MotorcycleKopp
Elio Aficionado
eBay?? Wow really. Do you buy from local sellers only on eBay or just from anywhere??
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eBay?? Wow really. Do you buy from local sellers only on eBay or just from anywhere??
RSchneider
Elio Addict
I've bought 3 cars off of ebay and sold 4 of them. Another option is Carvana. They deliver right to your door.
I live in Canada, Bought BMW in Dallas, MGA in Florida and an Austin Healey in Minnesota. Used to be cheaper to buy in the states, with low Canadian dollar it is cheaper other way around.
bowers baldwin
Elio Addict
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All Ebay purchases: (all over 1000 miles away)
The Rx-7 was the only dud, had to flip the cross member for the steering to go with the V8 that was in there.
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Here’s a link to some interesting reading that might help... you’ll have lots of choices in a pre-owned 2017 or 2016 mid-sized car for under 20K...
Asian cars traditionally have the best resale... European cars are the most expensive to maintain...
Small SUVs are in high demand... expect to pay a premium if you go that route...
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/best-cars-for-the-money-2017
Asian cars traditionally have the best resale... European cars are the most expensive to maintain...
Small SUVs are in high demand... expect to pay a premium if you go that route...
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/best-cars-for-the-money-2017
MotorcycleKopp
Elio Aficionado
I've never heard of Carvana, but their system that they describe on their website does sound good. Have you dealt with Carvana yourself personally??
Ty
Elio Addict
Be leary of getting stuck on that "Certified Pre-Owned" label...
(Here's the site I quoted below: https://www.alternet.org/economy/8-ways-used-car-dealers-can-swindle-you)
Be careful and try to enjoy the process. Remember, time on the dealer lot works against the buyer... the longer they keep you there, the more willing you will be to make a deal just to get it over with.
Pushing certified pre-owned cars. Used-car dealers say certified pre-owned cars are the next best thing to buying new and they’ve been very popular with budget-conscious drivers who want new-car dependability without paying the new-car price.
A certified pre-owned car typically costs $2,000 to $2,500 more than an identical non-certified car, but the extra price you pay is often more than what you would likely spend on repairs during the car’s warranty period. So, these cars are really nothing more than used cars with an expensive extended warranty tacked onto the price.
One sales pitch dealers use to sell certified pre-owned cars is that they’ve passed a rigorous inspection, often citing many inspected items (100 or 150 are often used, perhaps because they have three digits). And while many of these inspection points may involve the frame, engine and other major components, quite a few of the items on the checklists are redundant, and some, like the windshield-washer fluid level, are actually absurd.
But some certified pre-owned cars aren’t looked over closely at all. One certified pre-owned car — as was famously covered by many news outlets back in 2007 — was not one car, but two. The front half of a 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and the back end of another Monte Carlo had been welded together. And it appeared that both halves of the FrankenCarlo had been involved in serious crashes.
Consumers should keep in mind that there is no industry standard to define what “certified” actually means. Any used-car lot can claim a car is certified. It’s a system that depends solely on the honesty of the seller.
Used-car retailers say they’ll fix problems they find before they sell a certified used car, but I’ve witnessed used cars arrive on a car carrier only to be immediately rolled out on the lot and tagged as “inspected and certified.” Once when I called the management of the lot on this, they said they had every intention to inspect the vehicle before it was sold. Other used-car dealers I spoke to told us they will sell any car as certified or not certified, depending on what the customer is willing to spend.
The only guarantee with a certified used car is that the dealership will make more money. With relatively newer used cars in particular, certification doesn’t make much sense as most cars are relatively trouble-free in their first three to six years. Your best bet when buying a used car is to take it to an independent mechanic for an inspection and skip the in-house certification and expensive warranty and put that money into a rainy-day fund for the car if something goes wrong.
(Here's the site I quoted below: https://www.alternet.org/economy/8-ways-used-car-dealers-can-swindle-you)
Be careful and try to enjoy the process. Remember, time on the dealer lot works against the buyer... the longer they keep you there, the more willing you will be to make a deal just to get it over with.
Pushing certified pre-owned cars. Used-car dealers say certified pre-owned cars are the next best thing to buying new and they’ve been very popular with budget-conscious drivers who want new-car dependability without paying the new-car price.
A certified pre-owned car typically costs $2,000 to $2,500 more than an identical non-certified car, but the extra price you pay is often more than what you would likely spend on repairs during the car’s warranty period. So, these cars are really nothing more than used cars with an expensive extended warranty tacked onto the price.
One sales pitch dealers use to sell certified pre-owned cars is that they’ve passed a rigorous inspection, often citing many inspected items (100 or 150 are often used, perhaps because they have three digits). And while many of these inspection points may involve the frame, engine and other major components, quite a few of the items on the checklists are redundant, and some, like the windshield-washer fluid level, are actually absurd.
But some certified pre-owned cars aren’t looked over closely at all. One certified pre-owned car — as was famously covered by many news outlets back in 2007 — was not one car, but two. The front half of a 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and the back end of another Monte Carlo had been welded together. And it appeared that both halves of the FrankenCarlo had been involved in serious crashes.
Consumers should keep in mind that there is no industry standard to define what “certified” actually means. Any used-car lot can claim a car is certified. It’s a system that depends solely on the honesty of the seller.
Used-car retailers say they’ll fix problems they find before they sell a certified used car, but I’ve witnessed used cars arrive on a car carrier only to be immediately rolled out on the lot and tagged as “inspected and certified.” Once when I called the management of the lot on this, they said they had every intention to inspect the vehicle before it was sold. Other used-car dealers I spoke to told us they will sell any car as certified or not certified, depending on what the customer is willing to spend.
The only guarantee with a certified used car is that the dealership will make more money. With relatively newer used cars in particular, certification doesn’t make much sense as most cars are relatively trouble-free in their first three to six years. Your best bet when buying a used car is to take it to an independent mechanic for an inspection and skip the in-house certification and expensive warranty and put that money into a rainy-day fund for the car if something goes wrong.
MotorcycleKopp
Elio Aficionado
That webpage speaks very similarly to most of the other stuff I've found online. Though I am a bit surprised that the Germans came out on top in the Best Luxury Small Car category. Especially since, like you said, they are the most expensive to maintain.
MotorcycleKopp
Elio Aficionado
I definitely see the logic in that. It has to make sense financially in order to be worth the label vs taking your chances. I guess it kinda depends on what kind of actual warranty the dealership offers with the certified pre-owned vehicle. For example, the local Honda dealership here has an advertisement for a 20 year, 250k mile power train warranty on their stuff. Of course, in the ad it doesn't specify if you have to purchase an additional extended warranty or anything though.
My thoughts are that private sellers very rarely want to sell & get rid of a car because they've "had no problems with it" or because it was the best car they have ever owned. Of course, there are a lot of valid reasons to want to sell a decent car too, but you just never know.
So I guess, in my head, some kind of warranty is better than nothing. But yeah, it just depends on the price difference.
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I have had good luck with high mileage, newer, higher end cars, most of the miles are hi-way. The money you save could pay for major repairs. I have yet to have a major repair since I sold my Datsun 280Z thirty years ago. Still have nightmares with that car.