The other day I posted some very general advice in regards to buying a car online and I'd like to elaborate a little more on my experiences. Maybe if I share why I now shop for cars online some people may gain some useful information. I have bought six used vehicles online over the past 11 years. Most of the cars have been used Volvos and they were all purchased for our own personal use; I am not a car dealer and I don't buy cars to sell them.
The cars that I've bought online are: 1993 Volvo 940 Turbo, 1994 Volvo 940 Turbo, 2004 Volvo XC70, 1992 Volvo 240 Wagon, 2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport, and a 2008 Mazda CX-9. Although the initial plan is to keep every car indefinitely, they end up cycling through the family and some leave for one reason or another. One reason why I've bought so many cars is because I've managed to get great deals! If you know what you're looking for, there is no better place to have access to cars around the country. While most are just average cars that will likely need more repair than you'd like, just keep looking until you find the right one.
For me it's a combination of few previous owners (no more than two), condition of the car, and of course price. I've found that independent car dealers who are one-man businesses don't need the same profit as a typical brick and mortar car dealer, so they can sell at a better price. I look for those with high feedback scores, no legal disputes, and a history of specializing in excellent used cars only. Some have their own garage or they have a preferred mechanic that does a thorough inspection and do the required repairs before they list the car, and some offer money back guarantees.
I also have two kids that drive (third one will be in two years) and I want them to have cars that are safe, don't cost me too much to fix, and don't have me fixing them too often. I may be bias but I have a very short list of cars that I know have reputations for reliability, easy to find parts for (I use these guys regularly), and are easy to fix; I look forward to trying some new rides in the future but for now I'm sticking with my tried and true work horses.
I had mentioned having the car inspected in my previous post. While some cars may not need to be inspected, many do. Pull up Craigslist for the area in
which the car is located and search for "Mobile mechanics", or
"mobile car repair". This is where you'll find your mechanic who will
go to the car and inspect it for you! I had my mechanic email me pictures along with a detailed list of what's bad and what's good. Sure it costs about $150-$200 for
a thorough inspection but it's worth it.
If you decide to buy the car, you'll either have to go get it, or have it hauled in by a car hauling company. This is a real pain in the neck!! BEWARE- car hauling companies will haunt you for weeks if you submit your information to a universal brokerage site that sends out your request to about 20-30 companies.
I highly recommend that you start at the link below and look up a select few haulers yourself and call them directly. This is an unbiased site with legitimate ratings and it's free.
I'll gladly answer any and all questions if I can!
Car Parts stores reviews and comparisons being posted later today.
Have a great day.
No comments:
Post a Comment