Re: "Good" used car lots
Posted by:
Real World Motors
()
Date: July 13, 2013 01:45PM
Car Buyer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Anyone have experience with one of those used car
> lots you see around? I'm sure they're sketchy,
> but there has to be one that's more towards the
> honest end of the spectrum than the rest. I'd
> rather not go this route, but it may come to
> that.
>
> Recomendations?
"Good" is a relative term I suppose but basically there are none.
All of those little lots get virtually all of their cars from the same place - wholesale auctions. Cars end up there mostly because they are high mileage, in poor condition, undesirable models, needing significant repairs, etc., and generally represent the dregs of the used car world. They're left over from what "better" dealers (also a relative term) can't put on their certified lots, aren't economically repaired relative to what they can get out of them, don't want to bother with, charity donations, etc. Virtually all of the better stuff and any deals get skimmed above that level before they get there. Once in a while something may slip through but that's very rare. Obviously, cars can be repaired/refurbished, but it's a business for them and that's done as cheaply as possible and/or the price goes up to recover those costs.
Not to say that you can't find any but the odds are against you as far as finding a good car at a good price just based on how that world works. Generally speaking, you're better off going with a private sale if you have the time to look. That puts you, at least potentially, a few rungs up on the ladder as far as "good" cars in the pool that you're looking at, you're not paying a premium to cover profit (which can then go to any needed repairs), and your likelihood for repairs basically is just as good or better.
All that said, over the years I have bought a few cars from such places. But when I did though it was cars that I knew very, very well and they were unusual deals where I was able to negotiate a price which took into account all major repairs that I knew potentially would need to be done and still come out at or below market value or where I could just bail and dump it.