Going Absolutely Crazy Trying to Find A Car!

[vexir]

Hey guys,

I'm going crazy trying to replace my car and I was hoping to get some advice here.

My situation:

• Totaled my '96 Civic. RIP.
• My insurance settlement was ~$5k. I'm willing to put in maybe $3-4k on top of that if I need to.
• My rental period is up and I have till this Friday to buy a car.
• I have no time to look for a car physically because I'm crunching at work till 10 PM each night. This is a huge problem.
• I've been trying to employ Autoland to help me out (through my credit union) and the guy has been really helpful, but hasn't been able to find me a cheap enough car. Everything he brings me is 2011 or newer and $11k+. I thought he'd be a magic bullet and it's just not happening.

My opinions:

• I don't have time to buy from a private party because I'd need to do the whole 9 yards of checking CARFAXs and taking each prospective car to a mechanic, etc. I feel like any cheap car I'd find online from a private party probably has a salvage title or something sketchy about it, and I don't want to spend days just going through sketchy cars to find out each one has something bad about it.
• I don't want to buy new because I just graduated from college and stacking loans on top of existing loans doesn't seem smart.
• I can't see the sense in leasing because that's like pouring money into a black hole. Maybe I'm wrong.
• I'm probably going to buy a new car in 2-3 years.
• The cars (Accents, Rios, Sentras, etc.) that Autoland has been suggesting are so close to their retail value as NEW cars, it makes me feel like buying one would defeat the purpose of buying used. That said I'm close to my breaking point with everything else I'm dealing with and might just cave. I'll feel shitty about it though in my current state of mind.
• I would assume CarMax and Costco Auto would give me comparable vehicles and deals to what Autoland can find me. They're similar services from what I understand (they'll do the legwork and give you a good car with some kind of return policy and a fixed no-haggle price).

I'm going through a wreck of a time trying to find a car. Can someone break down some of my assumptions or open up some more options for me?

Thanks,

Vexir

[dizzle1]

So you have no time to look for a car? What exactly are you looking for?

Year range?
Type?
Size? compact, mid, full
Drive?- fwd/rwd/awd
Mpg?
Import?
Engine?
Transmission?
Options?
Warranty?
Are you getting a $3-4K loan from your Credit Union?

Your best bet is a 1st a carfax 2nd private seller whos ready and 3rd a vehicle inspection by a professional who will tell you everything wrong with the car.
So from what I hear you want to spend $5-8k but want a newer car with low miles?

[vexir]

Type?
Size? compact, mid, full
Drive?- fwd/rwd/awd
Mpg?
Import?
Engine?
Transmission?
Options?
Warranty?
Are you getting a $3-4K loan from your Credit Union?

• Sedan. I think hatchbacks are (mostly) ugly.
• Open to any size.
• Drive? Anything!
• Probably over 24 MPG at least?
• Import: Anything that = low maintainence and high reliability even at high miles.
• Engine: Fun driving dynamics are a plus but absolutely not required at this point.
• Keyless entry would be nice. Otherwise must haves are your standard power locks+windows, A/C, etc. Stereo I can upgrade myself.
• Warranty: I don't think I'll get one unless I go through a broker, but broker prices are just too high for me right now I think. It'd be nice though of course
• Yes, I'm approved for plenty. I have $5k from the settlement and I'm willing to put in another $2k-$3k.

Low miles is a huge plus but I have heard the other line of reasoning that if a solid car has lasted well to 100k and looks good there's no reason it can't go another 100. I'm not sure which to think is correct.

I've also come to the conclusion that going through a broker (AutoLand/Costco Auto/whatever) is just too expensive for me. If I'm gonna spend $11k on a car, I'd rather just buy new because I can get a damn decent new car for just a few more grand. This means that I'm open to doing the legwork of the carfax and mechanic inspection. Bring it on!

Thanks for taking the time to help.

[dizzle1]

Cars I found under 8k some under 9K but if you talk them down its worth it.

There are other cars, but from 2006^ cars like Hyundai/Mazda/Nissan/Mitsubishi/Toyota are all on old platforms that aren't desirable and most sit on dealer’s lots for long periods of time not only because they are the basic versions and look too dated these days. I rather pick a older Honda over a older Toyota for style and looks plus standard equipment. Toyota's in the price range are overpriced have high mileage and are very basic they look dated and overall boring.
These cars should be good drivers they will hold their value better

2004^ Acura TSX
2004^ Audi A4 1.8T
2002^ Bmw 325i/330i
2001^ Bmw 525i/530i
2006^ Honda Civic Ex Hybrid
2006^ Honda Accord Ex
2003^ Infinit G35
2004^ Mazda3
2004^ Nissan Maxima
2007^ Nissan Altima
2006^ VW Passat 2.0T's

[vexir]

I'm surprised to see the BMW and Audi's on that list! I never even thought they were an option and I also heard they spend a lot of time in the shop.

Thanks for the list dude. I'll check all of those out. Where do you recommend looking for those cars? I've been using AutoTempest to check all the major car websites, but by and large it's really difficult to sort through all the results and know which ones are too good to be true or have sketchy sellers, etc.

Are those cars going to be under 8/9k from a dealer? Should I only be looking private party? Throw some knowledge at me about my next step!

P.S. Also, does the 200X^ mean that I should look for cars that year or newer, or just that year? The more specific the better, searching is already so difficult.

P.P.S. How many miles should I be looking for as a maximum for these cars?

P.P.P.S. I gave up trying to search on Craigslist as everything was basically a salvage title car - I feel like I could be missing some good honest deals on there but I don't know how to find them. If you got any tips for that, let me know as well.

[dizzle1]

The 6 cylinder Bmws should be reliable, Audi not so sure

AutomTempest never heard of it looks good so far, I usually dig through Autotrader/Cars/Craigslist/Ebaymotors

Are those cars going to be under 8/9k from a dealer? Yeah almost all of them and cheaper private party

Should I only be looking private party? Doesn’t matter but make sure you get the Carfax and inspection, dealers lie also and B.S you with their generic V.H.R's, make sure it’s a Carfax V.H.R, others will lack necessary information. Carfaxs aren’t cheap so make sure you want the car first.

2001^ means anything newer then that for those particular models because they will be on the new platforms with facelifts.

How many miles should I be looking for as a maximum for these cars? Under 110k for sure but if it’s close to 120k at a good price and package why not

On Craigslist in your case I would only search- cars+trucks, 1000-9000, has image. But to know what's up by the pictures takes a trained eye, mechanical's you would know from a test drive.

[vexir]

Thanks for all the help, I'll keep searching! I'll reply if I have more questions.

Also an extension to the Craigslist question - are dealers more sketchy there than private party?

[vexir]

Does this look like a scam? Is it the price too good to be true?

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb...643393299.html

[vexir]

I found these 3 as well - what do you think?

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv...682733596.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac...682175825.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac...695211447.html

I also found these from non-craigslist sites:
http://www.carsdirect.com/used_cars/...hyundai/accent
http://www.carsdirect.com/used_cars/...yundai/elantra
http://cars.oodle.com/detail/used-20...-www-_-NA-_-NA

[vexir]

Hey, just an update - I'm going to see the Civic Hybrid tomorrow and get it diagnosed and I'm waiting to hear back from the Altima dealership you found. The Accord Coupe and the Civic EX were both salvage.

That brings me to 1, maybe 2 cars. I'm gonna look at some more later tonight!

[dizzle1]

2004^ Acura TSX N/A
2004^ Audi A4 1.8T Avoid
2002^ Bmw 325i/330i Avoid
2001^ Bmw 525i/530i Avoid
2004^ Honda Civic
2006^ Honda Accord N/A
2007^ Hyundai None worth the money
2003^ Infinit G35 6 cylinders
2002^ Lexus 6 cylinders
2004^ Mazda3/Mazda6/Mazda RX8
Mercedes Avoid
2007^ Mitsubishi Lancer/Galant
2004^ Nissan Maxima 6 cylinder
2007^ Nissan Altima
2005^ Scion TC
2004^ Subaru Impreza
2007^ Toyota Camry
2006^ VW Passat 2.0T's
Volvo

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...gIndex=8&Log=0
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...Index=36&Log=0
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...Index=21&Log=0
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...gIndex=4&Log=0
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...gIndex=5&Log=0
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...Index=20&Log=0

[fredjacksonsan]

Here you go. This search took me less than a minute.

[dizzle1]

http://www.carmax.com/enus/search-re...epage:homepage

Yuck there is nothing good im sure he'll say the same

[vexir]

I ended up buying the 05 Civic Hybrid! Thanks for your help Dizzle.