Before I start I want to let you know I have been through 2 cars and on my 3rd. I have purchased through craigslist and autotrader. I have had to deal with scammers, flakers, liars, and crooks. I have totaled a car in the snow, I have had a car broken into, and I am currently dealing with a car that I was lied about to. I have been through insurance with my dad, and talked to plenty of repairmen and do much of my own work on my cars as well. I am going to research my own car and go through the steps to ensure you may do the same.
First, you should establish if you son or daughter is a good driver. I know this is hard to judge, but observe carefully because that can determine the fate of the car in the near future as they get used to driving. It also will determine how they treat the car(dings, maintenance, etc.) This can be where you determine what kind of car they are allowed to have as well if it be luxury, truck, economy, sports, etc.
For my example I have picked out these 4 vehicles. All of which you may want your teenager to drive.
1999 VW Beetle - 76,000 Miles 5-speed manual $4900
1997 Toyota Corolla - Automatic $2395
1995 BMW 525i - 5-speed manual $5,600
2000 Ford Mustang - 117,100 Miles 5-speed manual $5000
I have chosen a "cute", commuter, luxury, and sports car for the guide.
***Look out for modifications or custom parts. If a car may have them make sure they are either reliable or done by a professional.***
Helpful Links:
- www.autotrader.com
- www.craigslist.com
- www.vehix.com
Secondly, you must research, research, research. I recommend that you sit down with you child soon before or soon after acquiring their license that you narrow down to a list of suitable cars then research, research, research them. Look at the categories of gas mileage, reliability, parts price, and owner reviews. You should get on google and find forums on the top choice of cars and read around. As well as looking for any recalls on those vehicles simply via google with a example search like "1997 Ford Mustang recalls." Also research how easy it is to replace parts and how expensive repairs are. See if you can't do it yourself to save money. This way you don't have to deal with a potentially disappointing automobile.
Gas Mileage Site: www.fueleconomy.org
For my 4 example I have found the following recalls by simply googling the make, model, and year, then having this website as my resource.
99' VW Beetle
http://www.internetautoguide.com/auto-recalls/09-int/1999/volkswagen/beetle/index.html
97' Toyota Corolla
http://www.internetautoguide.com/auto-recalls/09-int/1997/toyota/corolla/index.html
95' BMW 525i
http://www.internetautoguide.com/auto-recalls/99-int/1995/bmw/5-series/525i-sedan/230/index.html
00' Ford Mustang
http://www.internetautoguide.com/auto-recalls/09-int/2000/ford/mustang/index.html
Third, time to go out and evaluate your options. This is when you start looking at the Kelly Blue Book value of the top choice vehicles and visitng the seller. When you get to the place of meeting or dealership make sure to be ready with a lot of questions. Bring the Kelley Blue Book and the ad in print form for safety.
You should be asking question like:
- Why are you selling it?
- What problems have you had?
- How often do you drive it?
- What kind of mileage have you had?
- How fast do you drive?
- How far is your commute?
- Whats the farthest the car has traveled?
- Are you willing to negotiate on price?
While this is going on make a very detailed inspection of the car. Look at and test everything. See if the windows roll down, see if the radio/ speakers work, inspect under and in the engine for leaks, listen and see how it runs(listen for knocks, and look for smoke), test the electronics, look for signs of leakage around windows and trunk.
For my 4 example cars I went out and looked at each individual car and inspected them:
99' VW Beetle - It was in good condition, a true used car but very very suitable for a high school driver. No major problems, little things like near worn tires, minor ding on front bumper(no paint missing). The seller was very truthful and confident of their answers. Mechanically ran fine.
97' Toyota Corolla - It was pretty old but still very practical. Gas mileage superb. Everything worked, minor moisture leakage on right rear passenger window(easy fix). Seller was a sales man so hard to get a true answer knowing he had never owned the car.
95 BMW 525i - The car looked to be in amazing condition, had very few dings for its age. The only thing that did not work well was the CD player and the passenger power seat. Leather was worn(expected) and Seller was very honest and admitted to all the problems.
00' Ford Mustang - The car was in good condition, not amazing. The car had very few dings, faded headlights, and the fan ran kind of off par. Seller was not very honest and had left out that the brake pads were near dead, oil was soon overdue, and tires were in need of changing. Other then that a pretty good car.
Ask for a test drive, if the seller refuses or wants to test drive it them self that is a warning sign.
Another warning sign is unclear information or a lack of knowledge of the car.
***At this time retrieve the VIN#*** (you amy need this later for a Carfax report) Carfax tells you all recorded history of accidents, branded titles, milage, etc. CAREFUL look for gaps in the report as that may lead to a bad vehicle.
www.carfax.com - $30 unlimited 1-month VIN reports.
Fourth, you have to be set on you decision. After going through everything and getting used to the car you have your eyes on make sure to go through it again and look at similar car. This is important so you can base you choice on multiple examples. Look at what you are willing to compensate on for price or color. Things like A/C, power windows, power locks, alarm, no CD player, rear legroom, rear seats, trunk space, MPG, car condition. All of those things can just be luxuries and be left out of your decision.
Fifth, you must buy the car. At this point you should have ran through everything on the car you have your eyes set on. Make sure you are getting what you have put this work into for a good price. Remember that taxes will bring the price up after the purchase. After everything is paid for you may want to bring it to a trusty mechanic of yours and have a good look thorugh just to be sure its ready for the road so you teen can commute to school everyday.
For my 4 examples I have chosen the 1997 Toyota Corolla for its gas mileage, parts/ repair costs, reliability, and price. Remember this is my example, not necessarily what you should buy.
*Note: All sellers did not want pictures taken of them or when present*
Remember DON'T GET RIPPED OFF
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