Buying a used car, need some advice!

[MusicEnthusiast]

Hey all!

The time has come where I've saved enough for a used car. My budget sits at around $2500 and I am currently residing in the Valley outside Los Angeles. I'm looking for nothing fancy but something very reliable. I'm narrowing my searches to Toyota and Honda cars with clean titles and under 150k miles. Have looked a bit on Craigslist and will go check out a street where people sell their cars. I'm here to learn more and am open to new ideas. I know a car enthusiast/mechanic and an expert at car deal negotiations.

If you have any advice please let me know! I hope to get one by the New Year. Thanks!

 

[Jaro65]

Good choice in your target car brands. I don't believe you can do much better from the reliability and cost of repair perspective. A couple of Hondas I've had have been simply great. Good luck with your purchase!

 

[Astroboy907]

My parents (lol) Honda Civic is running great after 10 years, very few repairs done to it. 130k miles now! Clutch feels a bit loose but there've been quite a few miles put into it.

 

[phrehdd]

Hey all!

The time has come where I've saved enough for a used car. My budget sits at around $2500 and I am currently residing in the Valley outside Los Angeles. I'm looking for nothing fancy but something very reliable. I'm narrowing my searches to Toyota and Honda cars with clean titles and under 150k miles. Have looked a bit on Craigslist and will go check out a street where people sell their cars. I'm here to learn more and am open to new ideas. I know a car enthusiast/mechanic and an expert at car deal negotiations.

If you have any advice please let me know! I hope to get one by the New Year. Thanks!

Can't really go wrong with a Honda. I like some of the Toyota line (hate with a passion the Corolla) and items like Camrys are okay if there were no recalls on them. In your shoes, I would go for the Honda Civic and make sure to get a good alarm and Lo-Jack type of security given that Hondas are the most stolen cars in your neck of the woods.

 

[prostuff1]

For $2500 you are likely looking at something that is 10 years+ old (unless Hondas and Toyotas do not hold there value that well). And staying under the 150K mark in a car that old for that price is going to be difficult me thinks.

 

[adk]

It sounds like you have a mechanic friend to do a pre-buy inspection for you. If not, take the car to somebody and spend the $75 for a good pre-buy inspection.

When you find a car you want to go look at, research the car's recommended maintenance schedule. Ask the seller about the maintenance history of the car, either in person or on the phone (no email). If the car has been taken care of the seller should be quickly rattle off recent work that has been done on the car, both preventative and repair. Of course, maintenance receipts help too.