With all the flooding down south this year no way would I buy a used car.

I volunteer with an organization that helps people in need and one of the things we'll do occasionally is help someone purchase a car. We ALWAYS get the car inspected.

You need to figure out what are deal-breakers for you. For us, OIL LEAKS are a complete NO GO. We will NOT purchase a car with an oil leak because oil leaks are very hard to fix. Cosmetic things like scratches or problems with the interior are on a case-by-case basis. Torn seating usually is a problem because it doesn't go away and gets worse with wear but some things can be fixed if you have scratches or dents on the outside.

Try to stick with reputable dealers, like big name dealerships doing new car sales and also have pre-owned sales. That said, sometimes you still have problems. We bought a used car for one family. Thought we had a great deal. We're driving back to DC with the car and 2 miles off of the dealership's lot the Check Engine light came on. Jeez. Anyway, we turned around and went back. Even though they weren't required to, the dealership's mechanics looked at the car and fixed the problem for free. A reputable dealer will do that because they want their rep to stay intact.

Also see if your insurance company has a buyer's program. Those can help you identify a reasonable target price and then give you some ranges for potential problems. You need to expect that a used car will come with some issues - after all, why do you think the car is used - but you CAN find a good car for a good price if you're willing to do the legwork.

What kind of car are you trying to purchase? Some car manufacturers are more likely to have quality control issues than others. Also, I always have to question why people sell a car that isn’t that old unless they were annoyed by it.

We bought our DD a Honda Civic. We were aiming for a 2016 but the certified ones were insanely priced and had cosmetic damage to the exterior and interior. We decided to price new to see if it was worth the savings. At sticker price there was a huge difference but once we negotiated, it was well worth a few thousand to have a brand new car with warranty. No hassles of inspections and wondering what problems are hiding.

But we also looked at some luxury cars in the past where the savings was much more significant between new and used so if you’re looking for say a BMW or Mercedes then my experience probably doesn’t apply. But I do know several friends with those cars who constantly have them in the shop so wouldn’t be surprised if inspections turned up issues.

Dealer cannot sell a used car without it passing inspection. It’s the law.

Why the hell would you even consider buying this car

What’s your budget?

Are you going to reputable name brand@ dealerships vs. those shady independent used car lots?

Yes, it IS expensive to do pre-inspections on used cars, but in the long run it is money well invested to save you heart and headaches later down the line.
Trust me.

Anonymous wrote:You gotta keep looking. What you are seeing in the inspections is unusual.

We're seeing a third one tomorrow. It's getting expensive to keep paying for these inspections!

The used car we bought in 2013 was a 2012 and had been a RENTAL and had zero problems.

I kind of am thinking that one of the reasons for the problems is that they've been sitting on these lots for 2-3 months, undriven.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think you should buy a 2016 with those issues unless there is a deep discount. I don't think it's normal to have that many issues. If a 2-3 year old car has that much showing up, I would assume that the car had many other less easily detected issues as well.

That's sort of my thinking. That's why I'm expecting a decent inspection and I'm really annoyed each time they come up with stuff wrong.

Anonymous wrote:Who is doing the inspections? Just curious since I’m thinking of buying used, too.

The first car was inspected by our regular mechanic.

The second one was so far away from our house that we had to find a local mechanic there to inspect it.

So frustrating.

You gotta keep looking. What you are seeing in the inspections is unusual.

how much cheaper are they versus a new car?

Who is doing the inspections? Just curious since I’m thinking of buying used, too.

I don't think you should buy a 2016 with those issues unless there is a deep discount. I don't think it's normal to have that many issues. If a 2-3 year old car has that much showing up, I would assume that the car had many other less easily detected issues as well.

at what point do we just accept that there's always going to be something wrong and we just buy the car and fix it?

The cars are 2016s with about 25-30k miles on them. First one the inspection turned up a leaking rear axle and non working A/C. Second one turned up about 5 different issues (oil leak, rear differential problems, sterring rack leak, issues with the rear shocks). And that second one was certified pre-owned. Looked at one at Carmax that had scratches, a broken part in the trunk, and a missing piece on one of the chairs...and it was dirty. They wouldn't let us inspect. Looking at one tomorrow that they've agreed to allow an inspection on and I'm just so OVER this car search that I'm wondering...if the inspection comes back with problems, which ones are worth just dealing with ourselves and which ones are worth walking away.

The last two used cars we bought had perfect inspections. I've never run into this problem before.

If the inspection does turn something up, what are the chances of the dealer being willing to fix it so that we'll buy? Or do you think we can just negotiate some money off the price?