Used Car Dealers Lakes Region

[SteveA]

The bosses car was totaled last weekend- (no major injury's, thankfully) But we are going to need a good replacement.

We are torn between a "good used car" , now there's an oxymoron, and a new car.
Her old car was all paid so I'm not crazy about car payments. I've ALWAYS bought new and drove them till they were dead,
so I don't know any "Used Car" folks, and I'm very reluctant to buy private sale.

We're looking for a 2005-6 Full Size SUV, prefer the Jeep Grand Cherokee, like the one we had. It was a 2004 and we never
had any major problems with it. Looks like the guys insurance is going to pay us out about $10-11K for her car.

Any advice appreciated.

[fatlazyless]

For a pretty good used car at prices that start at about $6000 and up, check out Cupples Cars in Belmont. www.cupplescar.com

[songkrai]

Well, sorry to hear about accident.

Any new car/truck go do a CarFax or similiar check on any used car/truck/SUV.

You are best to take any used vehicle to a local mechanic or any other place but the one you are purchasing from Have it all checked out.

I have purchased many used cars and trucks over the years. What I look for is a one owner used vehicle. And I avoid any used car/truck/SUV that has had any paint work. Paint work could mean a simple scrap or a very large accident. If in doubt visit a body shop.

I also check the oil. It should be clear and right on the line. If it is not then move on to another vehicle. If the oil is dirty it means previous owner did not take care of vehicle. If it is down on oil it can be only one to two things. It burns oil or it leaks oil.

The automatic transmission fluid should be a pink color. If not then move on to another vehicle. A rebuilt transmission is around $2,200 or more. A few vehicles have a closed automatic transmission. No dip stick. Transmission fluid can still be checked but much more difficult.

Good Luck.

[SteveA]

All good advice, much appreciated.

[Just Sold]

Car Fax is good but......not completely accurate. Remember the service/repair has to be reported to be in the report. My girlfriend's 2005 Toyota Corolla S was to me obviously in an accident - the whole right side was damaged and repaired but upon a physical look it was not as bad as it could have been and did not do structural damage. This was a major accident and not reported in the Car Fax report at all. So Car Fax reports can be suspect. Only as good as the reporting. BTW she still bought the car because she liked it and it did run and drive well. It was also purchased from a well known used car dealer in Hooksett.

[AB_Monterey]

You can also go with Autocheck as an alternative to Carfax, especially if you're concerned about any accident history. CBS Atlanta did a story on what Carfax missed and the crash data that Autocheck had in their report. I tried to find the story but it appears to no longer be available.

Here's an article that may be of interest:

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/10/hammer-time-carfax-vs-autocheck/

[MAXUM]

Car Fax is good but......not completely accurate. Remember the service/repair has to be reported to be in the report. My girlfriend's 2005 Toyota Corolla S was to me obviously in an accident - the whole right side was damaged and repaired but upon a physical look it was not as bad as it could have been and did not do structural damage. This was a major accident and not reported in the Car Fax report at all. So Car Fax reports can be suspect. Only as good as the reporting. BTW she still bought the car because she liked it and it did run and drive well. It was also purchased from a well known used car dealer in Hooksett.

There is a very easy way to check for that kind of damage:

-On Toyota's they put a decal on each body panel, doors, hood, trunk, quarters etc... that has the VIN number on it, if any panel is missing that or the VIN doesn't match it's been replaced.

-No matter how good a body shop is they can never completely prevent overspray in the door jams, wheel wells etc...

-run your fingers over each and every body seam and feel for variations in the gaps

-if you find something that feels a little off, take a magnet and a rag stick the magnet to the body panel with the rag between the two and slide it all over the panel, if there is body filler the magnet will fall off. A sure sign body work has been done.

Carfax will only report on police reports and insurance claims, they do not tell the whole story but it's better than going in blind.

[MAXUM]

The bosses car was totaled last weekend- (no major injury's, thankfully) But we are going to need a good replacement.

We are torn between a "good used car" , now there's an oxymoron, and a new car.
Her old car was all paid so I'm not crazy about car payments. I've ALWAYS bought new and drove them till they were dead,
so I don't know any "Used Car" folks, and I'm very reluctant to buy private sale.

We're looking for a 2005-6 Full Size SUV, prefer the Jeep Grand Cherokee, like the one we had. It was a 2004 and we never
had any major problems with it. Looks like the guys insurance is going to pay us out about $10-11K for her car.

Any advice appreciated.

I've bought many used cars, it's tough because in the used market you're at the mercy of what is readily available.

First thing that I look at is the cosmetic condition of the vehicle from the outside. If it has any signs of abuse I move on. I am picky too, I don't care how old the car is or the mileage if there are dings, dents, scratches, rust etc... forget it.

Second thing I look at is the interior. If it's dirty, ripped and stained then again it goes to the way the previous owner took care of it. If it's not as new or shows very minimal wear I move on.

Chances are if the first two pass then unless you're mechanically inclined and able to do a good on the spot evaluation of the mechanics insist on taking it to an independent place to be gone through. DO NOT trust the dealer will do this for you, and no matter what they tell you about 1000 point inspections and warranties the reality is they do the bare minimum to turn the vehicle around and sell it. They are obligated to only sell something that will pass inspection and what passes or fails is in the opinion of the person doing it most times.

Finally be wary of small dealerships they get most of their inventory from dealer cast off auctions. If the big dealers send them to auction usually there is a good reason for it although you can occasionally find good used vehicles there that were sold at auction for no other reason than mileage and age. That is pretty rare though.

Good luck in your search!

[camp guy]

Tough situation, tough question, no easy answer or answers; however, the one time I bought a used (10k miles) vehicle I looked the salesman at the dealership right in the eye and told him I intended to have ALL my service done at the dealership and if any situations arose that had their origin prior to my ownership I'd be looking for complete service at no charge, and probably would want to return the vehicle for a full refund. He looked at me for a moment, shook my hand, and we had a deal. Some 125K miles later I donated the still well running vehicle to a local school for their mechanical arts classes. Good luck to you. Keep us posted.

[BroadHopper]

Found a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Limited loaded with only 63K miles on it searching on AOL auto. What was a no brainer was the vehicle was located right in Laconia.

I google the year and make of the vehicle and there is a website that tells me what to watch out for in that year and make.

Next, I check out NADAguides to find out the average values of the vehicle and other facts. Did a CarFax and call the dealer about recalls.

After a prenegotiation, I took the vehicle to an independant garage with a list of things to wtach out for on my google find. Pass inspection.

The amount of the loan was less than the negotiated price. By walking away, the dealer called me later and accept the loan amount.

It's been a year and 17K miles and I am a happy owner.

[Simon]

The bosses car was totaled last weekend- (no major injury's, thankfully) But we are going to need a good replacement.

We are torn between a "good used car" , now there's an oxymoron, and a new car.
Her old car was all paid so I'm not crazy about car payments. I've ALWAYS bought new and drove them till they were dead,
so I don't know any "Used Car" folks, and I'm very reluctant to buy private sale.

We're looking for a 2005-6 Full Size SUV, prefer the Jeep Grand Cherokee, like the one we had. It was a 2004 and we never
had any major problems with it. Looks like the guys insurance is going to pay us out about $10-11K for her car.

Any advice appreciated.

Below are a couple of links worth reading. Pricing in the used car market is higher than it has been in years. This is due to the lack of supply and higher demand for used cars.

Personally, I have bought all of my used cars through Lovering Volvo. I purchased their service loaners. Typically the cars have between 8-10k for miles on them and price very competitively.

Ron

http://autos.aol.com/article/used-cars-that-are-worth-more-now/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl6%7Csec1_lnk3%7C213350

http://www.wtop.com/?sid=2383316&nid=628

[SteveA]

Tough situation, tough question, no easy answer or answers; however, the one time I bought a used (10k miles) vehicle I looked the salesman at the dealership right in the eye and told him I intended to have ALL my service done at the dealership and if any situations arose that had their origin prior to my ownership I'd be looking for complete service at no charge, and probably would want to return the vehicle for a full refund. He looked at me for a moment, shook my hand, and we had a deal. Some 125K miles later I donated the still well running vehicle to a local school for their mechanical arts classes. Good luck to you. Keep us posted.

Found a replacement in Concord at Bob Mariano Jeep. 1 Owner, clean car fax, all the work done at that dealership. Only 64K, 2004 Jeep GC, Fair Price. Our Jeep was a 2004 with 104K.

Camp Guy's advice, along with many others suggestions helped us in the search and the negotiations.

We ended up with a very fair settlement from the "other guys" insurance, and never even had to file a claim with our insurance. The check arrived yesterday, just 9 days after the accident. They auctioned off the wrecked car, and it was picked up yesterday. We have the check from the auction on the way and it will arrive by Friday this week.

Besides the aggravation, this process was fairly smooth and handled very professionally by Commerce Insurance. (The other guys insurance) I went into the process ready to do major battle, I was dead wrong, they could not have been easier to work with. They even asked me for a list of recent repairs and replacements on our car. (We had put all new tires on just 30 days before the crash) and adjusted the appraisal to reflect the added value.

Only major difference is that the replacement is an 8 cylinder, so it will cost us a Little more to run it.

Alls Well that Ends Well.

Thanks Again... Winni.com as usual, is a great place for lot's of good advice.

[sa meredith]

SteveA...glad your searched ended well. I can tell you that the Jeep GC has always been an extremely popular SUV. Although I was at a Ford dealership for 22 years, whenever we traded one, it would always sell very quickly...people seem to love them.
The only consistent problem with them...and it was VERY consistent...2000, 01,02 03 04 05 moldels...the ones traded always came out of the shop with the same problem...AC inop. It seemed everytime I appraised one, the AC was warm. Even in the winter, when working a deal with a Jeep GC trade, I'll pull them into the warm shop, to blast the AC...I'd say 70/75 percent of the time it was not right. Certainly not the end of the world...but for whatever reason, Chrylsler/Jeep A/C repairs run much higher then Ford or Chevy. So, keep a good a eye on it.
I wish you well. I'm sure your willingness to purchase an 8cyl, SUV in these times, was rewarded with a fair price.