What to look for in a Cheap Car

What you need to know?


When looking to buy a cheap car most people look for:

Low Price:

pros- A cheap car with a low price won't dent your wallet as badly as a more expensive one and more saved money may be spent on other necessities or fixing a potential cheap car you may buy.

cons- A cheap car with too low of a price may be in severely poor shape or in need of other serious repair. It also may lead to a car that will "nickel and dime you to death" a hundred dollars here fifty dollars there adds up and a car that was say, five hundred dollars turns out being one thousand or more. So that having been said, good judgement , or a good advisor is fairly critical in making good choices with buying a cheap car.

Reasonable price:

pros- A cheap car doesn't always have to be super cheap and a more reasonable price would generally point to a car being in sound mechanical order as well as having fewer body defects than a lower priced one. But as with the lower prices you would want to exercise good judgement when making a decision to buy or pass so as to have a dependable vehicle.

cons- A slightly higher price could use good looks to cover up poor mechanics in a cheap car. A seller may try to dazzle you with saying things like fresh paint and new parts, doing so is trying to distract you from other problem areas in a cheap car.


A Cheap Car and You:

Decisions to make when looking for a car that will fit you personally.

Use- Try not to think just about what you will use the car for right now but what you plan on doing in the future with your car.

A few examples to consider:

Do you need a cheap car to get you through winter for work? Do you run a business that requires a certain type of car or truck? Do you desire a cheap car that will allow for recreational driving? Do you plan on having children? do you have many friends or family members who would drive with you?

Those are just a few examples to consider but remember good judgement and not being afraid to ask questions are two things that need to be done in order to successfully buy a dependable cheap car that will serve the purpose you want it to.

Asking price

When a private party has a cheap car the asking price is very flexible. Much more so than a dealer. A way to tell how much they will bend on the price is to simply give them a low shot on the price. Judging from their reaction you can generally tell how much you can expect to spend.

Do aftermarket parts raise the value of the car?

An aftermarket part is normally not going to raise the value of a used car unless the manufacturer of the car made the part. So a car with a body kit for instance isn't going to be actually worth as much as one with stock bumpers. Though the person selling the car may up the price for having it on the car. Most people are very stubborn on this point in taking the price down some. But if they budge on this and possibly other parts applied to the car that would be another indicator that they will work with you.