Any suggestion to buy a used car?

[DarkShadow]

Yes good advice above, the last thing you want is a car that appears to be in great shape but may have had frame damage from a previous accident. reputable dealers won't even put a car like that on the lot.There use to be a dealer around like that in my town that got a bad rep when people found out he would sell cars with brake rotors below there minimum specs to families kids in all, what a dirt bag. thank god he went out and closed the doors haha.

 

[jake337]

Honda or 87-93 BMW E30 If your on a budget and want something reliable.

 

[jake337]

I probably need a used car. My dad told me to shop around rental car instead, because I will get the full history a of a car. Any suggestion?

Get the vin and call a dealership thatvis the same brand as the car. They should have the full service record as long as the owners brought the car in and didn't do the work themselves.

If there is no maintainence history then look for another vehicle.

Short story: Debbies uncle went to look for a used car. There was this super clean 1997 BMW M3 convertible for 10k One owner and Had every tire rotation, oil change, inspection and warranty work since it was purchased.

He ended up with some pos Lexus sc430 with high miles l, iffy record for 25k. Not sure if it's still around.

Moral of the story. Take your time and search the whole country. It may be worth a $150 one way ticket when you find that gem in someone's garage or a dealership.

 

[table1349]

Personally I wouldn't buy a BMW that is over 7 years old. Before then they had a lot of lease vehicles as they do now. Difference is now you lease a BMW and the oil changes and services are included during the lease period. Back then service wasn't and people that leased them found out that basic service ran a couple hundred dollars a pop, so they just buy passed service since it was a lease anyway. Lots of used BMW's got sold with engines that went bad real quickly. That's why BMW as well as most manufacturers now include service in the lease.

Unless you are a mechanic it is not a wise idea to buy a vehicle that is older than 15 years. Parts get harder and more expensive to find. Especially older foreign vehicles. If it's a vehicle you need day to day, you don't want to be searching for and waiting on parts.

I drive a Honda Pilot and the wife drives a Nissan Rogue. Both are long lasting dependable vehicles as are Toyota and Hyundai.

 

[JonA_CT]

A lot of rental car suggestions here...I've assumed that rental cars get ridden hard and put away wet. Anyone actually bought one themselves?

Your needs in a vehicle are pretty important, IMO, too. My 13 Mazda 3 hatch (all records, one owner, etc etc) would sell for about 10k used probably. If you needed a bigger vehicle, or wanted to sit 4 adults, or whatever though, it wouldn't be an appropriate car.

 

[table1349]

Yep, and it was a good long lasting Ford Aerostar. Got rid of it because the teenage driver cracked it up. Mechanically it was still good after 9 years.

 

[bogeyguy]

kick the tires.

 

[table1349]

A lot of rental car suggestions here...I've assumed that rental cars get ridden hard and put away wet. Anyone actually bought one themselves?

Your needs in a vehicle are pretty important, IMO, too. My 13 Mazda 3 hatch (all records, one owner, etc etc) would sell for about 10k used probably. If you needed a bigger vehicle, or wanted to sit 4 adults, or whatever though, it wouldn't be an appropriate car.

A lot of people are not aware that the rental companies equip their vehicles with a GPS tracker. It records everywhere you go and the speeds and ways you drive. Those that abuse vehicles quickly find their way onto the black list. Often not with just that rental company, but several companies.

Same thing with a lot of the lease vehicles these days. Ain't technology wonderful.

 

[OGsPhotography]

10k will get you a Kia or Hyundai SUV (or car) 3-5 yrs old with 60-100kms on it. Pick your trim and find it there are millions if them on the road. Take it to your mechanic and test drive for a weekend before
Commiting.

Personally I prefer more Kms on the car and get a " fully loaded" version.

Premium audio/ leather/ power/and V6 are worth looking ( waiting) for. Download autotrader app it will show you proper prices and possibly find the vehicle.

Or, twll a carsalesman at Kia you have 10k lol.

 

[Trever1t]

again you live in San Jose where the most popular car is the Toyota Camry.I have a '99 Camry with 135000 miles and it's a killer car! For 10k you can find a very nice low mile newer Camry and be set for the next 20 years if you so like.

 

[DarkShadow]

Once in a while I see this guy driving around town with some little I mean real tiny car not much bigger then the battery operated jeep my son had when he was 5 years old. Looks like it would get creamed being hit by a tricycle.

 

[runnah]

I probably need a used car. My dad told me to shop around rental car instead, because I will get the full history a of a car. Any suggestion?

Ha!

Sure if you want a car that has had the piss beaten out of it every time is leaves the lot. Many people, myself included, tend to drive rental cars with little mechanical sympathy because you have only a small amount of money invested in it, and if your job is paying for it, even less. Granted some of the larger rental chains do take reasonable care of their fleets but they often get rid of cars that are due for major services or have issues. Most of the larger rental companies really only keep the current and previous year models on the lot because they have deal with the manufactures.

 

[WhaleDaughter]

I probably need a used car. My dad told me to shop around rental car instead, because I will get the full history a of a car. Any suggestion?

If you can find a reputable brand dealership or a mechanic/used car dealership of good repute, I'd start there. If you are buying from anyone else, ask if you can take the car to be checked out by a trusted mechanic before you buy. If they say no, turn and run like hell. If they say yes, take the car in and have it gone over (and yes, you will have to pay for this service). When I bought my truck I went through several with my mechanic and he saved me. One had a $1000 oil leak. Another had been in a front end collision that hadn't been reported to CarFax. A third one had been submerged in water up to the windows. The winner just needed basic maintenance things, like new fluids and tires. I drove that truck for 9 years.

Right now I'm driving a 2007 Honda Fit that I bought from a used car lot associated with one of the best mechanics in the town I was living in at the time. I bought it 3 years ago and they still email once a year asking how the car is doing, and I live 2000+ miles away now! They used to send me oil change coupons for my birthday.

On that note, I'd think about adding Honda to your list of possible makes. They have a longer history of reliability than Kia and hold their value better.


"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." ~Aristotle

 

[jake337]

Personally I wouldn't buy a BMW that is over 7 years old. Before then they had a lot of lease vehicles as they do now. Difference is now you lease a BMW and the oil changes and services are included during the lease period. Back then service wasn't and people that leased them found out that basic service ran a couple hundred dollars a pop, so they just buy passed service since it was a lease anyway. Lots of used BMW's got sold with engines that went bad real quickly. That's why BMW as well as most manufacturers now include service in the lease.

Unless you are a mechanic it is not a wise idea to buy a vehicle that is older than 15 years. Parts get harder and more expensive to find. Especially older foreign vehicles. If it's a vehicle you need day to day, you don't want to be searching for and waiting on parts.

I drive a Honda Pilot and the wife drives a Nissan Rogue. Both are long lasting dependable vehicles as are Toyota and Hyundai.

I wouldn't buy a BMW after 1990 either, lol. The original E30 is a tank, cheap to work on and can be found for under $1000 if they already haven't been snatched up but an autocross/road racer.

It's like the Honda of BMW, lol.

Ps I wouldn't buy a 7 year olds bmw either. But I see your point on hard to find parts.

 

[webestang6412 1]

My 96 Crown Vic daily driver I bought last year cost me $500. Lucky for me I know the entire history of the car and I can work on it myself.

But I agree with others that a Toyota or Honda would be your best bet. I owned a Toyota Celica back in the 90's great little car, couldn't kill that thing if I wanted too.