Cars, New or Used, watchu buy?

[campgottagopee]

Impreza STI

.

Wicked cool and fun to drve!!!! I drove one for a demo right up until I got my second ticket :angry:

 

[snoseek]

Some ideas from me are to pick up the consumer reports car guide (they have a used car review session) and find a good year in the model you want. After this secure your own financing and skip the car dealer. I would find someone from a private sale, yes private sale and ask to take the car to a mechanic you trust to check it out. You preferably want to find a seller that kept squared away records for a servicing. This would work good for a car under 75,000 miles or so, after that IMO it's a bit of a gamble. I'm pretty convinced you'll have an idea if the seller was a complete idiot. Oh, and maybe run a carfax for piece of mind.

I'm convinced with the right model car, right seller, right finacing (or better yet cash) you can save a lot of money this way. Yeah you won't get that shiny new car along with the smell but that will fade eventually anyways. Car payments for 4 or more years suck. Take some of the $$$ you save and set it aside in case of mechanical problems down the road.

 

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

I would find someone from a private sale, yes private sale and ask to take the car to a mechanic you trust to check it out. You preferably want to find a seller that kept squared away records for a servicing.

you'll probably defintely save money that way, but there's something to be said for dealer refurbished cars with warranties. they cost more, yes, but peace of mind plus having recourse against someone if the car turns out to be a lemon might be worth it....