Buying a second hand car........advice?

[ryota]

from my experiences i would say all of this is good advice... definitely take it to a mechanic and get a car fax! while looking in the engine bay, look for aftermarket parts and if you find any walk away. ALL of those broke on my last car and cost me a few grand. also look for parts that have some kind of writing on them (mrant for categorizing), iy'll give you an idea of what has already been replaced. and lastly... find someone who isn't shady as a mofo to buy from.

haha you've got a lot to remember from all of these posts but if you follow even most of the advice you come out with something that will be a good car for you.

[Forrest]

Originally Posted by ryota

from my experiences i would say all of this is good advice... definitely take it to a mechanic

THAT is the BEST advice. Take a mechanic you know well and TRUST and have them do a full inspecition of the car. Their expertise may lower the price of the car for you. Also, records on car service. Many people keep these records ..so ask if they are available on routine services, major repairs, etc.

As another poster said, you should be able to get something newer for 5grand.

[auxmike]

My friend's used '05 Corvette convertible came up clean on CarFax. He had to do something for the car with his insurance company 2 years later and found out THEN that the car had $6k worth of bodywork claimed in the past by the first owner in this PRIVATE purchase. The guy stated the car had never been hit.
Trust NO ONE but God!

[AlexNet0]

Originally Posted by auxmike

My friend's used '05 Corvette convertible came up clean on CarFax. He had to do something for the car with his insurance company 2 years later and found out THEN that the car had $6k worth of bodywork claimed in the past by the first owner in this PRIVATE purchase. The guy stated the car had never been hit.
Trust NO ONE but God!

agreed, carfax means nothing around here.