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Old 02-02-2012, 02:48 AM
 
17 posts, read 20,038 times
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Hi! we are coming to nashua around early to beginning of march, where can we get the best deal and where are the places we should stay away?

thanks
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Old 02-02-2012, 07:24 AM
 
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Personally, I would approach buying a car by first finding some cars I like on cars.com or similar. Then going to look at them wherever they happen to be. There are tons of car dealers in the area. Finding the best one would be impossible. Too many variables.
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Old 02-02-2012, 11:23 AM
 
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I guess the most important question is what brand of car are you looking for?
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Old 02-02-2012, 04:17 PM
 
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Whatever used car you find do a Carfax.
Do you mind multiple owner used cars? Previous rentals?
Take to any local body shop and ask if car has any body panels repainted. If found determine why.
Take car to local off site mechanic and have car placed on lift. Look your self to see if there are any leaking fluids. Or excessive rust.

Used car dealers are some of the best community supporters - supporting Little League and other charities. Unfortunately, there are some that are a tad less then honest.
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Old 02-02-2012, 11:31 PM
 
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Unit731 thanks alot for the suggestions, I guess really what I am asking is there any car places I should stay away from? Thank you!
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Old 02-03-2012, 04:46 AM
 
Location: :~)
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Don't go to Toyota. They are straight up con men.
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Old 02-03-2012, 06:34 AM
 
8,272 posts, read 10,882,183 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by avasmom26 View Post
Unit731 thanks alot for the suggestions, I guess really what I am asking is there any car places I should stay away from? Thank you!

I had the opportunity to observe the dealer only auto auction in Londonderry, NH one day. In those days one did not need an ID badge. When asked I was told to just say "driver for Al's Auto Sales" or some such statement. I did get in. Hundreds if not thousand cars. Every Thursday. As I remember the auction was inside a building with 12 lanes and 12 auctions going on at one time. Touch your hat, scratch your chin, wiggle your ear - and you own it. I had to stand still and keep my hands in my pockets. I could not buy any car as one needs a used car license. To obtain a used car license one needs to pay $1,000.00 per year AND have a physical location.

What I saw at this auction - and I want to be as polite as possible - were men that looked like they would sell their own mother - if the price was right.

The good newer cars were at one end. Mostly Hertz/Avis/National rental cars and another lane for off lease cars. The rest of the lanes were comprised of what looked like nice cars to real clunkers. One very nice newer Oldsmobile 88 leather interior - was pushed thru and sold for less than $1,000. I asked about that one. And someone took me outside, opened the hood, and there was no engine in car. Apparently some repair shop had tried to fix engine and gave up and just auctioned car off with no engine.

It used to be that former rentals were good deals. I have rented cars all over the country. The big cities/airports every single car I rented had dents/scratches/stains all over rental car. The smaller cities/airports the rental cars seem to be in much better condition. Do you wish to purchase a car that potentially had 365 drivers per year? No, there is no car that is rented to a different person every day but you get the point.

I had a neighobr - a professional - good job good company. He leased a Toyota for 2 years. He never changed the oil. He never did anything. He just drove it. And when oil was checked before turning in it was black and down two quarts. His wife made him have the oil changed just before he turned that Toyota in.

There are many good used cars out there. Some folks do take care of car. While others do not. Walking on a used car lot it can be difficult to find the car that was well taken care of. As the smart used car dealers clean up the car. Change the oil. Some change the transmission fluid also. Note. Most automatic transmission fluid should be pink in color. If the automatic transmission is any color other then pink you need to find another car. Note. Some automatic transmission are "sealed" and do not have a dip stick. Sometimes called "Lifetime" automatic fluid. Whose lifetime? What is the lifetime? You have to read the owners manual and determine when automatic transmission fluid should be changed.

Myself, I would stay away from anyone who claims car has new engine or new transmission. It is very rare that an engine is replaced with a real new factory engine. Most are rebuilts. None of the manufacturers rebuild engines or transmissions. Same holds true for automatic transmissions. Most are rebuilts. The rebuilding may be done by a reputatble company or a less then reputable company.

Good Luck.
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Old 02-03-2012, 12:04 PM
 
1,771 posts, read 5,049,047 times
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One great idea:

Get a used car from a brand/dealer that includes free scheduled maintenance...get a copy of the service records since the free scheduled maintenance would be performed by a dealer. Between that and the carfax you have some reasonable assurance that 1) it wasn't in a major accident and 2) it was maintained.
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Old 02-06-2012, 12:57 PM
 
Location: Londonderry, NH
41,478 posts, read 59,561,453 times
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I think "best local used car dealer" is impossible. Finding the "least worst" is the best you can do. If you do not already patronize a local mechanic and body shop so you can have a used car properly inspected stay with a dealer. Most dealers will not let you take a car for inspection or let you inspect it in their shop. The last car I bought came from a direct sale and has proven to be a good deal despite the $1,500 dollars in repair and paint spent after we bought the thing.

If I were willing to spend more than 3 grand on a car I would find out where the airport rental companies sell their cars. Most of these have, supposedly, been maintained and do not have long distance mileage. At least these cars are washed fairly often. Check prices on line before you make an offer. Consider the asking price to be an absurdity.

Tip: Bring along a “mirror on a stick” inspection tool. These are available from most parts shops. The look on a salesman’s face when you stick this under the rust bucket he is trying to get rid of is worth the price. It also lets you see if the underside of the car is rusty or really rusty.
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