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Hey guys,

Well im 19 years old and I live on my own, never owned a car, sure I have a licence and use to use my mom's car a couple times but thats about it. So It's time for me to buy my first Car, to be honest I am nervous and I want to buy a Used Car. Now ive been to every site (Cars.com, Craigslist, Ebay...etc.) I even found this one place a few miles from me that sale used cars and well their cars that owners would bring to to fix but would not pay and leave their car there.

Anyways, I just need to know some tips, Not only the price is something I worry but the Insurance rate for the car. I am going to have to put insurance under my name in which I know rates will be high.

So does anyone have any tips, I mean ive been offered cars that needed to be fix (Fuel Pump, Head Gasket..etc.) and really I don't know what to say cause im no car expert, the only thing people have told me is to not buy Neons lol.

Thanks .  

A great car for you might be the new Volkswagen Rabbit. The hatch will give ya tons of room if you plan on moving things around, or hauling people. plus its a young and sporty look car. Great for city living and their not to pricey.

I don't know what your budget is or i'd suggest the Toyota Tacoma.

And yea... Neons are not cool.

Are u looking for New or used?

My first used car i bought was an 91 CRX. The first News car i bought was a 2000 VW Golf. My second new car was a MINI cooper S.

But i would buy another CRX in a heart beat.  

Depends on what your budget is. I have to disagree with Melissa. I had a very bad ownership experience with a VW. I would not recommend a VW. Hondas generally hold up pretty well, but any car can get beat up pretty good if the owner is neglectful.

If you live in a state that does smog tests, make SURE the car has been smogged within the last 30 days of when you purchase it. Otherwise, it's going to be up to you to get it smogged, and to pay for it.

I had a Nissan Sentra back in the early-mid '90s, and it was a great car. Very rugged and reliable. Plus, you can probably get them pretty cheap now. The SE-R model is a lot of fun to drive.

If you don't care about having the sportiest car on the block, I'd look at some mid-size sedans, since insurance tends to be lower on those than sports cars.

Don't be afraid to be a little picky, especially when you're dealing private party. If the sellers say things need to be fixed, negotiate a price for the car after those items have been fixed. For instance, if they're selling it for $2,500, but they say it needs a head gasket, new cat, etc. Tell them you'd be willing to pay $3,000 for it on the condition all those items are fixed when you buy it. Either they'll say "deal" or they'll just say "no deal" and sell it to you as-is, or nothing. Chances are, you'll come out ahead if you have the owners fix the problem, and provide documentation.

Hope this helps.  

thanks for the replies guys, Ya I should of been a lot clearer on what I wanted to do.

I want to buy a Used car, something under Two-thousand, I mean I just need something to take me to work and to College during the week.

Now I have talked to the sellers and many of them said for me to buy this and that, of course ive asked them to install the items themselves and ill pay for the parts but they refused to do it.

I mean ive been offered a 95' Grand Am for $750 (needs Battery), 95 LeBarron for $900 (new parts they say) and a 1998 Cutless for $850 (A couple dents).

now when I see these prices I say its too good to be true and im really nervous to get one.

Any tips?

btw, I don't have a Co-Signer to Finance a car, would that be a problem? i mean ive heard the old "Good Credit, Bad Credit or No Credit at all is NO PROBLEM" thing, I don't have any Credit at all.

thanks    

Well, the battery is probably one of the cheapest things to replace, but chances are, that's not the only thing it needs. Another thing I'd look at is to start the car, and go back behind it and look for any unusual purple or white smoke. A little condensation (water vapor) first thing in the morning is normal, but that should clear up after the first 15-20 minutes. Purple smoke could mean it's burning oil, which could be a sign of any number of problems. White smoke could mean an internal coolant leak.  

Any legitimate seller should also be willing to let the car receive a full inspection by a mechanic. If they refuse or are nervous, I wouldn't do a deal with them. You should know what you're getting into up-front.  

Don't forget that there are online services that can provide a little insight to the car as well if you can get the VIN number from them - e.g. carfax's vehicle history report.  Not sure how pricey it is, but if it's minimal, it might be worth it as a final check prior to purchase.  

ahh thanks guys, yeah ill do that, check out the back to see what color of smoke (give it a few mins) and then ask to take it to get a checkup? Would that cost anything to have a mechanic check it? I also dont really trust alot of Mechanics cause they will say something is wrong or needs to be replaced but really all they want is trying to dig into your pockets (it happened to my buddy).