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Why buy new when older will doMay 04 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Cars
The Bottom Line Keep your eyes open when driving around and don't buy spur of the moment.
I have never owned a new car. Chances are I never will. I've also never paid over $300 for a car. Let's compare the difference... NEW: big price tag USED: small price tag NEW: high registration USED: inexpensive registration NEW: have to take it to the dealer for repairs/maintenance USED: can fix it myself or the radio is louder than the noise it's making so it doesn't exist (ok, maybe that's just me) NEW: high insurance USED: cheaper/no insurance NEW: Don't scratch my car!!! USED: and this dent came from..... There are pro's and con's on both sides. You want something dependable that doesn't cost a lot of money. We find out about our cars usually through word of mouth or driving around back roads. You'll see lots for sale there. If you're not mechanically inclined ask to be able to take it to your mechanic. Luckily my husband is a mechanic. Always take it for a test drive. Ask as many questions that you can. If the owner says there's nothing wrong with it..be suspicious. Of course there may not be anything wrong with it, but it's doubtful in a used car unless it's fairly new. Check under the floor boards, in the trunk and all around for rust or holes (can't pass inspection). Start it up, listen to it idle. Did it turn right over? Is the idle smooth, not skipping? Is the engine making any unfamiliar noises? Look under the hood, any wires or cables corroded? Is it clean or is there oil sprayed all over it? Is is smoking at all? When you take it for a test drive go on both the side roads and the highway if possible. It may run fine at 40 mph but have a problem once it gets up to speed on the highway. Does the interior look clean? I don't mean immaculate, although you would think people would try to make it as neat as possible when trying to sell it. If it's a pig sty inside chances are regular maintenance wasn't done on it. A personal observation I've noticed in some men (I have yet to see a woman do this) is the over abundance of chrome. Truckers are notorious for chrome. What I have noticed is the the more chrome a man puts on his car the less he knows about mechanics. (I believe they think it makes it go faster). This may not be true of all men, some may just like chrome, but I'm drawing from personal experience here. Other places to get a used car may be the Advertiser magazine, Uncle Henry's or any type like that. Some radio stations have call in shows where you can sell or buy cars. Usually there is a price limit so you could get a good deal on a car worth more, but the owner just wants it out of their yard. Some towns have auctions where they sell of seized or crashed cars. You can do pretty well there. Just remember to bring enough money and you may be able to drive home. I've gotten cars from there. A friend of mine who owns a junk yard buys a lot of car there and if I'm looking for something in particular he'll keep a look out and let me know if he gets something. The best part for me about a used car is that with the money that one person spends to buy a new car, keep it for 4 years for a trade in, I could have owned several cars (I never get bored with what I'm driving), done maintenance and repairs (yes, you'll do more repairs on a used car) and will have spent about a quarter of what the new car owner has spent.  |
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