Can anyone give me tips on buying a used car from a dealer?

We need to get a minivan with DC#3 coming in a couple of months and I'm not too savvy with this kind of stuff.
We want to go the certified used car route and get the best deal possible.
TIA!

Re: Can anyone give me tips on buying a used car from a dealer?

get a carfax on the vehicle

try for certifed pre-owned if you can

and as for a minivan, that is probably one of the least "beat on" cars to buy as in kids don't buy it and beat the engine up when its brand new and fail to take care of it.

But as with any used car, you never know.

Message edited 12/15/2010 4:44:57 PM.

Re: Can anyone give me tips on buying a used car from a dealer?

I just did this!

I researched everything on the dealership (some I wouldn't bother going to based on their reviews) and everything on the car with the accessories.

I walked out of the dealership several times. Each time they dropped the price. The last time, I brought in an ad from a well-known LEGITIMATE dealer & asked if they could match the price. They went back & forth & then came down to the price I wanted.

In terms of price, you are shopping at the very best time for a used car. The car on their lot is going to be aged by a year in a few weeks & they are going to do everything they can to close out their year with a sale - likely trying to get you to take delivery as soon as possible.

Re: Can anyone give me tips on buying a used car from a dealer?

1. Go in prepared. Know what kind of car you want. KNow what options and how much they go for.

2. DO NOT be affraid to walk out.

3. Dont let them give you the bs "woman" talk ie: its safe for the kids, and you have a mirror.

4. Negotiate. Hard. Dont be affraid to.

5. YOU controll the sale, dont let the salesperson have the controll.

6. Just go in confident.

Good luck.

Re: Can anyone give me tips on buying a used car from a dealer?

do your reseach on the actual value of the vehicle. Look at mileage and options. But options are not really that $$$ when it comes to a used car.

Negociate an extented warranty. It's usually 90 days. I wanted much longer for a used car I bought years ago. I negociated 1 year.

Re: Can anyone give me tips on buying a used car from a dealer?

ps. When I bought my new car I was not affraid to speak with them and leave and come back.

I wanted the car, but I had to decided on MY own time.

Re: Can anyone give me tips on buying a used car from a dealer?

Also check out multiple dealers if there is a specific type of car you are looking for.

When we went shopping for our Santa Fe in February, we visited 3 dealerships who had them in stock since each had different colors and options, so we could negotiate with each and then decide which one we wanted to go back to.

Re: Can anyone give me tips on buying a used car from a dealer?

We just did this last night....

Check out cars.com alot of time they have the car fax for free on the website, which eliminates wasting a trip.

Buy in December! It's the best time, the dealerships are dead. Specifically Dec. 26 is the best day of the year to buy a car (we have friends in the business).

Check out other cars online to see what the costs are, go in with what you want to pay in mind.

Run a Kelly Blue Book on the car to see a round about what you should expect to pay. Check the trade in value too because if you get into an accident that it was the insurance company will give you back.

Good Luck!!

Re: Can anyone give me tips on buying a used car from a dealer?

Trish gave me this site when I asked the question before:

Message edited 12/16/2010 10:56:21 AM.