Finding Used Cars in Good Condition
by Jeremy Bochenek
The goal of any used car shopper is to find cheap used cars in good condition. But it can be difficult to avoid the junkers, rust buckets, overpriced and lemon cars that so often find their way to used car lots and bury the real gems in row after row of sheet metal and painted plastics. So how do you identify good cheap cars and what are the signs?
First what is a good cheap car? Cars in excellent condition are the top, the kind driven only to church on Sunday, which was garage kept, with never a problem or scratch. If you find one of these at a good price, treasure it, because most of the time there's a price to be paid for such quality. Good condition used cars however are in the middle between excellent and those real cheap cars. They have no major mechanical problems; the paint and body are in good condition which means you shouldn't be seeing rust or flaking paint.
You shouldn't have to worry about bald tires, holes in the seats, or any big dents or dings. The car should also run as good as it looks. But good is also a subjective term, so evaluate a car for yourself before considering an offer and have a mechanic look it over to be sure before buying. What can look on the outside to be a 'good' car can be nothing but an empty shell if the seller is hiding major problems.
Looking at cars from popular used car dealers can be a way to side step some problems. Popular used car dealers are more likely to have a car prep crew on hand to ensure the car is clean and mechanics are on hand to ensure the car is at least safe to drive. Remember, though a dirty car that may have potential to be in good condition isn't the same thing as a car that is in good condition.
And to further cut down on potential wear, consider buying a car with only one previous owner. You can search for cheap cars on Smartcarfinder.com with only one previous owner by checking the box for one owner vehicles. This will then filter the searches to only cars with a Carfax vehicle history report showing only one prior owner. Checking the Carfax report is also a good idea to make sure that the car that claims its in good condition with no prior accidents at least hasn't been reported as being in an accident.
Identifying Good Cheap Cars
First what is a good cheap car? Cars in excellent condition are the top, the kind driven only to church on Sunday, which was garage kept, with never a problem or scratch. If you find one of these at a good price, treasure it, because most of the time there's a price to be paid for such quality. Good condition used cars however are in the middle between excellent and those real cheap cars. They have no major mechanical problems; the paint and body are in good condition which means you shouldn't be seeing rust or flaking paint.
You shouldn't have to worry about bald tires, holes in the seats, or any big dents or dings. The car should also run as good as it looks. But good is also a subjective term, so evaluate a car for yourself before considering an offer and have a mechanic look it over to be sure before buying. What can look on the outside to be a 'good' car can be nothing but an empty shell if the seller is hiding major problems.
Tips for Buying Used Cars in Good Condition
Looking at cars from popular used car dealers can be a way to side step some problems. Popular used car dealers are more likely to have a car prep crew on hand to ensure the car is clean and mechanics are on hand to ensure the car is at least safe to drive. Remember, though a dirty car that may have potential to be in good condition isn't the same thing as a car that is in good condition.
And to further cut down on potential wear, consider buying a car with only one previous owner. You can search for cheap cars on Smartcarfinder.com with only one previous owner by checking the box for one owner vehicles. This will then filter the searches to only cars with a Carfax vehicle history report showing only one prior owner. Checking the Carfax report is also a good idea to make sure that the car that claims its in good condition with no prior accidents at least hasn't been reported as being in an accident.
