free car history info image
Answer me
I can get the info from Carfax for $30, but don't really want to spend the money.
Answer
If you are looking for the history of a specific vehicle - than there are no free sites. Nobody is going to collect all that data - 20,000 sources I saw in a press release, pay for all the computers to run the site and all the employees to run the computers - and give it away for free.
Sellers can buy a vehicle history report and share it with you!
On cars.com, on AutoTrader.com and on many other sites you will find dealers who have run Carfax reports are providing thousands of reports "free to you." Many dealers also provide these on their own web sites.
If you are looking for the history of a specific vehicle - than there are no free sites. Nobody is going to collect all that data - 20,000 sources I saw in a press release, pay for all the computers to run the site and all the employees to run the computers - and give it away for free.
Sellers can buy a vehicle history report and share it with you!
On cars.com, on AutoTrader.com and on many other sites you will find dealers who have run Carfax reports are providing thousands of reports "free to you." Many dealers also provide these on their own web sites.
What are some tips for buying a used car?
Jade Orchi
I'm in the market. Where are some places to look for used cars? What do I need to check out on the vehicle when I test drive it? How do I politely haggle over the price? Any tips and suggestions are appreciated. :D Thanks!
P.S. I've got about $4000 to spend. I'd rather buy outright but I'm not opposed to financing.
Answer
Good reliable vehicles, under $5,000 are hard to find, but they ARE out there.
Searching for them, and researching them, is a bit time consuming but a little time spent researching is well worth it in the long run.
The vehicles in this price range are likely to be older and/or have higher miles on them. Most lenders (banks) won't finance a vehicle with over 100,000 miles on it so try to find one with less miles.
Also most lenders will not finance smaller balances these days. The average lender will finance no LESS than $7500. But there are always exceptions.
Even higher mileage used cars can be a good value if they have been maintained well.
The internet is your friend for researching, but NEVER buy a vehicle (or even commit to buying one) BEFORE having it thoroughly inspected.
Samarins has some good tips on what to look for when inspecting a used vehicle:
http://www.samarins.com/check/index.html
And so does Edmonds:
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/160166/article.html
Car "Histories" are $old by companies like Carfax ( http://www.carfax.com/ )and Autocheck (http://www.autocheck.com/?siteID=0&WT.mc_id=0 ). But they also give up "some" (limited but valuable) info for free.
(hint: from the carfax site.. scroll down to the bottom and see some of the info that is public "free" info)
I always recommend buying (even a used car) from a reputable NEW car dealer.
Why? Because a new car dealer has their reputation to protect. (too many complaints against them can make them lose their new vehicle franchise agreements). They always get trade-ins and if a car isn't worthy of their lot... it gets shipped off to auctions or sold to the wholesalers, salvagers, and the little used car lots.
If a trade in is worthy .. and has some good life left to it, a new car dealer has the facilities and the wherewithal to spruce it up and do any reconditioning, maintenance, and repairs BEFORE you buy it.
It's a good idea to befriend a trusted salesperson too. Even if they don't have "just the right car" at the moment... the car of your dreams could get traded in 10 minutes after you leave the lot, so get to know a few good salespeople that can keep their eye out for the right vehicle for you.
Buying from a private party can be tricky too. You'll be handing over your cash to a perfect stranger and that stranger has no obligations to you after they take your money. Same goes for the little used car lots ( like the ones that buy the beater cars that the reputable new car dealers wouldn't put on their lot) They can disappear in a heartbeat, and anything that goes wrong, including the proper documentation for licensing and titling, could get hung up in "red tape snafus" forever.
You can get some ideas as to what is a good value by doing some research on the vehicle (at sites like KBB.com )
Remember that KBB (Kelly Blue Book) does not buy nor sell vehicles.. they just collect data as to what vehicles LIKE the one you are researching are selling for (on an average) and they post the data.
Good reliable vehicles, under $5,000 are hard to find, but they ARE out there.
Searching for them, and researching them, is a bit time consuming but a little time spent researching is well worth it in the long run.
The vehicles in this price range are likely to be older and/or have higher miles on them. Most lenders (banks) won't finance a vehicle with over 100,000 miles on it so try to find one with less miles.
Also most lenders will not finance smaller balances these days. The average lender will finance no LESS than $7500. But there are always exceptions.
Even higher mileage used cars can be a good value if they have been maintained well.
The internet is your friend for researching, but NEVER buy a vehicle (or even commit to buying one) BEFORE having it thoroughly inspected.
Samarins has some good tips on what to look for when inspecting a used vehicle:
http://www.samarins.com/check/index.html
And so does Edmonds:
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/160166/article.html
Car "Histories" are $old by companies like Carfax ( http://www.carfax.com/ )and Autocheck (http://www.autocheck.com/?siteID=0&WT.mc_id=0 ). But they also give up "some" (limited but valuable) info for free.
(hint: from the carfax site.. scroll down to the bottom and see some of the info that is public "free" info)
I always recommend buying (even a used car) from a reputable NEW car dealer.
Why? Because a new car dealer has their reputation to protect. (too many complaints against them can make them lose their new vehicle franchise agreements). They always get trade-ins and if a car isn't worthy of their lot... it gets shipped off to auctions or sold to the wholesalers, salvagers, and the little used car lots.
If a trade in is worthy .. and has some good life left to it, a new car dealer has the facilities and the wherewithal to spruce it up and do any reconditioning, maintenance, and repairs BEFORE you buy it.
It's a good idea to befriend a trusted salesperson too. Even if they don't have "just the right car" at the moment... the car of your dreams could get traded in 10 minutes after you leave the lot, so get to know a few good salespeople that can keep their eye out for the right vehicle for you.
Buying from a private party can be tricky too. You'll be handing over your cash to a perfect stranger and that stranger has no obligations to you after they take your money. Same goes for the little used car lots ( like the ones that buy the beater cars that the reputable new car dealers wouldn't put on their lot) They can disappear in a heartbeat, and anything that goes wrong, including the proper documentation for licensing and titling, could get hung up in "red tape snafus" forever.
You can get some ideas as to what is a good value by doing some research on the vehicle (at sites like KBB.com )
Remember that KBB (Kelly Blue Book) does not buy nor sell vehicles.. they just collect data as to what vehicles LIKE the one you are researching are selling for (on an average) and they post the data.
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