Used Car Bifurcation
We had the archetypal used car experiences yesterday shopping for a commuter auto for our college-bound daughter.
We went first to Cypress Auto in Brookline because they sponsor lots of community events and groups. Also, my wife’s brother has done business with them. Also, when they petitioned the zoning board for permission to expand, their neighbors testified on their behalf. And we were treated great. It’s a small lot — about 20 cars — with the prices in plain view. They took our car to the adjoining service station they own and told us that they’d give us $4,000 for our 1997 Dodge Caravan (40,000 miles) because of the huge, metal-grinding lip a bike rack created at the top of the the back access door. (Cars.com says the trade-in value is probably around $3,300. Edmunds‘ more thorough form pegs it at $5,100, but neither place has seen just how bad our back door is.)
Then we went to a local Dodge store. Huge parking lot of cars. Icycle-forming AC in the showroom. They offered us a free drink, but the lost all interest when we said that we wouldn’t actually be buying then and there. Not only were there no prices on any car, but the salesperson wouldn’t tell us any prices. He wouldn’t tell us the trade-in value of our car until we’re ready to buy. And after showing us the first used car, he said that for our daughter’s safety and peace of mind, we really should buy her a new Kia, starting at $12,000. After all, we wouldn’t want her stuck on a road in a year when something breaks. “So, you think this used car has a lifetime of about a year before it starts to break?” I said. “Oh, no no. This car has many miles left in it…” Shall I even mention that when the salesguy said that one particular car had A/C even though it wasn’t listed on the manifest, but when we checked we found the manifest was right?
I know that the salesguy at Cypress could be faking it. I’ve been fooled before and I will be again. But I feel like I have enough independent indicators to trust him at least somewhat, whereas the Dodge guy might as well have been wearing a plaid suit and smoking a cheap cigar.
Comments about how I am going wrong in this process would be appreciated…
The best used cars I’ve had have been purchased directly from friends of friends. You might try letting folks know that you’re in the market for a used car for your teenage daughter and see if anybody knows of anything… usually people won’t sell their friends a lemon.
Ditto on the above comment from Anonymous. A good resource to check out for lemons and related info at: http://www.carconsumers.com/shop_smarter.html
Whats the condition of your trade? You might want to consider investing some money and repair it and use it instead of getting a different vehicle. 40,000 miles is not a lot wear and tear. Investing as little as $1000.00 could provide 2-3 years of trouble free life to the vehicle. I have owned many vehicles which I have driven 100s of 1000s of miles. I recently spent a couple grand to make repairs to a Chevy PU that has 186,000 miles. I think it is good to go for another 2 years easy. That vehicle is over 10 years old and runs great. Just something to think about.
Thanks but the deed is done. The problem with the van is that it’s too big. Hard to park. Not a great car for a college freshperson. So, now our daughter owns a ’96 Saturn with 100K miles on it and we got a little money back in the trade. (There’s some real damage to the body of the van.)
Please do NOT write to tell me how I go snookered. It’s too late now! :)
Thought about buying a bicycle instead?
With the money you save, your daughter could afford the occasional taxi ride.
If you go to the car auctions when a main dealer is getting rid of the trade-ins you can pick up a real bargain. Just look for the ones that have full service history with that dealer and you’re are sure to grab a bargain.
How about lease hire, you don’t have to pay for any maintenance such as tyres, servicing or road tax on the car, you just pay for petrol/diesel and the monthly/weekly rental costs. If you do decide to purchase a used car and need used car parts take a look at the used car parts web site.
hi all