Shopping for a used car? Here are some steps they are a bit specific to Canada, but fairly general.
Narrow down on a good year and make using:
carsurvey.org
also look at
consumerguide.com
msn cars (they have consumer reports stuff)
Check out fuel efficiency
You should have identified the problem areas in that vehicle. Eg Timing Belt and Transmission on some Hondas. Next you check out the listings.
For canada autotrader and easyrelease.ca are ok.
Private listings are a bit better in that typically you are not buying from a professional seller. Second you can get a gut feeling about the person you are buying from based on where they live and why they are selling. Sometimes they have receipts as well to ensure they had repairs done. In Canada you can also reduce your GST expenses by buying used from a private seller. Also check the specific manufacturer's website for certified used cars. When you buy from a used car dealer often the dealer has no clue about the vehicle - sometimes they even make them up. Search for the dealer on the web. Has anyone compained in any chat rooms about being ripped off? Ask them if it had any major accidents and get the VIN for the car and run it through carfax to see if it had any major accidents and check the reported mileage. Avoid cars that have crossed the border (eg US cars).
Take it for a test run. Check the transmission brakes lights. Look at the belts to see if they need replacing. Check the paint - any sign of a recent repaint job(accident fix-up)? How does the engine run? How about over bumps - how are the shocks?
Search something like edmunds to see typical problems with this vehicle. Also get the expected price for this vehicle from autotrader value finder, autos.msn, or another source. Look for a car that is reliable - but not popular or trendy. Buick or older corollas instead of rice rocket hondas. Be a contrarian investor. Also avoid cars that aren't popular enough as the parts may be hard to come by eg Saab, Renault etc.
Check the expected repair costs from consumer guide. Japanese cars have an abundance of refurb engines and transmissions from Japan, so typically they are a cheaper car to maintain for the long run. Search for the parts online. How much for an alternator? Electrical components? Refurb Transmission?
Also if the mileage is a little bit high don't worry about it - it means they probably haven't turned back the odometer. Low mileage? Be suspicious.
Finally bring it to your mechanic or CAA/AAA for a thorough inspection. Don't buy the car before you do that - typically this costs about $100.
Before you commit check out how much the insurance will cost you.
Once you have bought the car also get a repair manual (Hayes etc) so at least you can speak with your mechanic intelligently. Buy a small manual in which you log all repairs, problems, and accidents. Use this if you ever need to resell the vehicle and to keep track of what needs to be replaced when.
A lot of leg work? Yes but you can save quite a bit. For more details check Samarins
Posted by Anthony at August 30, 2005 11:34 PM