Used Car Buying Guide

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Five Steps to Buying a Used Car
Avoid Used Car Salesmen

After a gruelling search you've finally found the used car of your dreams. One owner.

Lady driven, gentleman maintained. Low miles. No accidents. Stock except for new tires and brakes which were just replaced. Plus, the owners are moving this weekend and just want it gone....

This may sound too good to be true, but deals like this come along more often than you might think. So if you're looking for a good used car bargain, you need to be able to act quickly when you find the perfect car.

How can you know if the car you're about to buy is a good, solid, and dependable used car? Well, you can't really. You always take your chances with a used car--even if you have a professional use car inspection performed.

While it's always a good idea, it's also important to peform your own inspection before paying for a professional used car inspection. Don't let the dealers, mechanics, and salespeople intimidate you. It's easy. Here's how:

1 - Take a Close Look
Download a used vehicle inspection report, print it out, and do your own inspection. You might need a few very simple tools and a little knowledge, but it's worth it. Look at and test everything you can--the engine, the body, the interior, the tires, the dash, the heater, the wipers, the lights. It should only take about 15 minutes to perform a simple car inspection yourself.

2 - Take a test drive
Nothing tells you as much about a car as driving it. If the seller won't let you take it out for at least one hour, walk away. Otherwise, do what it takes: let them accompany you or leave a small deposit. But get that car out and drive it for as long as you can to learn as much about it as you can. Rev it out, get the engine hot, hammer the brakes, take some corners at speed. You need to expose and clunks and problems lurking just below the surface.

3 - Obtain a Vehicle History Report
Simple, quick, eay, and inexpensive--but vital when buying a used car. Get the vehicle's VIN# and run a Carfax (or equivalent) history report. This is your best insurance when buying a used vehicle as it will tell you all about the vehicles accident history and more.

4 - Check the "Black Book" value
The dealers use this trick when accepting your trade, so why don't you? The Black Book of used car values notoriously under values vehicle prices, so odds are the price being asked for the car you want is higher. If it is, use this as a negotiation tactic. If not, put away that Black Book.

5 - A Professional Inspection
You've looked at the car yourself, driven it hard, run a vehicle history report, and are prepared to negotiate a lower price with the Black Book values. Now, it's time for a professional used car inspection. Most car inspections only cost about $100 and are well worth the money. While they can't guarantee to find all potential problems, they usually catch any deal breakers and are worth the money.

When buying a used car, there are no guarantees. You can perform all of these steps and still get a lemon. But if you follow these simple steps, you can at least reduce the chance of paying too much or buying a vehicle you shouldn't have. Because for every rock solid usecp car you find, there are plenty of potential lemons. Buy used, but be sure to buy smart.

And if the car needs a little maintenance, remember--you're saving thousands by buying used so you can afford a few minor repairs. You'll still be far ahead buying a used car over new.

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