
Ask HN: Best Way to Buy a Car? - pizza
Hi HN, I thought that you would have some good tips on making a large purchase like a car. Got tips? This is going to be used for a ~20 mile commute, and I would like to spend between $3000 and $5000, preferably. I heard buying cars at auction is a good way to save money on a decent car but my instinct says this seems like a path fraught with hidden headaches.<p>Thanks!
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codegeek
My recommendation for that budget of less than $5000:

1\. Go to your local craigslist site 2\. Find a car sold directly by a person
(not dealers or shops). I would recommend going for a Honda Civic (best value
for that amount and most reliable) 3\. Go see the car for yourself in person
4\. Get a local mechanic to check the car. pay them for it and then deduct
that amount from the sale price if seller agrees. 5\. Make sure seller has a
clean title in THEIR name. If they cannot show you the title, walk away before
the sale. Title should have NO LIENS (i.e. no loan remaining if financed). 6\.
Create a quick contract for your local state (get a template online) if both
parties are ready for the sale. 7\. Seller should accept a "Cashier's Check".
Some may want cash but most will want a guaranteed way to get paid. 8\. In
most US states, you give them the check. Make sure the seller signs the title
in YOUR name. 9\. Go to local DMV and register immediately.

Why Honda Civic ? For less than 5k, you don't have a lot of options. Don't go
for luxury brands. At that price, you will get really run down cars and will
be very costly to maintain. You could possibly get a used Hyundai as well but
Civics are just solid. I would get a Civic that is preferably less than 10
years old but don't shy away if they are even older. If the car was taken care
of well, Hondas can easily go 200-400K miles with maintenance and updates.

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beatgammit
I just brought the seller to the DMV with me and signed at the counter. It was
a little easier for me because the person at the counter could confirm that
the title transfer worked properly. However, some sellers don't want to spend
a half hour waiting, so having both parties sign is usually just as good
(provided you can spot a fake title).

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brudgers
If you don't want hidden headaches, buy a low-end late model certified used
car. Put your few thousands down and you can get something with <20k miles for
less than $150 a month with a certified warranty. Being able to drive a stick
shift will also save you money.

Sure you might find a decent used car for $3-$5k. But it will be a decent
$3-$5k car. Things will be worn out and shit will break and some stuff will
already be broken. That's just the way old cars are. So finding the car is
only half the equation. You need a mechanic you can trust. And who works
reasonably quickly because your old car gets you too and from work. Good trust
worthy mechanics aren't cheap, and tend to be busy.

It's easy to spend $1000 on repairs. Maybe not all at once, but easily across
a couple of months: tires, fuel pump, shocks, valve cover gaskets, etc. That's
without a transmission, head gasket, fuel injectors, or anything major. A
$1000 every six months is $100 more than $150/month.

I like Autotrader.com.

Good luck.

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pattle
I don't know loads about cars but here are some tips that have served me well
in the past. Note than I'm based in the UK but most of these should still be
relevant. I always buy used cars as when you buy a new car it loses around 20%
of it's value as soon as you drive it of the showroom forecourt.

1\. Do your background checks on the car to make sure it's not stolen and to
get a good idea about it's history. In the UK the car has to have an MOT each
year to prove it's road worthy (you may have something similar in the US).
This info is available online in the UK and shows when it passed and if there
were any advisories. No advisories is ideal.

2\. Only buy a car if the seller has paperwork that show it's service history.
If a car has been serviced regularly it shows it's been looked after.

3\. Inspect the body work to see if there are any signs of damage or if there
are any panels are a slightly different colour. If a panel is a slightly
different colour it's a telltale sign it's been in an accident.

4\. Try to buy a car with as few previous owners as possible. If a car has
been passed around to lots of different owners there's a higher chance it
hasn't been looked after.

5\. Check similar cars online to get a good idea of price and always haggle.

6\. Never buy a car without taking it for a test drive. I'm guessing you're
buying an automatic so check the car goes through the gears smoothly and there
are no knocks etc. Make sure when you start the engine that the car is
starting from cold and that it hasn't been warming up before you got there.
Take your hands of the wheel to make sure the car doesn't drift of to the side
as this is a sign something is wrong. Check underneath the car when you've
done to check for oil / coolant leaks etc. Check the brakes and steering etc
(there's lots more I could list but this is a basic idea.

7\. Finally if you're not happy with it for any reason walk away. You are
under no obligation to buy it so don't feel pressured into making a bad
purchase.

Hope this helps

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kazinator
1\. Narrow your search down to a couple of specific cars: make, model, year.
Stick to that. If you don't get specific, you get pulled in too many
directions.

2\. Learn about those specific cars. At $3-5K, we are looking at used cars:
what are their common problems?

3\. Look for low kilometers relative to age, needless to say.

3\. Besides mechanical and structural things (engine, brakes, transmission,
electrical, body), inspect the windows and windshield for damage. Don't forget
to look at tires; don't buy a used car with bald tires. A battery that is five
years old or older should be assumed end-of-life. Try all the accessories,
A/C, power windows, speakers.

4\. Buy only a "clean title" used car; no "salvage title". Most of the
unusually good deals (cars 50% cheaper than others of the same make model and
age) are suspicious: salvage cars that were so damaged they were written off
by insurance. Salvage cars are a gamble: they can be repaired well and provide
years of service, or they can be horrible. Don't gamble. If you're looking for
a family car for transporting children, absolutely no salvage nonsense.
Previously damaged cars are not safe in crashes, similarly to bike helmets.
Their air bags may not have been professionally reset either.

5\. Walk away from anything that has a problem in a test drive: engine
stalling, difficult start, shifting problems or whatever else.

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tmm84
I used to work at a car dealership so my opinion/information is going to come
from the years I worked there. The usual title stuff has been gone over.

1) Buy domestic if possible. Parts, service and mechanics will be cheaper for
the most part. Japanese cars can be cheap but make sure OEM parts are used.

2) Check the gaps between doors, panels and trunk. This is an easy way to spot
sloppy body work or a wreck that was repaired poorly. More than likely it had
a terrible wreck and got fixed at home or was done by a cheap shop on the low.

3) Look for any fluid leaks. Leaks == (Money + Time + Fixes)

4) Find out what the most common problem is for the car you are looking at.
Some have rust problems, ECUs that die easily, bad fuel sensors, etc... Google
will tell you about them. All cars have design flaws that need to be dealt
with.

5) Check the mileage. The higher mileage means you should go and replace every
single reasonably afforable maintenance part you can (belt/chain, brake pads,
tires, fluids, filters, bushings, gaskets).

6) Haggle for every cent. I don't care if the car is some super rare model.
The owner is getting rid of it and once you buy it they aren't going to give
your money back. Also, when you buy a car, you buy the problems it has too.
Get as much as you can knocked off the asking price because if you are going
to rely on the vehicle spend that money on parts/labor that it needs (there is
something that is on the out for sure at $5k).

7) Buy from a friend/a friend of a friend. Someone has a car that perfectly
usable and doesn't need it or just wants it gone. Put the word out with
friends and see what falls out from the woodwork. They'll be more honest and
forthcoming about the car than some guy from craigslist.

There are many more but these are my main bits.

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dirktheman
Auctions are pretty hit or miss, and buying cars at auctions only plays out if
you do it a lot (kind of like VC: you get a lot of turds and one unicorn).

Best way is to look for a specific model, and educate yourself of the weak
points. I always buy cars from people, not businesses since their warranties
usually don't mean much. I'd rather buy a car on the cheap and use the
remaining budget to replace things than to buy a more expensive car where the
dealer assures you the timing belt has been changed recently.

For 3-5K I would buy an early 2000s Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Mitsubishi
Galant or Subaru Legacy. These things are bulletproof, insanely reliable.
Higher mileage is no problem, but learn how to spot worn clutches (if you get
the manual) and replace the timing belt. At this price/age they won't be
flawless and you won't look cool, but I care about reliability and costs over
everything else.

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Gustomaximus
Generally: I personally only buy from direct sales. Dealers seem simple but
they are experts at getting the best price and hiding potential issues. I
assume they will always be better than me at these so avoid them.

My process; 1) Find out what seems to be the most reliable car via internet.

1) Decide car and parameters like kms/prices/4WD etc. Set up search alerts.

2) Go see cars within that. I dont know much about mechanics but general
condition, oil quality, log book. Any noises or other that sets a red flag. I
also judge the person a bit - tidy yard I assume they look after things
better...who knows if true

3) Offer $$$ - if they accept I say it's on the condition my mechanic approves
and get the car a quick once over from a professional.

4) Buy car. Or reject if surprises show up.

5) Get immediate service.

Personally i'd avoid an auction as I dont know enough. If you were
mechanically skilled it would probably be a reasonable gamble.

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thegranderson
Once you do some research on KBB and the like about what cars are reliable to
buy used at that price point, I like Cargurus.com for actually finding the
car.

They have a ton of inventory, can connect you directly with the dealer/seller
(some are sold by owner), and they include the important aspects of a vehicle
history search. This last part is critical at that price point, because you'll
see things like flood-damaged cars, major collisions, etc. You may choose a
car that has those things, but its better to be aware of it before you buy vs.
finding out later. CarGurus also has a good metric of whether a car is a good
deal, based on all similar cars being sold (and they have almost all the used
car inventory in the US on their site).

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throway88989898
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0CZ1v5U_y8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0CZ1v5U_y8)

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SamReidHughes
Look on Craigslist for a mid-2000's Toyota or Honda in a college neighborhood
or an area with a lot of yuppies. I don't know if this is the best way, but
I've heard somebody else get a car this way.

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sloaken
There was a book called 'Dont get taken every time' Written by a former car
salesman. It is a fun read, as well as informative. Easily pays for itself on
your next purchase.

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immichaelwang
Buy a showroom car, and they'll usually give you anywhere from a 10-20%
discount, depending on brand.

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taf2
[https://www.tesla.com](https://www.tesla.com)

~~~
greenyoda
The question said: "I would like to spend between $3000 and $5000,
preferably."

~~~
tropo
I guess $600 is outside that range, but it looks like fun:

[https://shop.tesla.com/us/en/product/apparel/tesla-model-
s-f...](https://shop.tesla.com/us/en/product/apparel/tesla-model-s-for-
kids.html?sku=1465593-00-A)

