Monday, January 18, 2010
Used cars: Tactics for buying in a down economy
Now keep in mind that this is for buying from private parties not dealers. Mainly the one tactic that seldom fails is to undercut their price severely and make a cash offer. By doing this you create a opportunity for the seller to reveal how bad they need to sell the car. I am a moral person and taking advantage of people in this horrible economic state can be demoralizing. So be tactful and try not to force them into desparation. Be a helpful buyer and don't exploit their need to sell a vehicle if it bothers your conscience. So make use of this tactic and that cheap car you want may become yours. Good luck.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Cheap Car Brands
Cheap car brands that i would personally recommend are:
Honda: Generally accepted as a dependable and cost effective brand Honda has many "Cheap Car" models that are worthy of purchase. A few of these include the Civic and the Accord. With a front-wheel drive configuration and a fuel friendly 4 cylinder engine the Civic makes a wallet friendly choice. Whereas the Accord with an available v6 engine still has a reasonable fuel economy and great owner satisfaction ratings. With Honda engineering the motors produced have been known to reach miles of 250,000 miles and above.
Toyota: Toyota has been a go-to car manufacturer for a number of years with models in their line-up ranging from the economy Corrolla to the family type sporty Camry. A cheap car that is a Toyota may seem to many as a seldom or rare occurrence but through simple searching one could easily find a well-priced toyota to suit their needs.
These two manufacturers are prime examples of quality engineering and reliability. But please don't limit yourself to just a Honda or a Toyota. Be more open when choosing a good car maker and broaden out. Remember that the people who have owned them know more about bugs and issues than the manufacturer so trust them. If there is a problem that may arise they have probably dealt with it.
Used or New?
When looking to find a deal on a "Cheap Car" you may wonder new or used? There are upsides and downsides to both. If you are buying a new car and it hasn't been released for more than a while problems with longevity that haven't been explored yet may arise during ownership causing hassle and frustration. Whereas a used car on the other hand has most likely had the bugs worked out from the problems arising under the previous persons ownership. Though a new car hasn't had the possibility of a prior owner abusing it so you get a "clean slate" to start with. A used car may have been beaten and abused causing engine damage that will not be apparent until later in the cars life. So be cautious and inquire as to who owned the car previously and how they drove it. A good way to know this is by getting a Carfax vehicle history report and looking for possible "red flags" on how the car was treated. Never be afraid to ask questions.
Honda: Generally accepted as a dependable and cost effective brand Honda has many "Cheap Car" models that are worthy of purchase. A few of these include the Civic and the Accord. With a front-wheel drive configuration and a fuel friendly 4 cylinder engine the Civic makes a wallet friendly choice. Whereas the Accord with an available v6 engine still has a reasonable fuel economy and great owner satisfaction ratings. With Honda engineering the motors produced have been known to reach miles of 250,000 miles and above.
Toyota: Toyota has been a go-to car manufacturer for a number of years with models in their line-up ranging from the economy Corrolla to the family type sporty Camry. A cheap car that is a Toyota may seem to many as a seldom or rare occurrence but through simple searching one could easily find a well-priced toyota to suit their needs.
These two manufacturers are prime examples of quality engineering and reliability. But please don't limit yourself to just a Honda or a Toyota. Be more open when choosing a good car maker and broaden out. Remember that the people who have owned them know more about bugs and issues than the manufacturer so trust them. If there is a problem that may arise they have probably dealt with it.
Used or New?
When looking to find a deal on a "Cheap Car" you may wonder new or used? There are upsides and downsides to both. If you are buying a new car and it hasn't been released for more than a while problems with longevity that haven't been explored yet may arise during ownership causing hassle and frustration. Whereas a used car on the other hand has most likely had the bugs worked out from the problems arising under the previous persons ownership. Though a new car hasn't had the possibility of a prior owner abusing it so you get a "clean slate" to start with. A used car may have been beaten and abused causing engine damage that will not be apparent until later in the cars life. So be cautious and inquire as to who owned the car previously and how they drove it. A good way to know this is by getting a Carfax vehicle history report and looking for possible "red flags" on how the car was treated. Never be afraid to ask questions.
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.
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.
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