Have to buy a used car....help!!

[angel222]

I'm returning home to TV at the end of August without my car....I drove it up north to visit family for the summer and gave it to my daughter and her husband when their car died. My son-in-law's been out of work for 16 months! So I'm flying home and will have to find a used car to buy soon after arriving. Does anyone have any experience with a local used car dealer or buying from a fellow villager? I don't know that much about cars and am hoping to find an honest dealer (or villager) in our area. Will only be using the car for local driving so I'm not looking for anything great -- just reliable! Any help would be appreciated........thanks!

[KathieI]

There are 3 cars listed for sale on TOTV For Sale Forum. I think they are all still available. Good luck.

[BobnBev]

The VW dealer has a good reputation. I'd check with them. A used car from a rental agency usually have good maintenance programs, on one or two year old cars

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I have a Toyota Matrix for sale.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/items-sale-villages-florida-83/2011-toyota-matrix-81105/

It's a very nice reliable car.

[Petes]

I have a very good Mitsubishi Eclipse convertable for sale. Details on this site.

[pklein9747]

Go see Fred Almonte at Key Scales Ford on 441 in Leesburg. He is a great guy and will help you get the best car at the best price. We purchased our Mustang from him and got a great deal.

[Jim 9922]

Some great deals can be had buying from Villagers who are dumping the unneeded 2nd car or an elderly's low mileage older car. But it takes a bit of negotiation because most Villagers seem to initially overprice, hopeing to get "dealer's price" or better. You can get a good estimate of value for free on the website "edmunds.com". The Kelly Blue book site generally over prices by up to 20% and a lot of Villagers selling their cars base their prices on Kelly. It usually takes a week or two of postings before they come to their reasonable senses.
One word of advice, when buying used in FL avoid a Northern car that has been exposed to winters' salt baths. You can spot the beginnings of salt corrosion on the various exposed metal fittings and parts in the engine compartment area. The salt damaged areas just continue to deteriorate in the constant humid Florida air.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Some great deals can be had buying from Villagers who are dumping the unneeded 2nd car or an elderly's low mileage older car. But it takes a bit of negotiation because most Villagers seem to initially overprice, hopeing to get "dealer's price" or better. You can get a good estimate of value for free on the website "edmunds.com". The Kelly Blue book site generally over prices by up to 20% and a lot of Villagers selling their cars base their prices on Kelly. It usually takes a week or two of postings before they come to their reasonable senses.
One word of advice, when buying used in FL avoid a Northern car that has been exposed to winters' salt baths. You can spot the beginnings of salt corrosion on the various exposed metal fittings and parts in the engine compartment area. The salt damaged areas just continue to deteriorate in the constant humid Florida air.

Someone else told me that KBB prices are high. But, they are based on actual sales of cars. I also looked up the value on my car on Edmonds and NADA and both of those were higher than KBB.

Additionally, I think that pretty much everyone selling a car prices it a bit over what they expect to get. I expect everyone to make a low offer and the final price will be negotiated. If you don't price up a bit you have no wiggle room.

To the OP, you might want to be a bit more specific about what kind of car you want. I have a small crossover, someone else is talking about a Mustang. I also see a Smart car for sale. It would help is everyone knew what type of car you are looking for.