first you rob a bank to ensure that you have enough money to pay for it.
1. Buy a New car.
2. Wait about a year...
Two words
Toyota
Mazda
Everything else is worthless
I will second the small SUVs like Toyota RAV4 and Honda CRV.
My wife and son both have CRVs.
I’m looking for one myself. It’s not easy. I am mostly looking at dealerships. I see some where the price is good, but that just makes me think there is something wrong with the car. If you have a decent mechanic, when you find a car bring him along. Or, get a 30 day guarantee if you can. That way you can have the car checked out.
Buying private party can work. It worked for me last time. I didn’t know the guy but we met at his house, he had 5 cars and this one was just extra. Parked in the street. Had all the service records and 1 owner. It was 20+ years old. Said it was the wife’s car but they eventually got a new one for her. Which I saw in the driveway. Same car just newer model year. We test drove it it ran strong. So we made a cash deal on the spot.
If you’re in NY be careful there are a few scams where they list a car, but when you show up they rob you.
Carsforsale.com is a good place to start.
Might I recommend an older truck? I have a 4Runner (model years 1996-2001), and she is fantastically sturdy and reliable. A lot less than a new truck.
The Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix are great little hatchbacks that can be found with AWD if your friend decides to go that route, but their last model year, I believe, was 2005.
Go down to Ernie’s Auto Sales & Lawnmower Repair. Ernie’s not there because he died of COVID, but his son Earl Ray can help you. Tell’em what you’re looking for and they’ll snap one up at the next auto auction. They even let you make weekly payments at the lot. Piece of advice...don’t miss any payments. Earl’s other son, Bubba Ray drives the repo truck. You don’t want Bubba Ray coming to repo the car. Bubba Ray don’t play.
Many good suggestions have been posted.
If you have a trusted mechanic, buying a used car with a salvage title that you have the mechanic check out first can be an inexpensive way to go.
But if so, plan on driving the car into the ground, or give away when you are done with it. You will only get a token amount if you try to trade it in at a dealer.
Don't buy from this guy.............or anyone who even remotely looks like him................
If the truck she has is usable, then keep it going as long as possible. The marketplace is in collapse and is nowhere near the bottom yet. This gives her time to be picky.
Not knowing her financial situation limits any advice you can get. Also, who does she have available to help as far as getting usable information.
A great place for used cars is the church bulletin board or newsletter. Don’t look for something particular but something that’s a good deal. A twenty-year-old luxury barge from a retired couple may have as little as 20,000 miles and cost as little as $2000. I’ve owned several Town Cars and even given a few away to people in trouble.
Network, network, network.
If you have a mechanic you trust, you can find a car on craigslist and have them meet up with you at the mechanic.
If they won’t, that’s a red flag right there. Have the mechanic you trust inspect it.
If you need help finding a trustworthy one, you can message me and I can get one in your area from my part supplier.
Also, if you have a mechanic who also has access to a local auto auction, you can get a good deal.
Make sure you get a Carfax or other title search reports if you are buying a used car. It will give the entire history of the auto.
Most dealerships will already have one. Especially on something that is less than ten years old.
Anything listed on the internet will state whether it has a CLEAR/CLEAN title or not. This means is has not had any major accidents. Sometimes it will list that it has had a small accident. Like a fender bender that has been repaired. IF it has a SALVAGE title that means it was in a major accident and the insurance company declared that the value of the vehicle was less than the cost to repair it.
This can also happen in the case of a flood like a hurricane. A friend bought a brand new Saab Convertible years ago that had a Salvage Title. It had been flooded during a hurricane in Texas when it was brand new at the dealers lot. He bought it for a huge discount. He replaced the carpets and drove it for 250m miles. He and his wife drove it and all three of his kids.
Bump4later
I recently bought a used vehicle. Overall I’m happy, did most things right, but I could have done better. Your friend can benefit from my experience. Here are some pointers.
• Know the kind of vehicle you need.
• Find a vehicle inside a budget you can afford and stick to it.
• Find a dependable brand for the kind of vehicle you want.
• Locate reputable dealers.
• I used cars.com for a lot of research.
• I recommend low mileage over late model.
• I do not recommend an electric vehicle.
• I recommend having a reserve of funds after your purchase.
• Check out the Carfax report or the like for the vehicle you want. If it doesn’t have one, I’d keep looking.
• Secure financing from your bank.
• Visit a dealership at your convenience.
• Only test drive vehicles you’re seriously thinking of buying.
• Get the advice of trusted friends. Maybe have one with you even when you’re just looking.
• Buy when you are ready to buy. You should be happy and looking forward to finally getting the car you want.
• Be patient. Vehicles are everywhere.
I’ll bet other FReepers will offer far better advice. These are just some tips I’m sharing from my recent experience.
I just sold a car on autotrader.com - seemed to be a good experience for both me and the buyer.
Carvana - I’ve heard about chaos in their system, customers receiving a vehicle but NO TITLE, leaving them with the car payment but not being able to insure, or consequently using, it - taking MONTHS to resolve.
I recently bought a BMW M3 Convertible, found it at a used Honda dealer :)
I use kbb.com and autotrader.com to get an idea about what value any given car has.
#1 do your homework, especially on reliability (I would *never* buy a CVT - continuously variable transmission, like a Nissan Rogue).
If you buy from a business and they offer a warranty ask about the details. Some places will offer to pay 50% or some fraction of repairs for some duration but this typically locks you into using their shop for warranty repair at whatever price they set. I personally would consider that worth $0 but your mileage may vary.
In addition to the other vehicles suggested here, I normally wouldn’t consider a Nissan but I happened to rent a Rogue recently and was quite impressed with it... nice handling, good gas mileage, lots of room for what I wanted inside. This raises a point.... if she is serious about a particular make/model, shell out some money and rent one for a few days. Do it on an unlimited mileage deal at a time when you know you have a bunch of miles to put on it. It’s a cheap way to see if something will work for you and whether you like it.
I bought a 2 year old truck a while ago that was about 500 miles away and I did it sight unseen. I asked the guy what dealer he bought it from and then I called up a different dealer who was a bit further away and asked what it would cost to to put the vehicle through their complete inspection program... he promptly said “well, it’s $149 to go through our 197 point inspection program and that is the same one that all used vehicles go through that we end up putting on our lot for sale.” I asked what kind of report I get with the inspection and once I was satisfied with that, I then called up the guy who had the truck for sale and told him to drop it at this particular dealer so that it could be inspected there. The deal I struck was basically this...I will pay the $149 myself since I want the dealer reporting to me. If I choose not to buy the truck, I may be out the $149... if on the other hand I buy the truck, I want the $149 deducted off the price that we had negotiated. A few days later, the dealer where the truck was dropped of called me up and said it was perfect, there was nothing that didn’t work or raised a red flag... and he emailed the inspection report to me. I then called up the seller and said... I’m flying there this Saturday morning, pick me up at the airport at 8:30 am, I’ll pay you for the truck when we jointly go and get the registration changed. We did that and by 9:30 I had dropped the seller off at his house and then I was already making the 8 hour drive home. It all worked out as slick as that.
I put about 70,000 on the truck and never had a bit of trouble with it.... ended up passing it along to our son.