[Marioni888]

I remember there was topic about this while ago but i would like just to add how difficult is to find good,nice car from private party.

I used to live in CA and AZ and buying used car never took me more then 3-4 days.

My daughter been looking for her car for over 3 weeks now. Using craigslist and other websites.

Most interesting thing is that even if you find nice car it will be over 20-30% of kbb suggested price ! (and im talking only about private party here).

One lady other day wanted 9000$ for her Ford. KBB value for that car in very good condition is 6300.
When we told her about that she said "im not lowering the price,im not in hurry, i would rather trade in my car for another one in dealership then sell it under 9000$ !!!


Another guy was selling his honda with 100k miles for 11000 $. Kbb value is 9000 He said will go down to 10800 $ !!

Not even ONE seller wanted to sell their car using KBB value price. Everyone add at least 2000 on top and refused to lower it.

I would like to note also that 70% of all cars we checked had some kind of problems and 50% of sellers didnt mention that in their add.
Very dishonest because we wasted our time looking for car that was 3 days ago in car accident. ( yes that happened too)

Well i think we will just go to dealer route, i know we will pay tax on top of that but we will at least be sure car is in good condition.

Going to AZ or CA is not a option, dont have time for that

[dynimagelv]

I bought my grandsons car from Craigs list.

It was reasonably priced, $2300 and when I pulled out $2000 in hundred $ bills that deal was done.....it was an excellant car. Had no problems with it .... NOW That being said, I am a somewhate astute used car buyer and know what to look for.....

[Marioni888]

oh and i forgot this, one guy mentioned in add his car has new tires. when we got there 2 rear tires were so bad that we would be afraid to drive it even 1 mile.
His response was "New tires always means 2 front tires, never rear" !!!!!"

[Raiderman]

Just an FYI, KBB is not the "bible" when it comes to car values. It is a "guide", as are NADA, Blackbook, Galves, etc. You can't buy a car from KBB. It comes down to supply and demand. A car is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it. If you have $XX,XXX to buy a car, just do a search for the ones in that price range and select the one that best fits your needs. You will get very frustrated if you think that $15,000 car should be obtainable for $10,000 because that's "what the book says". I was in the automotive business for many, many years. You'll find some cars are worth far more than the books suggest, and some are worth far less. It is up to the market to decide, and you'll see that when you search in a price range.

[Marioni888]

Originally Posted by Ryan_Eagan

Just an FYI, KBB is not the "bible" when it comes to car values. It is a "guide", as are NADA, Blackbook, Galves, etc. You can't buy a car from KBB. It comes down to supply and demand. A car is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it. If you have $XX,XXX to buy a car, just do a search for the ones in that price range and select the one that best fits your needs. You will get very frustrated if you think that $15,000 car should be obtainable for $10,000 because that's "what the book says". I was in the automotive business for many, many years. You'll find some cars are worth far more than the books suggest, and some are worth far less. It is up to the market to decide, and you'll see that when you search in a price range.

Ryan, all this cars are available in arizona and LA for KBB price. Even lower sometimes. There is really no reason people asking 3000 more for same car here in nevada.

I know KBB is not "bible".

But try selling your car. You will receive phone calls from people saying "KBB price is 5000. I will give you 5200." .

[jet757f]

Originally Posted by Marioni888

oh and i forgot this, one guy mentioned in add his car has new tires. when we got there 2 rear tires were so bad that we would be afraid to drive it even 1 mile.
His response was "New tires always means 2 front tires, never rear" !!!!!"

LOL Too funny

[Packrat1]

Actually you will find that the car dealers use NADA when they take a trade in. KBB is a retail tool used by car dealers for customers.

They might not tell you this but they do use NADA most of the time. The absolute most they will pay is NADA clean trade in but most of the time they buy it for much less than that. They can often still make a profit if you buy it at dealer trade in price as they are into the car for less than that.

You can get a decent deal sometimes at a dealer like Toyota, Ford, ect. You must know what the true current NADA value of the vehicle is. Also you can get a better deal buying a Toyota from a Ford dealer and a Ford from a Toyota dealer as it isn't their line.

You can get close with NADA on line but to be accurate you must go to the library and get the most current and local version of NADA. The dealer trade in figure is what you look for and then add or subtract things like mileage, accessories, engine type then you will have the true cost. Also there are 3 trade in columns, rough, average and clean trade in.

If the car isn't perfect offer them somewhere between rough and average trade in. If the car is a cream puff then offer them clean trade in plus a few bucks assuming it is a popular car. I

Make copies and bring it in to the dealer or car lot.

Go in and if you find something you like that is in very good shape tell them you will buy it at dealer trade in or maybe $100- $400 over dealer trade in for a really popular model. Show them the figures. If they scoff just leave your phone number and go home, you will get a call back. It takes some work but worth it in the long run. It is harder to pull this off if you are buying a Hybrid as those really hold their values.

If you have to finance have a preapproval from your credit union and or bank. Also sometimes dealers have financing even on used cars. I got 1% financing on a used Lexus SUV from the Lexus Dealer. Took me probably 4 hrs to make the deal but I thought my time was worth it. It was a 2008 Lexus. Mine didn't have Nav which everyone wants so I was able to get them to sell it clean dealer trade in price. I have also bought Toyota's and Chevrolets this way too.

Don't plan on trading your car in on a deal like this unless it is a highly desireable vehicle, plan to sell it yourself. If you do trade it in you won't get much. Make sure though you do your homework regarding the difference in a private sale vs the sales tax offset on a trade in.

Also I would highly recommend spending the money for car fax as many cars can come from Hurricane Katrina and or the New York area or they might have been wrecked.

[dynimagelv]

Simple solution......

Don't buy it.

[SGtoLV]

Ryan is spot on. It's all supply and demand. A vehicle is only worth what someone is willing to sell it for and the other person is willing to pay. The reason that the prices are different in California and Arizona may be related to the supply and competing with other sellers.

[airics]

Originally Posted by Packrat1

They might not tell you this but they do use NADA most of the time. The absolute most they will pay is NADA clean trade in but most of the time they buy it for much less than that. They can often still make a profit if you buy it at dealer trade in price as they are into the car for less than that.

Nada is a guide available also to consumers.....The dealers use "Black Book"... Go to an auction sometime.....geez.....they also use "Manheim Online" to see what the vehicles have previously sold for at the auction.

And again, it is all about supply and demand... And you are 100% wrong.. You will not get a better deal at Ford on a Toyota. It carries a premium. You will however get a better deal on a Ford at Toyota if its even on their lot and not being sent to auction.