when it comes to buying a used car, what should i be looking?

[Johnny Reb]

ok so im buying my first car, well my parents are, but the choice is mine. i really want a Prius but i don't know if i wanna go brand-new and be in total debt to my parents, or used. but the thing with used is that i have no idea what to look for. like I've found a couple for sale in my area but they are all between 36-71k miles. a broad range, i know but there's quite a few to choose from and their all going for around $16k give or take a few hundred.

so here's my main questions:

whats a good mileage range to look for?
what is a fair price for a used Prius that has good mileage?

... and thats about it. if theirs any other advice you guys can give that would be great. Thanks!

 

[Craorach]

Use websites to compare prices in a large area, at least here in Australia you can go to websites listing the stock of tons of different dealers, and search by various categories.

Do NOT by private. By via an established dealer and try to find out about their reputation.

Try before you buy, how it feels to drive is going to be important. My wife was dead set on a certain type of car when we went to get hers, and then she got behind the wheel and hated it. Ended up with a completely different car that she loves.

 

[Ziadaine_v1legacy]

Buying Private isnt bad.

ALWAYS check the engine/VIN number etc on the net to ensure its not been classed as written off or stolen.

ALWAYS take it for a test drive, and I dont mean put around like a granny, actually REV THE BASTARD to see how stable the engine is.

Check for any leaks/rattles etc, if they give the "oh, thats new/oh its nothing" without any explanation, dont bother, it's a car that's been mistreated.

IF POSSIBLE, check the service manual, it shows how often it's been serviced etc.

Some cars people get picky with milage, my 1992 Paseo has done 270,000+ km, that's nothing. know why? The Engine was made by Toyota, the very people who made the Hilux, the car with an engine in it that can last 500,000 km+.

Also check around on pricings. Only problem with my car is it's so bat-shit rare in Australia, parts SPECIFICALLY for it are hard to find like a replacement ash tray. Things like shocks/suspentions etc you can get generically, most places like Autopro (or w/e the american Equiv' is) have stock books for practically all cars, even the more rare ones like mine.

EDIT: AND MOST IMPORTANT, If in doubt, get it checked over by YOUR mechanic. You can sometimes tell a good seller, my friend bought a nice used sports car, the seller had all details etc and even offered to pay for it to get serviced at my friend's mechanic.

 

[jamez525]

I would agree with everything Ziadaine said.

I will also add mileage really doesn't mean all that much on its own. If a car has been mistreated its not going to last many miles. A well looked after engine will run on a LONG time. There was a story I read last year online about a guy who was really anal with the maintenance of his 90's Honda Accord, he covered 1,000,000 miles in it and Honda gave him a brand new model for his troubles.

Apparently a common trick is for people to park cars on a puddle if it has some kind of leak, but that seems fairly rare.

 

[Smooth Operator]

If you have anyone who is familiar with cars(preferably a mechanic) take them with you.
It is better to check the private sector before of used car salesmen, because the salesman knows very well how to pull a fast one on you and normal people will mostly tell things straight.
Always check the engine bay and take the car for a ride, any bigger problems should be apparent to your mechanically astute friend.
Aim for reliable cars, you get plenty info of that online, I personally wouldn't go for a hybrid since the electronics are usually the first thing to muck up and those batteries it relies on are not made to last but expensive as hell.

 

[the_dancy_vagrant]

What's your budget, exactly? The OP only mentions that the ones you're looking at are in the $16k range, which I've got to say is an INSANE amount of money to spend on a used car. Also an insane amount to spend on your first car.

Look at vehicles in the 120k-150k mile range. You can find loads of early '00s car for about $5k with that mileage. Throw another ~$1k at it for maintenance/repair and you can drive it for another 90k miles, easily.

DO. YOUR. RESEARCH. I can't stress this enough. Every car model, brand, and even year ranges have their own little quirks. Sometimes it's just minor annoyances that you can tolerate, other times you may find that the car you picked is a steaming pantload with wheels on.

Things to check:
-get the VIN and run it through carfax or some similar service. Look to see if the car was ever abandoned, salvaged, repainted, stolen, etc. Also look at how many owners the car has had - fewer is usually better.

-tires. New tires are expensive. Not a deal breaker, just saying. If you see bald patches or bits of wire sticking out, don't discount the car. Just get the tires replaced as your first step. Assuming nothing else is wrong with it.

-front end alignment. Easy to check, just go to a straight road that doesn't have any traffic. Take your hands off the wheel while going veeeeery slowly and see if the car lists or pulls to the left or right. This can be cheap or expensive depending on what the cause is...could be it just needs to be calibrated, could mean the owner rode up on a curb at speed, ruining the front suspension.

-fluid levels and leaks. Check oil and radiator fluid for proper levels. Oil may be black or dark, but if it's quite low then be leery. If the owner doesn't know when the oil was last changed, move on. Power steering and brake fluid should be checked in a shop. Brakes *may* feel weak if the fluid is fouled. If the steering wheel vibrates or makes a whining noise when it's fully turned at a full stop, it may need fluid. If the car is leaking any fluids, don't even test drive it.

-brakes. Squishy/weak brakes can be either fluid or pads and shoes. Pads and shoes are pretty cheap, also the most likely culprit.

-stinky interior. Moldy smell might mean the car was abandoned or had a window that was stuck open. Or that it spent some time at the bottom of a lake. Could also mean that it needs a new cabin air filter. Check the carfax to find out.

-windows/interior/etc. Make sure all windows roll up and down. A broken electric window is a massive pain to repair. Make sure you can adjust the seat. Test the climate control, heat should be hot and AC should be cold.

-driving test. Take it out on the road. I'm assuming it'll be an automatic transmission, so make sure that the car feels smooth when you're accelerating - no hitches or jerking when it shifts gears. Take it on city streets and also drive it on the highway.

-idle test. Drive the car until it gets to operating temperature. Park the car and leave it running. Make sure that it idles smoothly and doesn't stall. Make sure that the idle stays steady when you turn on the AC to full blast and have the radio turned up, both at the same time. Check the temperature gauge while parked...temperature should slowly increase and then a fan will engage that will level the temperature or at least slow its rise.


That's about all I can think of.

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

I would go against buying a used hybrid. Those batteries eventually wear out and they can cost 1,000 - 2,000 dollars to replace. They can be cheaper if the warranty allows driver transfer. If you are going to buy one the lower the mileage the better (at least stay under 80k).

A lot of people would say mileage is a big factor when buying a used car, but in reality it depends who drove it and what kind of car is it. I had a Ford Taurus with 90k. It leaked coolant and transmission fluid. Also the AC was shot (and I live in Florida).

I then went out and bought a 100k Honda Accord. Never had an issue with it and it runs as if it were brand new. One part of this is because Accords are very good used cars, but another is because it used to be a rental and generally people are careful with rentals.

People here already said most of what you should know. I would say never tell the dealer how much you really have and when you go to make final purchase carry cash. Dealers like cash.

 

[tharglet]

If it's a first car, I'd definitely go for something second-hand, and not spend too much on it. Don't get something ridiculously cheap - cheap cars tend to be a nightmare in maintenance. If you don't spend a lot, then if something happens to the car, it's no great loss. Good to also get a car with cheap parts - that way if you clip a wing mirror or damage a bumper it isn't gonna cost you much to fix. Once you have a year or few of driving experience, you can always move up the car totem pole.

Not sure what websites Americans have for car hunting, but stuff like the UK's Autotrader site is a good place to start - lots of cars from both private sellers and dealers, so you can gauge what's a sensible price.

If a deal is too good to be true, it probably is - certainly worth learning the market prices for what you're wanting - the cheapest car, especially if it's significantly lower is likely to have some hidden problem. Another thing is... if the dealer is harping on about the functions of the car, don't listen to a damn word. Look for yourself. Had a few dealers tell me that cars have things they don't (car I have, dealer said it had climate control - it doesn't, it has AC only, but it wasn't a dealbreaker. One of the cars my partner had, the dealership swore it had ABS, and I was pretty sure it didn't... turns out it didn't ).

Also seconding taking it for a test drive - important to see if the car functions fine, and you're fine with it. Either take a friend who's experienced with cars (whilst a mechanic would be ideal, not all of us have mechanic-friends) or one of your folks - they may pick up something you don't. Other posts tell you what to look for, so don't need to do that.

On the money side, be prepared to negotiate - don't get too excited, and ponder.
Dealers especially will mark up the prices, so they'll knock it down to make you want it. Be prepared to walk away if they're trying to sell you something for more than it's worth though - there's plenty of cars out there so don't go over the odds. As the above person said, dealers do love cash if you've got it, and will generally offer a cheaper price if you're paying upfront - but ensure that you've got everything signed off and agreed before handing it over.

 

[Johnny Reb]

ok so im buying my first car, well my parents are, but the choice is mine. i really want a Prius but i don't know if i wanna go brand-new and be in total debt to my parents, or used. but the thing with used is that i have no idea what to look for. like I've found a couple for sale in my area but they are all between 36-71k miles. a broad range, i know but there's quite a few to choose from and their all going for around $16k give or take a few hundred.

so here's my main questions:

whats a good mileage range to look for?
what is a fair price for a used Prius that has good mileage?

... and thats about it. if theirs any other advice you guys can give that would be great. Thanks!

If you are looking for a used car and you are interested in a Prius then I suggest that you check if the car battery is okay. If you want to buy an electric car then this is very important because electric cars depend entirely on their batteries to function well.

thanks mate, i appreciate it

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

Buying Hybrids that are used can bite you in the ass. If the batteries are not under warranty you could be paying a big out of pocket expense when they need to be replaced.

Mileage while a factor isn't a main factor. Look under the car for dents or bends. Make sure the hood and the trunk close right. Check for bad paint touch ups. If they don't its a good sign the cars been in a wreck.

Always smell for rotten eggs. Oil leaks are one of the worse things to happen to an engine.