Car Shopping

[Phoebe]

How do you go about car shopping? We are looking for a new car for me. I really don't want a car payment so the prospect of buying a new car seems painful. I am thinking a used car would be the best option. Are there websites any of you have used in the past to start your search? My car is 7 years old and not fitting our family very well anymore.

[diggitydot]

Edmunds.com is my go-to. They have a section that tells you all the current promotions both to customers and from the manufacturer to the dealer. A lot of those can be negotiated if you know about them and ask. That website also has really good reviews and a fair-market calculator for trade-ins, private party sales, and off the lot sales.

[SoonerTexan]

My parents have bought 2 mildly used (2010 and 2007) cars via Craiglist in the past year. It isn't a bad place to start. A lot of the dealers advertise their lowest prices there.

[Vanquisher]

I've purchased 4 cars on ebay. I'm still driving one of them. Two were in accidents, and one died after a few years of use. I would definitely have an idea of what kind of car you want and possible makes and models that you would like. Do you want a 7-passenger? Do you want a minivan, crossover, or SUV if so? Look at pictures. Decide what features are most important to you. Does it have to have leather for clean ups?

Look at edmunds.com, cars.com, craigslist, kbb.com, and eBay. If you want to go in person somewhere, I know a lot of people who bought at CarMax who were very happy. I personally think you can find better deals than at CarMax, but it is easy, relatively speaking to the alternative.

[alison]

If you go to a Barnes and Noble to the magazine section they have a Consumer Reports Used Car issue (I think they do it on a yearly basis) where you can look up reliability ratings and types of used cars out there. I've never seen an electronic format for it, but it was very helpful for us when we considered a used car. I also found it helpful for when we wanted to buy a new car, to see how our car would hold up.

[Phoebe]

Thank you for your responses! I appreciate having a place to start. I think DH isn't going to take the lead on this.

We got a great deal at Carnax with an awesome warranty, would do it again!

[ides]

I just got a car off craigslist. I LOVE it! I prefer dealing with individuals over dealers. I did a lot of research on the car type & model I wanted before hand & had a couple types I'd be happy with then started the hunt. I also had my sisters fil who knows cars help me sus them out. If I didn't have his help I would have used a mechanic to check them out. Have fun searching.

[oceanchild]

You can sort auto listings on craigslist to "by owner" only, or dealers only. Car dealers stress me out, so I prefer the by owner route. I have not actually bought a car this way (I bought mine directly from the owner back in the old days when people still used the newspaper classifieds), but we did successfully sell one last year. Be prepared to pay cash if you do this.

[Deebs]

When we have bought cars used, we do certified used. I like the security of a warranty and I actually don't mind working with a dealer. To start, I usually go to the auto show, but short of that, I'd probably try to narrow it down to a few cars, go to those dealers (without kids if possible), and start test driving. I also check the insurance industry's crash stats (I just google for that). You'd be amazed and the "family" cars that have horrible side impact results and rear-seat results. I'm not putting my kids into a death trap.

[SoonerTexan]

Yeah...the "By Owner" area of Craiglist is where you can find deals because of the situations that cause people to list their cars. When I bought mine 4 years ago, I got it $1k under the blue book value. It was the car of a recently deceased guy--it was being sold by the deceased guy's ex-wife and new husband. They just wanted to get rid of it.

My parents bought a 2007 fully loaded Avalanche last fall from an older man who had to sell it to get the money to put his wife in a retirement home (Alzheimers). Sad situation, but he had to do it and my parents benefited.

[ides]

Yeah...the "By Owner" area of Craiglist is where you can find deals because of the situations that cause people to list their cars. When I bought mine 4 years ago, I got it $1k under the blue book value. It was the car of a recently deceased guy--it was being sold by the deceased guy's ex-wife and new husband. They just wanted to get rid of it.

My parents bought a 2007 fully loaded Avalanche last fall from an older man who had to sell it to get the money to put his wife in a retirement home (Alzheimers). Sad situation, but he had to do it and my parents benefited.

Yeah. I don't think this is always the case but often. The woman I got my car from had become disabled and couldn't drive any longer. Also, the house we are renting is new on the rental market. The woman is getting divorced and the house didn't sell in over 10 months & she needed the money so took the leap to renting.