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Buy a used car for 3 months and sell it

 
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bei337 bei337
New User | Posts: 1 | Joined: 05/11
Posted: 05/05/11
09:00 PM

Hi guys!

I'm moving to Los Angeles this summer for an internship, and I need to find a set of wheels to get around town.  I've considered renting a economy car from Enterprise or Budget, but I just might have a better idea that could save me money and some grace.

Say I have some cash to spend right now, would it be viable to buy a decent used car (around $10K) and then trade-in 3 months later to get my money back?  The logic behind this is that since a used car probably won't depreciate much in a 3-month time span, especially if I don't put much mileage on it.  With any luck, I can probably get all of my money back at the end.  If unlucky, I might be down some money, but it certainly won't be as much as renting a car for 3 months (around $3000).  Basically I'm banking on a $10K used car not to depreciate $3000 in a 3-month period.  What do you guys think?

FYI, I'm looking at a 2004 Infiniti G35 coupe with quite decent conditions.  Thanks!  

 
Fiat_chase Fiat_chase
New User | Posts: 3 | Joined: 07/11
Posted: 07/06/11
04:50 PM

The car would depreciate more then you would think because there would be an additional owner on the carfax. It becomes harder for dealerships to sell used cars if it shows there are a bunch of owners. It makes the customer think there is something very wrong with the car. But I doubt it will go down 3k unless you hit something.  

 
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