How to Buy the Perfect Used Car

I recently found a fabulous used car with a great price, extremely low mileage, and a really good trade-in price. I was very lucky this time because I didn't have to look at many cars at all before I found "the perfect one" but I know it could have been a lot worse.

Unfortunately there was an unpleasant trip to another car dealership before finding my dream car, however. The most insulting thing was the offer that was made for the trade-in. I knew the other car wasn't anyone's idea of an ideal vehicle, but it wasn't ready for the great junkyard in the sky yet either. I was even willing to accept the insulting offer if the lie and pressure hadn't come.

Tip Number One: Don't believe everything you hear and watch out for pressure tactics. The tactic I got was a call saying that the car I'd been looking at was being forced "by the boss" to be taken to auction if I didn't commit to buying it by the weekend. I was not ready to decide! It was going to the auction that Friday, or so stated the salesman.

The bottom line on *that* story is that the car was still sitting on the lot two weeks later and is probably still there. Wonder why it didn't go to the auction after all? I'm glad I'm not gullible. Oh, another bottom line concerns that insulting trade-in offer. When I found the car I finally bought, I got eight TIMES as much for the trade.

Tip Number Two: If you know about cars and the things to check to make sure you are not getting a sour lemon, great. If you aren't real handy with what's under the hood and what it should look like, take someone along who is. Let that person drive part of the test drive, too, because listening to the sounds it makes is as important as how well the car drives. Be sure to check when inspection is due. Mine wasn't due for 9 months, so I knew it passed inspection within the last couple of months.

It's nice if the person you take with you will check all things big and small, but if he or she can't do that, be sure to at least get a picture of the "big." The first big thing is the engine. Have your "car person" thoroughly check the engine because you do *not* want to have engine problems a short time after the purchase. Have things like the rings and head gasket checked if possible as well as other parts such as the transmission. Brakes need to be checked as well, but that should have been part of the last inspection. Passing inspection doesn't mean they're in the best of shape, though.

Tip Number Three: Know how much you want to spend on a used car before you start to look and then do not back down on it. Whether you are paying for it with cash or taking out a bank loan for the car, be sure to have it budgeted. If you have determined that you can afford a $9,000 used car, don't let a salesperson talk you into a car that costs $12,000.

Tip Number Four: This may work with some dealers and definitely won't with others. The car I bought was marked (as most used cars are sold) "as is." People expect this and it's standard. I decided to ask about a warrantee, though, just in case, and they did it for me and changed it from "as is" to a 30 day guarantee. I think this is very important and it allowed me to drive around for a month to make sure there wasn't anything major wrong that was missed before purchase.

Tip Number Five: RESEARCH! When I found my car, I researched about it online. I knew the safety ratings and I knew what other owners thought of this car. Don't forget to research things like how many miles it gets to a gallon of gas. That seems to be getting more and more important as the price of a barrel of oil keeps rising and filling the tank takes a much larger chunk from the wallet than in years past.

Tip Number Six: Enjoy your purchase, don't forget to call your insurance agent, and keep your fingers crossed that you'll find a totally full tank of gas when you are ready to pull your "new" car from the lot as I did!