Where/How to buy a used car?

[joqua]

Originally Posted by cbus2abq

Whenever possible, I'd say avoid dealers and try to buy from a private owner not a dealer.

I agree if by "dealer" we are talking about "used car lots/dealers."

But I have less trepidation about buying a used car off the lot of a NEW car dealer, simply because they don't usually bother with resales unless the car traded in is in like new condition. Also NEW car dealers put more effort into making sure the used vehicles they sell are thoroughly reconditioned/detailed.

For example: I know dealers that will put new tires on the used car before selling it even though the tires as traded in "appear" in near-new condition with almost full tread remaining. It has to do with the age of the tires, rather than the wear on them.

[DonJuanQuixote]

Thanks for the resources. I've heard good and bad about carmax. Seems like they're not as good as they used to be. I'll continue my craigslist search then...

[elkotronics]

I'll second joqua's emotion. The '11 Kia Soul I bought from an El Paso Kia dealer was a 3 y/o car when I bought it last year but was in really good operating condition and clean as a thistle as well.

Buying a used car from a dealer is preferred in my opinion.

[Rubicon1]

I had really good experience buying used cars from Perfection Honda dealership.
To check the value of a used car I use the Texas DMV site, this site accesses an auction site to get the value. You will have to pay a bit more than the value listed on the site since its a wholesale price, but it is a good indicator.

TXDMV.GOV - Standard Presumptive Calculator

[joqua]

Since no one has mentioned the pricing guide that many car dealers themselves use, I guess I will:

Why Black Book® It's the independent service that dealers use every day to price trades. Black Book is an on-line leader when it comes to used car appraisals. In fact, the Black Book pricing is what a majority of dealers use for pricing trade-ins.

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by joqua

Since no one has mentioned the pricing guide that many car dealers themselves use, I guess I will:

Why Black Book® It's the independent service that dealers use every day to price trades. Black Book is an on-line leader when it comes to used car appraisals. In fact, the Black Book pricing is what a majority of dealers use for pricing trade-ins.

So do you recommend the $50 per month or $468 per year subscription? Or do you go through dealers to get some ideas and quotes?

[Rubicon1]

Black book value is nothing but average auction price. The link I posted gives you the auction price.