Any advice on buying good used cars in the Seattle area? (Kent: insurance, inspection)

[uclabruins]

Single female here looking to buy a car in Seattle within the next year. I wanted to start putting some feelers out there. I don't want to pay more than 10k cash for it. I am looking for something to last me a good 8 years. Any advice? I have no idea where to go. I havent bought a car since 2004 and my dad basically did everything and this was in LA. Never bought a car on my own. Should I bring a guy with me to the dealership?

[Hemlock140]

here is my advice:

1. Avoid the used car dealers on Aurora Ave/99, they buy cars at auction that the regular dealers don't want,
and there is a reason for that.

2. If you are unfamiliar with the obvious signs of a worn-out car, or have no experience in negotiation take someone with you with more experience, guy or woman.

3. Be prepared to make an offer that is what you can afford to pay, and walk away of they do not meet it. Do not become attached to a car after test driving it, there are plenty more elsewhere to choose from.

4. New car dealers want repeat business and referrals and will be more likely to sell used cars that are in decent shape, and are required by law to do safety checks. They also like to sell you an aftermarket warranty, most of which are a waste of money because they do not cover what usually goes wrong. You are better off taking that
additional monthly amount and putting it into a savings account for future repairs.

5. If you want to be more confident, a good dealer should let you take the car to an independent mechanic who will evaluate it's condition for $75-100, well worth it.

For that price do not expect to get a 2-3 year old Toyota or Honda. Spend a few hours on Autotrader dot com looking at the cars you like and see what they are getting for them. Then look at the reviews on sites like Edmunds dot com to see how that year/make/model holds up.

[wutitiz]

Originally Posted by uclabruins

Single female here looking to buy a car in Seattle within the next year. I wanted to start putting some feelers out there. I don't want to pay more than 10k cash for it. I am looking for something to last me a good 8 years. Any advice? I have no idea where to go. I havent bought a car since 2004 and my dad basically did everything and this was in LA. Never bought a car on my own. Should I bring a guy with me to the dealership?

I don't think you need a guy. With any car you buy, get a "buyer's inspection" done by a mechanic; most auto repair shops will do this, and charge about $50-100. So obviously you want to make sure you really want the car before you have it inspected. If the mechanic finds a problem and you still want the car, you can use the info to argue for a price reduction. If the seller refuses to allow an inspection, run away.

If you buy from a dealer they will try to pressure you into an extended warranty, which is very high profit for them, but if you've paid the $50 for the inspection and there was no problem found, you can skip the extended warranty.

I recommend Bowen-Scarf in Kent. They are a 'no-haggle' lot, so whatever price they post is what you will pay. They're a pleasure to deal with. If the inspection reveals a problem, they won't reduce the price but will likely fix the problem for free.

If you go thru the haggling process and are a determined haggler, you can probably get a slightly better deal elsewhere, but their prices are fairly reasonable, and to me it's worth it just in sheer time. You can easily spend an entire morning at a normal dealer getting a car inspected, haggling with the salesman, then haggling with the finance/insurance guy, and maybe in the end have to walk away.