Buying a car with high student loan debt!

[Nayabone]

Originally Posted by john4584

Thanks for your reply. I just heard theirs a lot of scam car dealers in california that just want to take advantage of people because everyone is so dependent on their cars. I'm moving from Chicago, so I plan on buying a car in Illinois. I have to research the differences in emissions testing but I think their similar.

Ah yes, the old "everything in California is evil". More phony stories. There are good guys and bad guys everywhere. I would much rather buy a car in California that I would in gangland.
Most later model cars are federal, so will pass smog in any state. Before you purchase an out of state car, make sure it is Calif compliant or you purchased a paper weight. Should be a sticker on the radiator saddle that will tell you if it's compliant.
Come to calif and buy a car from Carmax and breath easy you got a good car for a good deal..

[Army_Guy]

My parents moved to L.A after living in Chicago for almost 30 years. One of my fathers observations about cars was how many more cars for the sale there are in L.A. He said that there is a higher supply and prices are generally lower. I had given him one of my cars and told him to sell it to buy something that was more to his liking but he said there is enough supply to keep prices low. He said the good weather meant that cars didn't have to endure rust, salt and snow like our cars did in Chicago. The cars were usually kept in better condition.

As for your drive, be careful because I've made the drive from L.A to Chicago and there are a lot of stretches of road without services so if you buy in Chicago, make sure your car is ready for the trip. I did it in 1.5 days. There is a stretch in Utah where you have no services for 110 miles or so, no gas stations and I didn't have cell phone coverage (Sprint).

[bmwguydc]

I can understand what the OP is saying. He does not want to land at LAX and have the meter ticking on a rental car while he scrambles to try to find an affordable car at a dealership, being in a city where he does not have the same depth of knowledge as to what may or may not be a reputable place to purchase a vehicle.

Definitely buy a used car that's reliable and in good shape in IL, and bring it with you to LA. You are more likely to know where to find a good car/mechanic in IL, rather than landing with a time schedule in LA.

Do you know what kind of a car you want to buy? Be sure to get a thorough mechanic's inspection, and check the brakes and tires, probably factoring those into the purchase price before you set out on a trip.