ive always purchased cars from the dealerships so im not really sure what to look out for when buying a used car. can you guys give me any advice about how to do this?

im thinking about buying a 2008 honda fit.

what should i look out for?
what kind of telltale signs that it might not be a good buy?
what kind of questions should i ask the buyer?
anyone have a carfax account?

 

car's probably still under warranty so you dont have much to worry about.

telltale signs is check all the paint match on the metal
panels to make sure it was not in an accident. (plastic bumper color will
be a slight shade off usually especially on metallics so dont worry about
that too much. check carfax). you need to see the car in daylight.

check under the car for any collision type damage. strut leaks, etc.
can be fixed under warranty. i haven't read much problems over at
FitFreak.net so the car should be sound.

test drive it. make sure alignment is good or have the seller
reduce $100 for the alignment at the dealer.

 

Go private party. I ALWAYS bought from dealerships, and its always been an all day, pressured, stressful situation. I've bought from Ford, Hyundai, and Nissan. Some dealerships are better than others. Mini and Honda were great experiences, though I only test drove. Every new car I bought, I always had a suspicion that I got screwed somehow. The dealerships DONT try to get you the best interest rate on loads either. They get kickbacks from financing companies. If you do buy from a dealership, get your own credit. Talk about the "out the door price" and not the monthly payment.

My advice would be to buy private party. I found a car I liked, negotiated in a friendly comfortable manor, and bought the car with no strings attached. I got approved at my credit union in 30 minutes, and had a check in hand within an hour.

Just bluebook the car for "private party" sale, and go from there. Look at the difference between bluebook " private party" and "dealership" pricing, and that says it all. There's like a 3k-5k difference in pricing for the same car.

GL, man.

 

oh yah, btw on Honda Fits... they are super marketed high right now.

like at carmax a 2007 Sport with i think it was like 15 miles, 5MT
was going for $18K several weeks ago.

mine was bought brand new last Dec cash at $16K+.