ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

How to Buy a Used Car: Cut Spending

Updated on November 14, 2018

How to Buy a Used Car: Cut Spending

Cut spending on a used car! There's a reason people ask, "Would you buy a used car from him?" Used car salespeople are notoriously difficult, unscrupulous people, or at least that's their reputation. Regardless of whether the reputation is deserved or not, buying a used car can be difficult. This site will help you navigate the shark-infested waters of used car buying.

How to Buy a Used Car: Cut Spending

  • Unless your local dealer is offering enticing offers, avoid dealers. They sell for full retail. You should be purchasing for wholesale. Look in your local newspaper or on the Internet, but be careful and avoid Craigslist and Ebay scams.
  • Check the bluebook before purchasing. You can determine the value of a used vehicle by consulting internet sources. In addition, libraries, banks, and credit unions often have resources that can help you assess the value of a potential purchase.
  • Always have a trusted mechanic look at the car before purchasing it.
  • Run a Carfax report on any vehicle you are thinking about purchasing. A Carfax report may give pertinent information, about the car, that you’ll want to know before you even consider purchasing it.
  • If you are meeting a private party, try to get there early. You may find the owner preparing the car, by spraying it with water or starting it in advance, for your examination. A wet car looks deceivingly better, and a car that has been warmed up in advance seems to run better.
  • Try to get the seller to set a time for you to see the car after it has been idle overnight. You want to see how it will start first thing in the morning.
  • Always try to inspect the car during the day. You’d be surprised about how many people purchase a car at night and then regret it in the morning. The night conceals flaws, blemishes, and damage.
  • Don't rush the inspection or let yourself be rushed. If the seller doesn’t have time to show the car thoroughly, move on to a new car, or set an another appointment to view the car.
  • Drive the car at about 20 to 30 miles per hour. Open a window and listen. The car shouldn’t pull to either side, and you should only hear the sound of the tires on the road. Additional noise should be an alarm, because it could indicate brake, engine, or transmission trouble.
  • Check the local newspaper, used car lots, the Internet, and other sources for prices. Remember that car lots are notoriously the most expensive place to purchase a used car, but sometimes deals can be found there too.
  • Use the MSN used car checklist to thoroughly examine your car. This comprehensive checklist is a must.

How to Buy a Used Car: Cut Spending

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)