Used cars - where to get a good one? (Chicago: lease, how much)

[AmoreLeo]

Craigslist posters are lying, cheating *******s with no integrity. I'm starting to think that's true about *everyone* selling a used car, so help me out here.

Has anyone on this list ever bought a used car from a dealer and NOT gotten a lemon or totally ripped off? If so, where??? I am absolutely willing to go to the suburbs, at this point, if that's what it takes.

Please help!

By the way, I insist on taking any potential purchase to my mechanic prior to shelling out any cash.

[SubconsciousMe]

We sold our car on Craigslist and didn't lie, cheat, or steal our way out of it. Have you tried looking through AutoTrader?

[chicagobear]

A lot of people like CarMax although prices are a little higher. That's probably what I would do.

[AmoreLeo]

Thanks, Subconscious Me, I wish I had known about your listing! I have not tried AutoTrader.
And Chicagobear, I am a little leery of Carmax, but you might be right to try them.

[snoylekim]

What are you looking for , and what's your price range ?? I have done the 'certified pre-owned' with no issues . These are cars that are usually 2-3 years old , have been leased and returned , and are typically like-new condition with a warranty to match . These programs are usually on higher-end cars, but it lets someone else eat the depreciation through the lease on the new car . Check with new car dealers for this .
New car dealers will typically send what they can't CPO to auction, where the Used Car Dealers will pick them up .

[SubconsciousMe]

Also, if you find a car you like/in your price range google "service report + year + make + model" it will help identify commonly occurring problems/recalls and you can ask the seller if they've had said problem/recall fixed. I find this helpful as well for regularly scheduled maintenance to ask if they've had x, y, z repaired as scheduling recommends.

cars.com is also useful

I hope to be selling our vehicle soon-ish and be car-less

[chet everett]

I have bought from private party, from regular dealer's non-brand trade-in lot and CPO.

CPO is most costly but value is high and ease of shopping is tops-- easier than new when factor in Internet search. Of course if you are shopping for CPO you need to have a little more cash or finance looks worse than new car.

When shopping for used cars that have been traded in most decent dealers will give you some kind of limited period for inspection / warranty. Harder to shop and not quite the bargain of a private party sale, but low hassle factor....

I have bought used cars from private parties. Lots more leg work. Need to pay for CarFax on your own. Need to be pretty savvy about the kinds of issues the certain cars have been reported with / find seller with repair records. Can get a really fair price but invest lots of time with dead-end cars that only a fool would waste money on...

Originally Posted by snoylekim

What are you looking for , and what's your price range ?? I have done the 'certified pre-owned' with no issues . These are cars that are usually 2-3 years old , have been leased and returned , and are typically like-new condition with a warranty to match . These programs are usually on higher-end cars, but it lets someone else eat the depreciation through the lease on the new car . Check with new car dealers for this .
New car dealers will typically send what they can't CPO to auction, where the Used Car Dealers will pick them up .

[rparz]

That's the nature of a used car. Assume you're buying someone else's problems. Craigslist isn't necessarily cheaters, but they're trying to dump a car for as much as possible and if either of you two isn't a mechanic, well, there's lots of unknowns.

You can pick up good deals on craigslist, if you're familiar with problems and what the fixes may cost, thereby leveraging your knowledge over the seller.

Stay away from used car lots. Not to say they're automatically sheisters, but really, they buy a car at auction, test drive it, detail it and put it out on the lot. How much could they possibly know about the car having spent a total of twenty minutes in it? You obviously aren't equipped to make your own determination, or accept the risks that come with it.


Sounds like you want a car that is a certified used car, or something from Carmax. Pay the extra juice for a car since you're obviously not comfortable tackling mechanical work on your own.

[AmoreLeo]

Like I said, I won't buy something unless it is totally checked out by my trusted mechanic, so I would *like* to deal with private sellers, but I am so tired of hearing their made-up stories of why they're selling the car. I'm totally familiar with the common issues for my desired car (Toyota Solara or Avalon), and I've driven them all my life so I know a fair bit about what things cost. I feel pretty empowered there. But I hadn't thought about used car dealers and where they get most of their inventory (auctions), so that's a great tip to keep in mind.

It really does seem to be a choice between:
1) dealing with Carmax to get a pretty well-tested car for more money than the car is worth, eliminating tons of time and energy wasted on private sellers
OR
2) dealing with private sellers, taking lots of time and energy to test drive, take them to my mechanic, and haggle, in the hopes of getting a decent deal

Thanks, everyone, for confirming what I already assumed to be true.