Buying my first (cheap!) car - where should I look for it? (Austin: 2013, how much)

[lucy10]

Hello Austin!
I need an advice from some experienced forum users...

Hopefully in January I'll be able to buy my very first car. Basically I just need something that can ride, nothing more
Probably will be old and ugly, I am aware.

I know very little about cars, so for sure someone will try to sell me something broken and overpriced. I don't have anyone in Austin who could help me choosing the car.

Now, when you know my situation, I have two questions:
- how much money do I actually need to buy an old and ugly but reliable car that won't be broken every other day?
- where should I look for cars? Craiglist / dealers? Any specific places where people don't sell ###? (I'm new to Austin)


Looking forward to any reply,
Many thanks!

[newton22]

If you just need a car to get you from point A to point B with decent reliability (which is subjective) and don't care for the way it looks, I'd say you need $3-4k. You won't really find much from dealers at that price point. Craigslist is your best bet.

If you insist on going the dealer route, then be prepared to fork over at least $6-7k for a car.

I'm a car guy and I bought one of my cars for $2500 expecting it to need work and maintenance (which I can do myself) but to my surprise it ran fine for over 10k miles with only basic maintenance. If you know what you're looking for, you can score on Craigslist.

Look for cars such as Honda Civic, Toyota Corollas etc. Those cars are reliable and popular so even if something breaks, any shop would familiar with servicing one.

[scm53]

I would NEVER buy a car off Craigslist. Like you, I can't work on my own car, so I don't want to run the risk of buying something from an individual with ZERO recourse. Just saw a show about rolling back odometers - busted a guy selling the car in a drugstore parking lot. Wonder where they found him?

You can get a car from an independant dealer for under $6K. It will have a bunch of miles, but as long as you get a Civic or Corolla, as Newton suggested, you'll be fine. There are plenty of independents around. Look on line, then go by. Car Max or Leif Johnson Superstore? He's right - over $6K. But Harbison, Sames, plenty of others can get you in for $5K.

[eastontracks]

Originally Posted by scm53

I would NEVER buy a car off Craigslist. Like you, I can't work on my own car, so I don't want to run the risk of buying something from an individual with ZERO recourse. Just saw a show about rolling back odometers - busted a guy selling the car in a drugstore parking lot. Wonder where they found him?

You can get a car from an independant dealer for under $6K. It will have a bunch of miles, but as long as you get a Civic or Corolla, as Newton suggested, you'll be fine. There are plenty of independents around. Look on line, then go by. Car Max or Leif Johnson Superstore? He's right - over $6K. But Harbison, Sames, plenty of others can get you in for $5K.

Agree with newton and sorta disagree here. Op, it sounds like you just don't care what kind of car you get and don't mind even overpaying while it still being ugly. Instead of throwin in the flag and setting yourself up to be taken advantage of, do some research and narrow down the list of cars you want.
I haven't bought a vehicle off Craig's list but I wouldn't be against it. Those independent small car dealer ships can be just as shady, vehicles often will not have a warranty and they have no clue or story on the cars on their lot.

Get a car fax so you can look up a cars report.
If it were me, I'd find an honest dealer on Craig's list. Chances are you can find something decent and still at a lower price. Something in the 3-4k range. I was selling mine on CL but took it off and decided to keep it a little longer. I bought mine new, nobody else has owned it. Look for something like that too as I feel those vehicles will be taken care of better. Id also ask what city the owner mainly lived. I'd also be the passenger and let them test drive to see how their car gets treated.

[joqua]

If it were me, I'd go to the nearest library and review car reliability reports from trusted sources like CONSUMER REPORTS. Then I'd look around for one of those high-reliability cars in my price range.

[10scoachrick]

As a one-off, I sold our aunt's Buick Century by ANSWERING a Craigslist ad. Couple had posted a 'car wanted' ad...looking to spend $3K and while the 'book' on our aunt's car was in that range, I sold it for a fair amount less because of cosmetic flaws. Yep, we were lucky to find each other, but it worked out just fine for both parties. Also, tracked down a hail-damaged Taurus for my SIL through Craigs...in Mississippi. $3000

I addition to the usual Honda and Toyota suspects, consider a Buick Century or Ford Taurus/500/Sable if you need something with a bit of 'size'. Ford Fusion is another smaller car that still has some room.

"COLD A/C" is a major feature I'd be looking for, especially if you need to look 'put together' after your commute(s).

Ask around at work, especially if you know someone who is a bit 'into cars'. They may know someone who knows someone...

[Spacepup]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

"COLD A/C" is a major feature I'd be looking for, especially if you need to look 'put together' after your commute(s).

But be careful. It is impossible to tell if "COLD A/C" means it actually is just fine or that the seller topped off the refrigerant in the system so it will blow cold just long enough to sell it. A mechanic can check for fresh wear on the A/C charging ports.

[Eastcoasting]

Predictable info to follow.

-Best deals will be found by purchasing from a private owner.

-Look for an ugly Corolla or Civic

-Find a local repair shop that will give the car a good once over (for fee of course). This one is important, the mechanic will be able to check the car and let you know of any immediate or upcoming expenses and it will sort out any scammers, they won't let you take the car to a mechanic.

-Nothing exotic, I don't care how good that 86 Saab 900 looks and how you have always wanted a convertible...NO!

[atxcio]

I've also sold a car via craigslist (Honda Civic, in fact), but it was several years ago. I wouldn't trust craigslist on it's own (get a carfax and have a mechanic look at the car), nor would I trust it for a high-dollar car. But for a cheap mode of transportation, it might be OK.

Other than private owners, the next best thing is dealer used lots. You won't find the cheapest of the cheap there, but they tend to only hang on to the best of the stuff traded in. The cars with issues/problems will go to the independent used car lots (not a great place to buy, IMO).

I don't really know anything about Autonation or those big used car chains. But they seem legit. A little higher priced, but solid cars.

[G Grasshopper]

In thinking about what kind of used car to buy, you might look up the April (2013) edition of Consumer Reports. April is their car issue, and they always have a feature on what used cars are most reliable and best buys. They may have some advice on how to buy, too.