Buying A used Car (Austin, Howe: prices, rated, best)

[Bobby Davro]

Been looking at cars online, and I can't make sense of the pricing, or the general cost.

Admittedly my only resource is ebay motors, but I'm struggling to find decent moderate mileage (<100k) cars regardless of age (within reason) or make for less than $8000, usually more like $10,000. I can get a compact in London with way under 70k, for less than £3,000.

Are cars more expensive in Texas compared to the rest of the US? Or are used cars just expensive in the whole US? Or is ebay motors completely unrepresentative?

Many thanks.

[Spree]

We just bought a used car in FL, we were looking for a specific make/model, found one that was certified and had low mileage in FL that was about $5,000 less than what they have been priced as here in TX. Not sure if that's typical or we just got a good deal. The FL economy is not as good as TX and it appears that used cars are a bit less there. Try comparing at New Cars, Used Cars - Find Cars at AutoTrader.com

I'm not an expert and hopefully someone else will chime in with more information.

[Bobby Davro]

Originally Posted by Spree

I'm not an expert and hopefully someone else will chime in with more information.

It's a start. Thank you.

[JGD47]

I have not tried to find a car in that price range for years. I assume most are sold between private individuals.

Try this car search, it is through the Austin, Tx newspaper (Statesman.com) website.

Statesman Cars | Austin Texas Used Cars and Trucks (http://www.statesman.com/search/content/cars/austin-cars-for-sale.html?migrated=n - broken link)

When I tried it with the criteria below it came up with

We found 4,619 used listings within 200 miles of Austin, TX .
You searched for:
Car Type: Used Cars
Year Range: 1981 - 2012
Price Range: $6,000 - $8,000
Seller Type: All Sellers

Here is an interesting one:

$8,000, Used 1987 Chevrolet Corvette
60,100 miles
Yellow
No accidents, Non-smoker, Runs & drives great, Never seen snow, dual flowmaster exhaust, needs new front tires. Windshield is cracked.

[getmeoutofhere]

It depends on what your parameters are, but it shouldn't be that difficult. But used cars are bringing top dollar right now. However, eBay motors is not the best guide.

Try Autotrader, Craigslist, and Cars.com and compare prices.

[Bobby Davro]

Originally Posted by JGD47

$8,000, Used 1987 Chevrolet Corvette
60,100 miles
Yellow
No accidents, Non-smoker, Runs & drives great, Never seen snow, dual flowmaster exhaust, needs new front tires. Windshield is cracked.

$8,000 for a 24 year old car with a cracked windshield...
Thanks for the link though!

Originally Posted by getmeoutofhere

It depends on what your parameters are, but it shouldn't be that difficult. But used cars are bringing top dollar right now. However, eBay motors is not the best guide.

Try Autotrader, Craigslist, and Cars.com and compare prices.

To be honest my only criteria was low mileage, and no more than ten years old and not being forced to pay through the nose. Even then I'm struggling.
Thanks though!

[ChristieP]

As another poster said, used cars are holding their value these days. Due to the economy, people are holding onto their cars for longer, or looking for a cheaper alternative to buying an expensive new car.