{"id":6332,"date":"2014-09-29T05:53:34","date_gmt":"2014-09-29T12:53:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/?p=6332"},"modified":"2014-09-23T08:55:02","modified_gmt":"2014-09-23T15:55:02","slug":"buying-a-reliable-used-car-for-a-fair-and-affordable-price","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/buying-a-reliable-used-car-for-a-fair-and-affordable-price\/","title":{"rendered":"Buying a Reliable Used Car for a Fair and Affordable Price"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When it\u2019s time to buy a car, \u201cnew\u201d isn\u2019t always an option &#8211; or even your preference. While new cars are nice, they are the costliest way\u00a0to get four wheels under you. If\u00a0you&#8217;re in the\u00a0market for a vehicle, a used one may be the way to go to get the most car for your money.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike new cars that begin life in primo condition, used vehicles are sometimes shrouded in mystery. You may wonder these things about a used car:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Has it been well-maintained?<\/li>\n<li>Was it carefully driven?<\/li>\n<li>Does it have any safety or performance issues?<\/li>\n<li>Why is it being sold?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The goal when looking to used vehicles is to find reliable wheels at a fair, affordable price. It will take some effort,\u00a0but there\u2019s a lot you as the buyer of a used vehicle can do to get a good deal &#8211; whether you buy from a dealership or a private party.<\/p>\n<h3>Determining which used vehicle to buy<\/h3>\n<p>Determine an appropriate type of vehicle necessary for its intended use based upon:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Who will be driving it?<\/strong> Make certain to take the driver\u2019s size and needs into account.<\/li>\n<li><strong>How many passengers does it need to seat?<\/strong> Ensure there\u2019s enough comfortable and easily accessible seating for its usual passengers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Storage &#8211;<\/strong> Will it be hauling cargo? Make sure there\u2019s enough space and doors to allow easy loading and unloading.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Where will it be driven?<\/strong> Will it be driven in rugged terrain, on the highway, for suburban or city driving or in winter weather?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Will it be used for long drives or short commutes?<\/strong> Consider comfort, gas mileage and size.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Consult sources such as Kelley Blue Book and Craigslist to research and determine what\u2019s available that will suit your needs. This exercise will also give you an idea of the price range of the types of vehicles that meet your criteria. Once you know what\u2019s selling for how much, you can narrow your choices according to what you are willing to spend.<\/p>\n<h3>Choosing among used cars<\/h3>\n<p>Once you know the ballpark type\u00a0and price, set about finding the best choice by examining\u00a0the details of a particular vehicle. You can research the history of a car by getting a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.carfax.com\">Carfax<\/a> report on it which will inform\u00a0you if the car you\u2019re considering has:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>been in a major accident<\/li>\n<li>had a mileage rollback<\/li>\n<li>had multiple owners (and the length of their ownerships)<br \/>\nincurred structural damage<\/li>\n<li>been used for lease, personal, taxi or police use, or has been state-owned<\/li>\n<li>been declared a total loss, junked or salvaged<\/li>\n<li>been rebuilt<\/li>\n<li>incurred flood or hail damaged<\/li>\n<li>experienced\u00a0airbag deployment<\/li>\n<li>had a mileage rollover<\/li>\n<li>has been branded a \u201clemon\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The report will also divulge the:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>last reported mileage<\/li>\n<li>estimated miles driven per year<\/li>\n<li>recall information<\/li>\n<li>warranty information<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Sometimes the seller pays for the Carfax report on the vehicle for sale. If not offered by the seller, you can purchase a Carfax report yourself at a cost of $39.99 for one car or $49.99 for up to five cars.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019re assured the cars you\u2019re considering are basically in good shape, have each assessed by a trusted mechanic to determine these final details:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong> Maintenance record &#8211;<\/strong> Has this vehicle been properly and regularly maintained by its owner(s)?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Present condition &#8211;<\/strong> Overall, how drivable, safe and reliable is this vehicle, as is, here and now?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Future maintenance &#8211;<\/strong> What will the vehicle require in the foreseeable future &#8211; if not now -to keep operating well (like brakes, tires or exhaust system work)?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There\u2019s no reason to expect that, by buying used, that you can\u2019t get a reliable vehicle\u00a0for a fair and affordable price.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it\u2019s time to buy a car, \u201cnew\u201d isn\u2019t always an option &#8211; or even your preference. While new cars are nice, they are the costliest way\u00a0to get four wheels under you. If\u00a0you&#8217;re in the\u00a0market for a vehicle, a used one may be the way to go to get the most car for your money. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[515],"tags":[510,74],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6332"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6332"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6341,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6332\/revisions\/6341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}