Cheap Used Cars and Used Cars Online
What you need to know about used cars and "cheap used cars":
Cheap cars you don’t want, even though you may search for cheap used cars for sale. Instead, you want the best used cars at a cheap price (where "best" means that the used car meets your needs: The right size, has the options, accessories, colors you want, and will be reliable and last as long as you need and expect it to.
It will not be a cheap used car if you get a great price on a used car and realize it needs thousands of dollars to get in working condition!
We all want to pay as little as possible and there are several things you need to watch out for when searching for cheap used cars. Below are some general tips on buying used cars, especially when you are looking for a cheap used car.
Cheap Used Cars Online
Where to look for used Cars online?
There are numerous places to find used cars online: Ebay Motors, Cars.com, Autotrader, Craigslist, Pennysaver, and the list continues. There are websites like NADA, and Kelley Blue Book, & review sites like Edmunds, which try to give the car buyer an idea of what to expect and the ability to compare.
Used Car Research
Used car review sites like Nada and even Edmunds help when you start your search to discover what used car is really ideal for you. Do you need a 4x4, a hybrid - something that gets good gas mileage, perhaps the cargo or towing capacity is important? Definitely use the Internet to do your research and make sure you know what you want. Limit the possibilities to a few used cars before contacting anyone selling used cars. Do not go into a dealership or find some used car for sale without really making sure ahead of time that it will be the right used car for you. This will save you a lot of time and headaches and of course, a lot of money.
Can I afford that USED CAR?
After narrowing down the used cars that fit our needs the next step is to find out what we can afford. Don't do this at a dealership! There is a never-ending list of horror stories of how used car buyers were taken advantage of, whether they had good credit or bad credit, so go through the steps below as it will not hurt to be prepared.
It is important to know what your credit level is and what you can qualify for. Autotrader.com has a resource that is handy for getting an idea of your credit score called “Car Credit Wizard” it is free, anonymous, and quick. Also, on our main page www.HarleysAutoPark.com we have a link to a secure online credit application, it is free and by filling it out, it helps the dealership know specifically what you can qualify for. A lot of used car dealerships have financing schemes that used car buyers should avoid. Having an idea of your credit score and what rate you could get elsewhere can end up saving you a lot of money.
When you are used car shopping, don't fill out a lot credit applications out. Fill one out if you think the dealership may have the used car that you want, or that they can get it. In your initial steps of researching and shopping for used cars, use something like the wizard I mentioned above so you can give a dealership an idea of where your credit score is.
Used cars online - Buyer Beware!
You see a used car online and the price is great. From the pictures this baby is in mint condition, and the buyer is ready to sell right away. What should you do? Proceed with Caution!
Buying a used car online, at a dealership, through used car classifieds or in response to a "used car for sale by owner" posting can cost you a lot more than you think -if you are not very careful. Here are a few things you can do to make sure you are getting a good deal when buying a used car:
1. Used Cars and Carfax – This used car report will help protect you by disclosing something the seller may not have told you.
2. Certified Used Cars or dealer inspected used cars– This is good but, certified vehicles cost more as they have been inspected and take a lot of risk out of buying. However, the definitions for certified and inspected are not the same from dealer to dealer (be sure to check and compare what is really being inspected and what is being covered). Ideally, having a third party do the inspection on the used car helps make sure it is thorough and done without bias.
3. Used Car Dealers & the Better Business Bureau – Again quick and easy, know the dealership you are thinking about buying a used car from before you try to buy from them. You can quickly go to BBB.org put in the used car dealership name and then click on the view report. Beyond that you can do an Internet search with the dealership name in quotes followed by the word complaint. Nowadays if someone had a bad experience with a dealership you can read about it online!
4. Used Cars For Sale - Buying from a private party – From manipulated mileage, hidden damage, and numerous scams, if you are looking to buy from a private party be sure you know what vehicle you want as the rest of the research & time can be extensive. In addition to negotiating who will pay for having the used car inspected, your resources for knowing who you are dealing with are quite limited, making the risk quite high. Get a carfax report on the used vehicle if possible and if you go this route, be sure to get at least 5 references from the seller, a copy of their driver's license, and everything you can to know who they are, and where they may be going after you've bought this used car from them. You can pay less than at a dealership initially, but it can be very time-consuming and you can end up paying a lot more. If you have a good friend or family member that is selling their used car, this might be the best way for a private party transaction, but be sure to still do your due diligence on having the used car inspected. Find out why they are selling it and what they liked least about the used car, this may give you some insight on something that would bother you too.
5. Test drive the used car – How does it handle? Is it easy to see out of? Is it comfortable to drive? Would everyone and everything fit?
The best way to get a Cheap Used Car online?
As a car buyer, I want to know the easiest way to be sure that I am getting a great deal on a used car and that the used car will not have issues and last a long time. Does this sound like something you want too?
Used Car Finder "Find My Car Service" – Why this is exactly what you have been looking for!
1. Would you like to get the used car you want, or settle for what someone has?
2. Would you rather be having fun, or drive through traffic to go from dealership to dealership looking at used cars & haggling with salespeople, or perhaps trying to find someone’s house in the middle of nowhere to see some used car you may not even want?
3. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just do the research to know the used car you really want and can qualify for, and then just say here, get me the used car I want? No driving, no haggling, no worries of it not working?
That is exactly what you can have and experience with Harley’s Used Car Finder. How does this work? You simply go to www.HarleysAutoPark.com/findmycar.php and fill out the form for what used car you are looking for. Harley’s has access to tens of thousands of used cars, and through this service only used vehicles that have already been inspected are searched. You are then given the results of the search, and if you like what was found, Harleys goes to get the best price on the vehicle for you. On top of that, Harleys pays a third-party company to do an additional 77-point inspection once he gets it just to make sure it qualifies.
Ok, it is clear how we as the buyer benefit from this right? But what about Harleys, how can Harleys get a great price on a used car and pass that along to us? The answer is surprising simple. Dealerships must pay a fee for all the vehicles they have on their lot, they have to maintain the vehicles, keeping them clean, paying rent for the building and land, these expenses are real, and high. Through this service, us car buyers get to say, “this is exactly what I want” can you get it for me at a great price? Now, Harleys is motivated to make you very happy, they have done a lot of work to ensure they sell the highest quality used vehicles and they want to make sure you tell others about your experience to others so they sell more vehicles as fast as they can. So their overhead costs decrease, their sales increase and they reduce the price of the vehicle from what it would normally sell for as incentive for you. So everything is great right? No. There is a catch. It takes a while to find the used car and then once Harley buys the used car it can take up to a couple of weeks to get all the way to Alaska (assuming you live in Alaska of course). So, if you need to buy a used car in the next few days, this service is not good for you and you will have to spend more time and money elsewhere to get one quick. But for those who don’t want to spend all their evenings and weekends driving from place to place inspecting used cars and haggling, this is a pretty sweet deal!