Any suggestions for a (clueless) first-time car buyer?

Here are links to my first three questions on this topic:

http://www.fluther.com/148380/some-advice-on-car-buying-question-1/
http://www.fluther.com/148381/some-advice-on-car-buying-question-2/
http://www.fluther.com/148381/some-advice-on-car-buying-question-3/

I’ll keep looking and see if I can turn up the rest. I did the cross-reference links wrong, so don’t bother with them.

Fluther advice was very helpful to me. Even if you’re not shopping for the same sort of thing that I was, there’s plenty of valuable information there.

Ok, I can’t find my fourth question, if there was one, but here are 5 and 6:

http://www.fluther.com/149590/some-advice-on-car-buying-question-5-rental-returns/
http://www.fluther.com/149765/some-advice-on-information-about-car-buying-question-6-color/

That last one was posted on September 8th of last year. I bought my car later that same day. After 15 months I’m still pleased with my purchase, even though I also still miss my old Nissan.

The first thing you should do ,is go to your local auto parts store, and tell them your looking at a ,example : a 1989 ford tempo how available and affordable are parts for that model ? and if they say extremely hard to get and very costly to get then stay away from it,get the idea? I know you probably wont be the one working on it when the time comes but you will be the one paying for it.
so what ever you choose make sure when the times comes to fix it you can still afford it.

When you have an idea of what you are looking for, you can check online to see availability and pricing before going to a dealer. My Ex and I have done very well with buying nice cars from a dealer that are 6 months to two years old. Still in great shape but much cheaper than new.

For reliability, I don’t think you can beat Hondas or Toyotas, at least that was their rep.

I’m glad she already responded, because my advice was going to be “talk to @Jeruba.”

My next piece of advice was going to be “buy a used car”, and if you add “from someone you can trust”, then you probably won’t go far wrong, whatever you do.

Toyota has had some major recalls in recent years, so they have come down a couple notches in reliability.

You didn’t say how long your daily commute is… also, is it highways or local roads with stops and starts? That makes a difference in choosing between different fuel/economy models, such as a hybrid vs. clean diesel. Availability of diesel fuel would also be a concern, because some local stations don’t have it – so scope-out the stations along your commute to see whether diesel is convenient for you.

As a childless person who does not do a lot of driving, a hatchback style is small (lighter for better fuel economy, and more maneuverable in traffic and parking spaces), plus it is flexible for passenger and cargo for those rare occasions that you have those.

I find that buying “certified pre-owned” is a nice option, because the prices are more reasonable than new, but you still have some warranty coverage should something go wrong.

Web sites like Edmunds.com can be helpful in researching the different makes and models, their value and reliability. Some ConsumerReports.org information is available to non-subscribers, too.

Find a mechanic you really can trust and have them look at the car with you.

I recommend buying a Japanese car, although I must say my VW has not had any problems. You might want to consider what dealerships are near you for convenience if you want to get your car serviced at the dealer or if you have any problems with the car. As far as used cars go, I actually really like the environment at Carmax if there is one near you. I feel like I am treated well, not condescended to, I don’t feel like I am in the middle of some big annoying game.

Most dealerships will ask you how much you want to spend per month if you plan to finance, and all sorts of questions to get the most money they can out of you. The best is to be able to negotiate the price and not the monthly payment, but I don’t know your financial situation.

Expect you might have to fix something, give yourself some cushion financially in case you need to right away.

You can ask for the carfax report that will show any accidents the car was in (if the accident went on insurance).

Car salespeople can be really annoying (not all, but many) and if they get really annoying and you just want to leave the easiest line to get them to back off is to say you will come back with your husband/wife. Once they realize you are not going to make a decision today they will stop. Used car dealerships and most less expensive cars, even new, dealerships the salespeople are expected to not let you leave without a car. When you want to leave they might ask/make you wait to meet their manager. It is awful and degrading to the salesperson and I hate when they do it.

You may want to consider bringing along an adult who has been through this sort of thing before.

The other thing might be to let the salesperson know you won’t get screwed twice. I always bought GM products (yeah, silly me). I made a deal with a salesman that he would sell my s/o a car for one price and I would order my Z-28 for list. I let her go to close the sale. We were cleaning out some papers a while later and the bastard added $1000 to her car price. I’ve never touched a GM product since and my current salesperson knows the complete story.

Yes to @Adirondackwannabe

Take any used car into a trusted mechanic for a diagnostic test.
If the potential seller discourages you from doing this big red flag.
You may need to put out some extra cash for the diagnostic, but well worth it in the long run.

Bring a small but bright flashlight with you. If you just look like you know what to look for, it helps to keep them on their toes. Even better, if you can’t bring a mechanic with you, try at least to have them show you five or six things to look for. Use your flashlight to look under the car, for signs of rust, and stains which would tell you there is a leak, like break fluid, or transmission fluid. A decent mechanic could show you how to at least look like you know what you are doing. Hopefully you can get someone to go with you.

I’m with @JLeslie on this. A nice used Toyota with less than 100k miles is a good choice. Parts, tires and insurance are fairly cheap and they run forever with little maintenance. Anything under 12k miles per year is considered low mileage.

Of course pay the $50 to have your local mechanic check it out before you purchase it and unless you are very detailed and know what you’re doing, buy from a dealer or a lot. Title jumping and fraud is a really big deal with inexperienced buyers.

I bought my little Corolla brand new in 2000 (it’s an 2001) and it’s still fabulous at 130k. I’ve never had a car that required as little from me as this one. (Not to mention I worked at a dealership and all the guys told me to buy it.)

I bought my first car last year and didn’t know anything about cars. Here is what I learned:

-Toyota Corollas and Honda Civics between the years of 2003–2008 (give or take a couple of years) are extremely reliable cars. They will give you the best miles-per-gallon you can get without buying a hybrid car and if you just perform routine maintenance when you’re supposed to (oil changes, tire rotations, etc.), they can easily run to 200,000 miles and beyond.

-For the best price, don’t go to a dealer. Instead, look for private sales (Craigslist, classified ads, etc.). Request a car history (CarFax or AutoCheck); if there are any accidents on record, you should probably stay away.

-Take your time and inspect the car using your own common sense: look for scratches, dents, tire wear, etc.Start the car and see if it ignites easily or with trouble. When you shift the transmission, does the car jump or shift smoothly? When you press the brakes, do you feel a rumble? Check the minor items you know you will use, like headlights, windshield wipers, radio, etc. If a seller is not willing to wait patiently while you check all of these items out, find another seller.

-Take the car to a mechanic and ask them to inspect the car for problems AND take it for a test drive. They’ll spot problems you missed and they’ll know if the car is driving properly.

-Go to edmunds.com and kbb.com and enter the vehicle information at each site to get a price quote for the vehicle’s value (based on its condition and mileage).

-Use all the information you gathered above to negotiate a fair price.

I bought a 2006 Corolla last year with under 60,000 miles. I got it for $2000 less than the blue book value because the wheels weren’t aligned, some mechanical work needed to be done and the car had extensive scratches because the previous owner did not use a proper brush to wipe snow off the car. Using the sites mentioned above, I started with a price based on the car’s condition, then subtracted the amount of work it would take to repair the car. I’m pretty happy with my purchase and I’ve had zero issues.

Go with a parent, friend, friends parent, anyone you know who knows anything about cars. Don’t go by yourself, you won’t even know what you’re looking at or if you’re getting jipped.

Great!! So, you’re going to buy a car. You have to focus on many things before buy a car. As a first-time car buyer, you are probably going to pay a lot more for your vehicle, more for financing, and more for your insurance than anybody. Well first step is the create your budget. When you sit down to discuss the deal. When the salesman pull out the 4-Square sheet, tell him to put it away. Be firm on what you are willing to pay, and always negotiate the price of the car, not payments. Take a test drive at least half an hour, while trying stop-and-go, freeway merging and freeway speeds. Secure financing, or know your options