[neefer]

what do you look for when you shop for used cars
I'm looking for a sucker who has already taken a big hit on the depreciation. For example: we just financed a 2013 fully loaded Ford Escape for $17,000 less than sticker price. Some fool put $10,000 down payment on a lease, paid two years of the three, then listed it on SwapALease.com to get rid of it fast because his wife was pregnant. We paid for the last year of the lease with the intention of owning. It took several weeks of searching the website to find the right car but eventually paid off.

I know it is important to have the car clean, but how clean is clean enough?
My dad was an auto body man who paid for private schooling by purchasing salvaged titles (cars the insurance company couldn't afford to fix), salvaged parts, fixed and resold them with a clear title. Since it was my schooling he was paying for, I had to spend hours detailing cars with professional quality products until they looked like showroom. Dad got a high price as a result. How clean it has to be depends on how much money you want to get out of it and how much time you have to clean it.

[Jagermonster]

My dad was an auto body man who paid for private schooling by purchasing salvaged titles (cars the insurance company couldn't afford to fix), salvaged parts, fixed and resold them with a clear title. Since it was my schooling he was paying for, I had to spend hours detailing cars with professional quality products until they looked like showroom. Dad got a high price as a result. How clean it has to be depends on how much money you want to get out of it and how much time you have to clean it.

Thanks neefer.

I can take the time to clean it well. Any tricks of the detailing trade you'd care to share?

[tacticalogic]

Another son of a salvage rebuilder!

The smell of Bondo still takes me back to my childhood :).

[IYAS9YAS]

My dad was an auto body man who paid for private schooling by purchasing salvaged titles (cars the insurance company couldn't afford to fix), salvaged parts, fixed and resold them with a clear title.

How'd you get the salvage title changed to a clean one? I didn't think a state would do that.

[IYAS9YAS]

My dad was an auto body man who paid for private schooling by purchasing salvaged titles (cars the insurance company couldn't afford to fix), salvaged parts, fixed and resold them with a clear title.

How'd you get the salvage title changed to a clean one? I didn't think a state would do that.

[Jmouse007]

Advice needed re: Shopalease website. I read your post and checked out the Sopalease website and I have some questions:

Upon looking at numerous listing I was unable to determine
1) How much the leasee originally put down on the car at the inception of the lease.

2) How much the “buy out” would be to purchase the car outright at the end of the lease.

3) Also, can one buy the car outright without waiting until the end of the lease? It appears you have done so however I have no idea as to how you were able to do this.

We are in need of another vehicle, however I am in the ministry so buying a new car is financially impossible. I am looking for options and after reading your post, I discovered a new “option” that I didn’t even know existed. Most off lease vehicles that are “a steal” end up being gobbled up by dealerships where they turn around and sell them for retail, premium prices... we can’t afford to pay that.

I have also been looking at “rebuilt” salvage vehicles on ebay but that is a crap shoot because in reality you rarely have any clue as to the original extent of the damage, or how reliable the car is or would be: “Sold ‘as is’, no warranty, no returns”. We also can’t afford to buy a lemon, which will cause us ongoing problems and bills.

I obviously don’t do this for a living, so any advice you can render would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.