| Used car prices are affected by a number of factors. | | | | vigilant against odometer fraud: even electric |
| When shopping for a secondhand car, you need to | | | | odometers can be “modified” nowadays to |
| look past the car’s year of manufacture and model | | | | display a deceptively lower mileage. |
| and consider its history, performance, and condition. If | | | | You’ll have a harder time determining problems |
| you don’t, you could end up with a car that looks | | | | with transmission and brakes. If possible, have a |
| great but isn’t useful for anything else. | | | | professional look into this for you. And since these |
| Car History | | | | guys are often paid by the hour, consider having them |
| The easiest and most reliable way to determine the | | | | give the car an overall checkup. Better safe than |
| appropriate value of a used car is by checking its | | | | sorry, right? |
| history with the DMV. Ask for a VIN (vehicle | | | | Price Range |
| identification number) history report for about $30; it will | | | | A budget of $2,000 or lower could still get you a car, |
| tell you if the car has been involved in any undesirable | | | | but you’re most likely to end up with a secondhand |
| incident in the past. You’ll also find out if the car has | | | | car that’s only capable of transporting you to and |
| undergone any serious repair of any sort. | | | | fro short distances. Anywhere farther than that means |
| Exterior Condition | | | | driving with a severe liability. |
| Next, consider its exterior. Does any part of the car | | | | For a budget of $5,000 to $9,000, you could get a |
| seem to have been repainted? Are the panels | | | | fairly old car but in good working condition. Take note |
| misaligned? Do its doors seem to suffer from an | | | | that ‘could’ is in the operative because you |
| imperfect fit? Are there any rusty spots? How about | | | | need to be patient with your search: such cars as |
| trailer hinges? All these are indicators of a car with a | | | | often snapped up as soon as they show up in the |
| fairly eventful history and if they’re present, | | | | market. |
| you’re better off looking for another candidate. | | | | Now, if you have a budget of $10,000 and up then |
| Performance | | | | it’s very possible to find a car that’s no more |
| Start with the engine and odometer. If you know your | | | | than 5 years old. Of course, don’t expect to end up |
| way with cars then it’s fairly easy to determine if | | | | with a luxury car. If you want something like that, |
| something’s not right with either. Be particularly | | | | you’ll need to save a little bit more. |