Should I Buy A Car With

cobalt, Before you buy any car, take it to triple A and have them do a complete inspection on the car. It's money well spent. As for low mileage, make sure the odometer has not been fooled with. Ask the triple A mechanic to check that also. You want to make sure the car is in relatively good mechanical and safe condition before you buy. Go to the library or book store and look at Consumers Magazine for Used Cars. They'll rate the cars for maintenance and cost of upkeep. Good luck. c.i.

cobalt))))

Good luck with your auto purchase! Be sure you take time to check it out with your mechanic (or a mechanic recommended to you as "reputable" by a friend or relative).

Low mileage on a car does not mean the vehicle has sat still for a long time. For example, I bought a brand-new car in 1998 and have clocked only 26,000 miles during five years.

I use the car most every day, but -- obviously -- I haven't made too many long trips in it. Were I to sell this car, the law in my state says I must sign an affadavit that the mileage is correct as stated on the odometer.

This affadavit is then passed to the buyer who can hold me accountable if s/he discovers the car not to be as stated. You might check to see if your state has a similar law.

Now, after you read this post, go to your newsstand and purchase the April 2003 edition of Consumer Reports magazine. It is their annual auto issue, chock full of info on new and used cars.

For used cars, the magazine offers its "best bets, reliability risks and used cars to avoid." Also the mag discusses histories of used cars, "204 cars, minivans, SUV's, wagons, and trucks from the 1995 to 2002 model years." You will also find "10 dealer tricks and how to avoid them."

This is the most comprehensive I guide that I know of for new and used car buyers. Consumer Reports does have a website, but you will have to pay to use it. So, I would invest in the magazine (for about $5.00) and not have to fiddle with printing stuff from the site.

Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, B. Dalton, and other bookstores with a large selection of magazines will have this issue. You could also find it in your local library. In fact, they probably reference many years of back issues.

I wish you well and hope you find some interest in my post.

wow, c.i. and wh3! I just knew that someone would answer the "call" for me here! And I am so delighted to have the added information. Basically I feel one is very much on their own to take the risk on buying a used car. The web searches I did were not very helpful because the first searches always returned with the for-profit car sites. Even when I went to the 40th link or so, I still found they were mostly commercial.

I would be buying a car in a place where I do not know any mechanics, so am hesitant to take it to just any one that I pick at random. I rmember taking cars to some places about 12 years ago and being told that they would charge about $30, even if a "quick look". So, is that a common practice?

I will look for the Consumer Reports mag that is suggested - I went to their website and found it would be $10 I believe for a report on each car I was interested in. There is a Borders store just 1/4 mile from me, so off I go in about 3 hours when they open! Come back if you have any other comments, ok? Thanks you two!

miles driven is often misleading, 10,000 of short trip city driving can be equal to 100,000 highway miles.

For one, I don't know how much consumer reports is going to help you: all three cars are rated pretty poorly.
But, don't let that throw you off. It's very hard to find a decent Toyota, Honda or Nissan in that price range anyway.

I know the Galant and the Accent definitely don't have a V6...however, I'd be focusing more on a half-reliable car, rather than power when looking for a car in that price range.

Having a mechanic check out a car before buying it is definitely worth it. You should just pick up the yellow pages, and call around. However, don't expect a car in that price range to pass with flying colors, surely the mechanic's going to find things here and there. Any older used car is going to need SOME repair.

I'd automatically knock out the Galant. In my experiences, Mitsubishi cars plain SUCK. I had a Diamante, my transmission, then engine popped, and my roomate got a Montero, and his engine popped, and I've sold some others, where...transmission+engine problems. Plus parts are more expensive for those.

Honestly, it's pretty hard to find a decent car in that price range(not impossible, just hard). Just be patient, and look for a car that seems it's in overall good condition: engine is quiet, transmission shifts smooth, decent tires/brakes/exhaust. Although most people, in my experiences, don't get pre-purchase mechanical checks on cheaper cars like that, it's worth it, just so you know what repairs it needs now, and what it'll need in the near future.

cobalt, Triple A has a list of auto mechanics that they approve. YOu can also check on auto mechanics through your state department for licensing and consumer affairs. c.i.

Cobalt: I asked my mechanic SO, and he said the Spirit. Parts availability/price was one thing he cited. Some of the Spirits had a turbo, and if this wasn't properly maintained by the previous owner (i.e. faithfully changing the oil) this could be a huge repair bill in the future.

Have you tried looking from a private owner? You may have better luck, and more affordable pricing.

We use nada.com and kbb.com to check used car prices.

Good luck!

Thanks for contributing dys, sub and slappy! I am anxiously awaiting the Sunday paper today so that I can look at private sellers. Since I went around to "see" cars, now I know more what to visualize when I read an ad. Also, I learned the difference between a dealer price, a cheap car dealer price and a private seller price. This should help.

Ok, back to the idea about the mechanic check - I did some checking and it is about $30 - 35 for this check, and that is not for "putting it on the machine" (ie. computer thingy testing...). So, in the scheme of things, are you telling me that I should shell out for this?

I am thinking also about the fact of having cash in hand being a factor in negotiating lower price. I was thinking of identifying about 4 cars at one time and then see where I could get with lower offers... that way I would not feel pressured (by myself!) to buy when I get an ok on a lower price. I would still be the one to say ok, yes or no

If you're not familiar with cars at all, then pay the $35. Don't worry about them putting it on a machine, the mechanic will just check the basics for you. He should also give you an overall opinion of the car, too.

cobalt as you are in AZ i would look for a local car (avoid the CA cars) due to rust

dys, What rust? I've owned my car for nine years, and there's not a speck of rust on my car. c.i.