Team-BHP - Buying, Owning, Driving and Maintaining a car in North America

So things to watch out for

Year
Mileage (As in how many miles the vehicle has done, not miles per gallon - fortunately)
Brand (this is to judge resale based on above two inputs)

Carfax history - every vehicle has a VIN and you can check the history of each individual vehicle as to type of ownership, accident history, odometer roll backs, damages due to act of God etc
Go to http://www.carfax.com/ for more details, but to get a report you have to buy a Carfax membership

Then go to Kelley Blue Book site "New Car Prices | Used Car Values - Official Kelley Blue Book Site" and here you can see indicative prices for each model/make/year based on usage/condition/loading (accessories) and based on your area code (prices vary region to region)

However the most important part is the actual roadtest cos all the above might point out to a car that has a clean history and price but mechanically potentially troublesome.

BTW, its not uncommon for the Honda, Toyota or Nissan Engines to have run for 300,000 miles (I am not joking) I personally have seen healthy cars with that many mileage on it and still running fine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by revtech (Post 424300)

whats a carfax report ? and what about bikes ? would i get some thing good for the budget ive quoted.
Rev

If I were looking for a way to commute, I would stay away from bikes. You would easily get a used bike for $3K. I bought my first bike for $1500. I was lucky that ir ran for a year without major issues. Replacing any part on the bike is expensive. You will be charged a labor of $80 per hour, even for a safety check.
If you want to ride safe, you will have get all the gear, shoes, helmets etc that can cost you $1K. I would also advice you to take Motorcycle safety classes, that will help you get a license.

With cars things are usually cheap because of competition and huge volumes. You can look for online(craigslist/autotrader/ebay)/newspaper ads, buy a carfax report, and take the car to a mechanic for a checkup.

BTW, If I needed a car for 6 months & I did not have to travel extensively everyday, I would simply rent. Have you considered renting sweet cars during the weekend. You can rent a Mustang at Budget for $59 + taxes. Vehicle Rentals from Budget

If you are car-crazy, you can rent exotics. Exotic Car Rentals- Drive the Dream!
-Prasadee

carfax and kelley blue book are two essential components of selecting car as mentioned here. apart from that.

1. popular items like honda, toyota, nissan, mazda etc are good, reliable, may be slightly costly but you will be able to sell them at short notice.

2. american cars (ford, pontiac,dodge etc) may be available for cheap and will sell even cheaper.

3. european cars may be better, but it may be difficult finding a buyer at a short notice.

to start, checkout craigslist.org, cars.com. eknazar.com (desi's site), and also hertz and enterprise used car sales, they claim to sell cars below KBB values.

and regarding the insurance, you either call them or fill up the form online and get the quote, pay by your card. it takes less than an hour to do it, and you have the insurance with you. they will fax temporary card to you immediately.
(edit: try various companies online to see where u get least quote. geico, all state, state farm etc are good ones. there are even comparators availalbe online)

all you need is the VIN (vehicle identification number) of the car and your license history/number.

if you happen to close it earlier, or ur status changes, you again call them, and they will refund your difference of money promptly.

you may be knowing it, but still, never bring the car on road until you have your insurance proof. if caught, you have 24 hrs to produce the necessary documents.

regd the budget, i will suggest 3K. cars.com will give a good idea of availability in your area.

here are two useful links for online car search:
Buy New & Used Cars, Research Prices, Sell My Car, Find Auto Dealers
Used Cars, New Cars, Buy a Car, Sell Your Car - AutoTrader.com

don't forget to check the car values from New Car Prices | Used Car Values - Official Kelley Blue Book Site
and check carfax history report from http://www.carfax.com/

KBB is free and you can get carfax account useable for a month @ $24.99
single history verification costs $19.99

hope this helps

Forget CarFax.

You're using the car for 6 months and you're paying 3,000 tops. Most likely your car will have no history at all. What you want is dirt cheap wheels.

You can get a domestic Pontiac Grand Am for dirt cheap. Abuse it for a few months and then flip it for however much you got it.

the OP said he is 19, try to rent from any rental car agency and watch then run like hell once they see your age. else he will end up paying very expensive insurance for the rental car and also the underage fee (which is $20-25 PER DAY!!!!)

i'd suggest a 1996-1997 corolla as the insurance will be cheaper than a similar model civic.

Having been through a similar situation a couple of years back, heres what I recommend:

1. Within your budget, pick up an Accord / Corolla / Civic. 1994 - 1997 cars should fall in your budget range.

2. Dont worry if the mileage is close or a little over 100,000 miles. The rate of wear and tear is very low in the USA due to their driving conditions.

3. Do a carfax report on the car you like. They charged like $20 - 30 last I checked. Well worth it.

4. Remember : The insurance will kill you. For good discounts, take a letter from your current insurance company / local RTO office of your accident free record. This got my insurance premium down to 1/3 of the original quote.

I got a 1993 Accord EX with 9xxxx miles for $3200. Used it for 2 years and sold it for an exact $3200. It served me well and only required marginal work during the time it served me.

thanx for all the replies....has been really helpful..
insurance and cars in bombay are on my dads name.....so can i still take it to get my premium lower...i guess not.

as some cheap_deal mention renting is almost out of the question becaus e im 19 and extra costs due to my age will make it very expensive..

so i guess the best bet is to look out for accord corolla and civics...wht bout GM cars ?? wont they be cheaper.

Quote:

Originally Posted by revtech (Post 424634)

wht bout GM cars ?? wont they be cheaper.

They will be...a lot. I am not an expert on these things at all, but try getting one with GMs "3800" V6, as I have heard they are super reliable (atleast, the engine is).

dont think the insurance in your dads name will help you get a reduced premium. are you a student ? some (and i repeat SOME) insurance companies give discounts for full time students of certain universities (you will have to check with the university)