How to find the right first car for you
Obviously, you know that new cars can only come from new-car dealers, but used cars can come from a variety of places including private individual sellers, car dealers, automotive web sites, classified ad sites, and even public car auctions.
From private party sellers
You can buy a used car from an individual seller - someone who owns a car they no longer want. These people may advertise their cars in a number of ways. Some simply place “for sale” signs in the windows. Others may park the car in an abandoned parking lot or consignment lots with a “for sale” sign and contact information. Others may advertise in newspaper classifieds or “autotrader” magazines available free at supermarkets and auto parts stores. Others may place ads on online sites such as , AutoTrader, and UsedCars.com.
From new-car dealers
Most new-car dealers also have used-car lots. These tend to be late models cars in relatively good condition and with low mileage. Some sell “certified” used cars that have been thoroughly inspected and come with a warranty, at a slightly higher cost than non-certified cars.
From used car dealers
These are independent used car dealers who are not associated with car manufacturers. They range from dealers who specialize in exotic cars, antique cars, luxury cars down to dealers who specialize in low-cost cars for people with poor credit and limited finances. Some of the lower-end dealers, called “buy-here-pay-here” dealers, should generally be avoided. They charge high rates for loans, selll older cars with high mileage and potential problems, and have very tight restrictions on payment terms. Many of their cars are repossessed from customers and sold over and over again.
If you have credit problems, you should consider a dealer who finances his own loans and works with people who have bad credit. Drivetime.com is such a dealer who has locations all over the country.
From online web sites
There are many web sites that offer used cars for sale by individuals and from dealers. One of the most popular is craigslist.com, Another is , which offers tons of cars from individual private sellers and provides buyer protection features. And another is UsedCars.com . There are many others but you should take precautions to avoid scams and cheats, particularly on online classifed ad sites such as craigslist and autotrader (see our article, Is This a Car Scam).
From car auctions
There are a number of different kinds of car auctions: government auctions, repo auctions, insurance auctions, and unclaimed vehicle auctions. For more details on these types of car auctions, we suggest you see, Car Auctions for Cheap Cars.
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