ve googles tining chain.