buying cheap second hand car...

Lifestyle Bazaar Talk
1

note to mods… i dont know if some thread’s already been opened abt buying second hand cars. u r welcome to merge this thread with any others u want. sorry i didnt have time to look as am in the middle of finals etc..

salams

unfortunately the time has finally come that i can’t put off driving and getting a car any longer :frowning:

so…

i am trying to look around for a cheap second hand car to buy within the next two months inshallah…

the only problem is i know NOTHING abt cars…KAK naheen pata..totally zilch…dont know the brands, what to look for in the car etc etc…nothing at all…i just only learnt to drive a couple months ago when i was in pakistan…haven’t yet got my US license..just in the process of getting it inshallah..

the two ppl helping me are my roommate’s father and my best friend’s older brother. i’ll probably just go by their final advice. i’ve asked some more ppl for general advice and might ask them to check the car out once we’ve made some final decision…but none of my close friends know much abt cars either…

i am basically looking at second hand cars that students on my college campus are selling. something like within 3000 dollars but might be willing to pay more if i can sell it again within a yr and get like 80% of the money back. the only thing is it shouldn’t give me too many problems like having to get it fixed all the time etc or die on me…should be decent looking like not very old or beat up or an asaar-e-qadeema :biggrin: , don’t mind a small car.

usually ppl sell their old cars from 1000 onwards from what i have seen from the ads on my college newsgroups etc…hmm…so since i’m in the process of looking at these ads, and filtering them out and then passing them on to the ppl who are helping me look, i am trying to educate myself abt cars a lil bit and gather as much info as possible since i’ll have to eventually make the final decision and besides different ppl are telling me different things…and i’m totally confused te clueless :crying:

like just to give a completely random idea, here’s two ads that i have randomly picked out from the newsgroups..btw, prices are usually somewhat negotiable…

Silver Mercury Sable -94, LS, V6 3.8 Liter, Leather, Dual airbags, CD,
only 74.000 miles, great condition, must sell. $4.500.

1996 Kia Sportage EX 4WD

Mileage: 59,000
Asking price: $6,000 obo
( Kelly Blue Book - $6,195, Edmunds TMV - $6,303 )
Color: Cobalt Blue
VIN: KNDJA7236T5519918

Extremely practical and versatile.

  • Huge cargo space
  • Can tow a small trailer (max 1,000 lbs)
  • No problem in tight parking spot
  • All weather, terrain capability (snow, off road, sand, etc)

( This is the only SUV in this price range that is capable of
serious off road driving since it has truck based ladder frame
and mechanically locking hub with low range gear 4WD system )

Second owner. In very good condition.
Never had any problems in 2.5 years of my ownership
Well maintained ( Oil changed every 3,000 - 4,000 miles )

New rear tires at 57,000 mile (Michelin)
New battery at 57,800 mile
New front brakes at 57,900 mile
Smog test passed and registration renewed (Jun 2002)

  • Equipments - Almost fully loaded

4 Speed automatic transmission
Air-conditioning
Power steering wheel, window, door lock
Kenwood AM/FM Cassette Stereo and wired for CD Changer
Cruise control
5 Alloy wheels (Full size spare tire)
Rear ABS Brake
*

hmm…so when i see ads like these, i’m not sure what things to look at etc…and what i should be thinking abt to decide which ads to look at and which to ignore…i have some idea after talking to ppl i know, but i’m still a bit clueless…moti akal hae na :smack:

hmm…so anyone has any advice to share?

i wish my dad or bro could just come and pick one out for me ye gaddian shaddian mere bass kee baat naheen :crying:

2

baji. kia sportage and mercury sable??

heres what i would recommend you avoid (from a student's perspective):
-american cars (few exceptions listed below)
-anything above 2.0 litre (2000 cc)
-SUV's
-V6 and above

heres what you should be looking for:
-japanese cars
-'92-'95ish
-compact cars

look around for these cars (keeping in mind your price range):

Geo Metro / Suzuki Swift / Chevy Firefly
Toyota Tercel
Toyota Corolla
Nissan Sentra
Honda Civic
Mazda 323

Kia's and Hyundai's.. umm maybe but there are a few chances of trips to the garage. If you're lucky you just might land on a gem.

im guessing you'll be looking for something with a power steering and automatic transmission. im not sure which part of the continent you're at. it doesnt matter if the car has an air conditioner or not but MAKE SURE it has a heater.

when you go to check out a car do look under the body frame for rust and especially the body around the tires. if there is way too much rust its probably not worth it.

3

Ah well... :)

First thing, car khareedna itna asaan nahi hai, especially if you don't want to be stuck with a "lemon" ("lemon" is a term which means the car gives you maintenance problems).

Second thing is, that if you want a durable car, which retains its value, then stay away from US brand cars. They are priced low for a reason, and that is that they lose their value even faster.

If you want cheap and reliable, then stick with Honda Civic/Accord or Toyota make. More later.

4

Ok, here is some more.

Check these out

Honda

Toyota

Another thing. Before buying the car, do your research. Look at the ads in the paper, and on the internet (two big sites are Autotrader and Yahoo! Shopping). Call the owner, and find out, among other things the following:

  1. Is the car in running condition? Y/N
  2. Is the car manual or automatic?
  3. Mileage: How many miles are there on the car?
  4. Is the car in his/her name? Does he have the Title?
  5. Is he the first owner?
  6. Does he have maintenance records available?
  7. When was the car last serviced?
  8. Where does he get the car serviced from? Phone number?
  9. License plate number?
  10. General condition of the car?
  11. Cassette/CD? Power windows? Sunroof?
  12. Is the car smogged? Remind him that he needs to get the smog test done before he can sell.
  13. Has the car been in a major accident?
  14. Is the registration up to date?

Re: #2, typically cars fetch a higher price if they are automatic. But in your budget range, since it will be a small car, with an old engine, you might be better off with a manual transmission. Less problems.

Ok, now that you have all that information, log on to Kelley Blue Book and find out the ‘Private Party price’ of the car. Then log on to Edmunds and get the True Market Value of the car. Average them and compare it with the advertised price. If the advertised price is lower, the car must have something wrong. If the advertised price is higher, you have room to bargain. If the advertised price is the same, then the seller has also done his homework. :slight_smile:

Call him again, and arrange an appointment for drive test. Never buy a car without test driving it yourself. Do remember, that the seller may want to see your drivers’ license before tossing you the keys of the car for drive test. So get your US drivers license, before embarking on this mission.

If after you have test drove it, it feels like a good buy, don’t make an offer, rightaway. Find out what is a good time to take the car to a mechanic for check-up. The $50 you spend for a mechanic to look it over is money well-spent. If the mechanic tells you serious problems, stay away. A car that old is bound to have problems. If you can live with them, fine, else find out how much it will cost to fix them. Use it as a negotiation tool to get the price down.

Lastly, check the title of the car. Ask the owner to give you the VIN number of the car. Go to Carfax and get a two month unlimited account (proly $20). Check the history of the car. Try to get a car, which has always been registered in California. Cars brought in from northern states might have a rust problem due to snow. Cars which are formerly rentals, are typically cheaper than the price you get from Kelley or Edmunds. Make sure you discount all such factors.

At the time of actual purchase, take a friend along. Ask the buyer to prepare a “Sale Receipt”, which you will need to get the car registered in your name. In addition, the seller will sign the “Pink Slip” of the title in your name. The seller does not need to go with you to DMV office. The seller may insist you give him cash, in which case, take him with you to your bank. Give him the signed check and ask him to get the money out himself and you will wait. The point being, if he has an account there, he will just get the check deposited, or else he will be finger-printed by the bank before disbursing the money. Either way you have a trail of who got the money. After he got the money, he will give you the signed Sales Receipt and the Pink Slip. Make sure the odometer reading is correct, and the smog test is recent (within 60 days). The value shown in the Sales Receipt determines the Sales Tax you will have to pay, so keep it low ;~)

Take the keys from the seller, get into the car and check fuel. Fill her up if required, and drive over to DMV (it helps to get the appointment in advance DMV website. Get the car transferred in your name.

Have fun. :slight_smile:

ps. See, I told you, it ain’t simple. :slight_smile:

5

Faisal bhai,

w:eek:w!!! Rabb aap ka palla karay!!! thank you SO sooooooooooooooo very much!!! itni detailed help, i am so grateful…those were some very useful tips and specially the step by step guidance..makes my life so much easier!!!
bohot bohot mehrbani Faisal bhai :slight_smile:

Cheegum,

thanks so much for your very useful tips. gives me a very good idea of what the basic things i should look for are. everybody told me the same thing about japanese cars and american cars. yup i am looking for automatic (but Faisal bhai said shouldnt get automatic in this range..hmm..but kyun keh i am a pathetic driver so automatic gears makes it easy, though the lessons i took in pak were for gears wali car so i guess i could drive that too) …power steering is not that much of an issue but would be nice but is way down on the priority list..
thanks again :slight_smile:
p.s. mein koi baji shaji naheen hoon :smash:

6

irem just make sure you buy a Certified Used Car. It's overhauled and given another powertrain warranty by the manufacturer. Honda and Jaguar are known to have the best Certified Used Car programs.

7

Soggy, do let me know if you find a Certified Used Car with extended power train warranty from Honda or Jaguar for less than $3,000. I'd like to get a few on the side. Thank you. :)

8

irem

2 quick points, there are cars with lower resale values dur to their badge but are great values, Chevy/geo prizm for example is the same as a corolla but under geo badge and has a lower reslaer value so u can get it cheaper, same goes for Kia Sephia of early-mid 90's which was the same as mazda.

one more question, have you looked into leasing? if you are looking to spend about $3K you can get one of the small cars in close to that range for a 3 year lease. you may end up paying a little more, but you will have peace of mind because its under warranty and the dealer will have to fix any problems.

If you go for an old car, even if its a good quality old car, there will be miantenance expenses. the 50K and 100K mile services are expensive.

Other cars that you can look at if youa re going for an old car are sentra, mirage, protege etc

9

go for nissan. the old nissan maximas are very reliable. VERY. They are rated as the best used car to buy.

http://photoserver1.trader.ca/autotrader/photos/large/2002/11-15/tkh/11-15-02tkh06-08.jpeg

^ a 1991 (better qual that 1995) < look into this seriously

http://photoserver1.trader.ca/autotrader/photos/large/2002/12-06/trf/12-06-02trf96-03.jpeg

^ a 1995

maximas are very though cars. esp the older ones. try them out. you wont be dissapointed.

10

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by cHEeGUm: *
look around for these cars (keeping in mind your price range):

Geo Metro / Suzuki Swift / Chevy Firefly < A BIG NONO
Toyota Tercel < A BIG NONO
Toyota Corolla
Nissan Sentra
Honda Civic
Mazda 323 < A BIG NONO

[/QUOTE]

Chegum Bhai these cars are dirt cheap. Irem go for a older Maxima dam it!

11

hmmm been reading here alot, finally something i could reply to

but hskhan is right, maximas rock...i just sold my 91 maxima for $5000 never had any probs with it......broke my heart to sell it wanted to keep it as a winter beater but changed my mind.

12

The best used car, which was reported by LEMON book of north america carsurvey.org and various others was DODE COLT 89-94 which is under $5000. Also i suggest 90-94 nissan maxima which is under $5000. You can also try to get Honda civic 4door or 2 door coupe 92-94 under that budget. These cars are superb, cheap on gas, and reliable.

PLEASE DO NOT GET NO MERCURY SABLE !!!!

FORD = Found on road dead

13

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Furqan: *
FORD = Found on road dead
[/QUOTE]

dont forget , FORD = Fix or Repair Daily

14

Furqan -
thanks for the tip, lets see if someone is selling those cars on my college campus…it all depends on that…seems like everyone is suggesting honda…and yup, i’ll steer clear of ford then :slight_smile:
thanks for the reply :slight_smile:

Aashna -
welcome to GS, glad you posted in this thread :slight_smile: k then i’ll be on the lookout for a maxima…sorry abt ur car, but atleast it dint die on u, u sold it and got money back, maybe u can get something else for it :slight_smile:

hskhan-
thanks for the reply and the pictures as well :slight_smile: thanks so much. okay, lets see if someone is selling an old nissan maxima where i am :slight_smile: i’ll keep this name in mind..nissan maxima nissan maxima… :slight_smile:

Fraudz-
thanks so much for the useful info. Hmmm..leasing isn’t viable i don’t think coz i am pretty much just getting the car to last me till like next june. after that i am not sure if i’ll still be in the same state or even in the usa so i guess leasing wont work for me. resale value, for the same reason, is also an issue for me as i am planning to sell the car next yr anyway…
thanks again for the info :slight_smile:

Soggy - have no idea what that means but i’ll mention it to the ppl who are helping me look :biggrin:
thanks for the tip :slight_smile:

Faisal bhai -
so you think what Soggy saying is not possible within 3000? sorry i’m totally ignorant about cars :biggrin:

15

i don't know if anyone else mentioned but Germans made good cars too. so if u can't get a hold of a Japanese (Honda, Toyota preferred in that order) then look for Volkswagen (Polo, Golf etc.). Try to avoid French (Citroen, Renault) and British (Vauxhall or Rover)

16

as u said u might be willing to pay more if u could resell it and it didn't give u any problems.

Certified Used Vehicles give you the manufacturer's warranty on used cars. You can even try cheaper American cars in the program as u don't have to worry about maintaining them yourself or them turning out a lemon etc.

17

Oh did I mention, to try and avoid buying car from a university student. :D

They have limited budgets, don't maintain them properly and that destroys their engines. Especially when u r dealing with your kinda budget, the best bet is to buy a used-car from someone who atleast tried to maintain it somewhat. All things being equal, buy it from an old lady rather than a college student! :)

18

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Furqan: *
The best used car, which was reported by LEMON book of north america carsurvey.org and various others was DODE COLT 89-94 which is under $5000. Also i suggest 90-94 nissan maxima which is under $5000. You can also try to get Honda civic 4door or 2 door coupe 92-94 under that budget. These cars are superb, cheap on gas, and reliable.

[/QUOTE]

ppl may be surprised that a dodge made it to that list but if i recall correctly dodgs colt of those days was the same car as Mitsubishi Lancer and just rebadged under doodge, same thing thatg geo did to the corolla with prism or kia sephia did to the mazda 323.

19

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by khan_sahib: *
Try to avoid French (Citroen, Renault) and British (Vauxhall or Rover)
[/QUOTE]

good luck finding them in n.america.

20

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Fraudz: *

ppl may be surprised that a dodge made it to that list but if i recall correctly dodgs colt of those days was the same car as Mitsubishi Lancer and just rebadged under doodge, same thing thatg geo did to the corolla with prism or kia sephia did to the mazda 323.

[Last edited by Fraudz on 12-12-2002 at 11:16 AM]
[/QUOTE]

Edit ker kay bhi 'Dodge' kay spelling theek na huay. :)