My 1998 Honda Civic with 266k miles needs to be replaced due to Indiana winters rusting out the frame (still runs like a top). Any suggestions in tracking down a good used car via the inter webs much appreciated. We bought a certified Honda Odyssey Van (a 2016) in 2019. The local dealer was not the greatest.

Need experience in how to locate a good ride at a good (fair) price. I am reading the CR reports and researching reliable and best rated vehicles but now need help in locating one of these on line. I would also consider private owners but there don’t appear to be many folks that personally sell their vehicles after upgrading to a new one.

Any advice on finding a sweet ride (cars.com, rental companies, finding private owners, etc.) and your personal experiences much appreciated.

In our area, I seem to have the best luck when buying from private sellers from listings on either Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. I have been tempted many times by autos on eBay (often dealers), but in the end have skipped that route to avoid interstate travel and the various hassles of re-titling in my state of residence.

CarMax is a reasonable option.

If you're interested in something particular, you might find online communities based around the particular model.

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clay
In our area, I seem to have the best luck when buying from private sellers from listings on either Craigslist or Facebook marketplace.

Now I would actually say the opposite of that! In preferred order:

Certified Previously Owned (CPO) from a dealer
CarMax or Carvana, where there is a decent return policy
Used car dept at reputable new car dealer (read Yelp and BBB reviews first)
Craigslist/FB Marketplace (Scam city!)
Buy here, pay here type dealerships

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA

Appreciate the advice. Keep them coming. We are located west of Indy. The Honda dealer we bought the van from was acceptable but not extremely highly rated. We saw the vehicle on the lot before it had been prepped. It had 40k on it and 1 owner with a minor accident on the carfax. It needed tires. I told them I did not want cheap rubber, but of course the sales guy either got over ruled or never gave the message to the shop and they put on a poorly rated cheap make. When I came in and showed them the bank check and said they screwed up it was 2 days before they called and offered to upgrade the tires but still charged extras for the Michelin’s I’d desired. So not a big fan of this dealer. Just don’t want to drive all over heck’s half acre to be pitched by various sales people.

Most dealers won’t show a used car before it’s ready unless the buyer insists. Another way to handle that is, if offered to take a look at something that just came in, decline and tell them to call you when it’s presentable. They may or may not do that, but at least you wouldn’t be buying a car based on its future condition of tire quality or whatever.

From what I’ve seen, the places like Carnax and Carvana make the most sense for used if you’re not wanting any hassle because that’s all they do.

On the other hand, say you’re looking for a late-model Honda. Searching autotrader.com will reveal them at any dealer, so if your local Honda dealer isn’t great there’s no reason why the local Chevy or Toyota dealer might not have a good one there instead.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2021 04:39PM by deckeda.

I like CarGuru's as a search tool. I set my specifics-make, model, year, mileage, price and search radius--and let it send me a notice when my wants pop up. I start looking about a year out from when I want to replace, and wait for the right deal to hit my in box. For ease of doing business, definitely CarMax. But there inventory is way down this year and you pay $500-$1,500 for that easy transaction.

For somewhat older used cars, Car Gurus can be pretty good, depending on your local market. If your market is decent, and you can afford to be patient for a couple of weeks, or so, odds are darn good you'll find a decent deal.

FYI, Carmax sells off lots of great older trade-ins to local/regional indy used car dealers. That keeps the average age of Carmax's used fleet reasonably new, and provides good stock to indy dealers. Another secret source is assisted living facilities, where the oldies moving in and living there often have to part with their low mileage cars.
Good luck.
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Cars.com. I will travel for the right car but then I buy uncommon models.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2021 05:44PM by Speedy.

I have had good luck with my local car mechanic...plus they usually know the car.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2021 06:28PM by Lizabeth.

I used carsoup.com to find my most recent used car. Ended up buying it from a used car dealer owned by the same ownership group as a number of local service stations. I had enough lead time while searching that I was able to watch them mark down the listing price several times.

[bringatrailer.com]

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

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davester
[bringatrailer.com]

I've found a lot of stellar deals on "average" cars at BMW/Porsche/MB dealers. They usually just want the cars off the lot and already made their money on the new car.

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C(-)ris
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Car Gurus
Carmax

Bring a trailer is just fun.

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Staunton, Virginia

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Buzz
For somewhat older used cars, Car Gurus can be pretty good, depending on your local market. If your market is decent, and you can afford to be patient for a couple of weeks, or so, odds are darn good you'll find a decent deal.

FYI, Carmax sells off lots of great older trade-ins to local/regional indy used car dealers. That keeps the average age of Carmax's used fleet reasonably new, and provides good stock to indy dealers. Another secret source is assisted living facilities, where the oldies moving in and living there often have to part with their low mileage cars.
Good luck.
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I would be more apt to take a high mileage, very new car over a low mileage old car. Low mileage old cars may not be a deal. Often, the rubber and seals are shot, which can be very expensive to replace. Colleague's wife's car was only driven a few thousand miles per year. Before it was ten years old, virtually every bushing and body mount was shot.

I have had great luck with my local Credit Union car buying service. They were once a "home grown" type deal where the only cars they offered were the ones they had in their parking lot at one of the branches. Now they have their own building that they bought from an old dealership. But they still have the same deals. Basically no haggle with some great prices. If you're a member.

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I just purchased a new-to-me used car. In my case I was looking for a very specific model due to available feature set, and so used the big online search engines, augmented by Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Cars.com seems to have the most listings in my experience.

Ultimately it depends on what you're looking for and also how you're able to pay. Ideally I would have loved to avoid dealers and buy privately or from a trusted mechanic, but I ended up buying from an out-of-state dealer to get the car that I wanted.

Thanks for your help. I am interested in a vehicle for general transportation that will be comfortable and reliable for an occasional trip from Indy to Chicago if need be, and have enough room for 4 adults and a car seat. We bought the 2016 Odyssey as a people hauler for 7 adults and now can be useful for 6 adults and a car seat as in the last 2 years we lost a senior member but gained an infant who lives 3 hours away by interstate

I like Honda’s, Toyota’s and Subaru’s as I have experience with the first 2 and good research on the latter. My wife likes the “Forester”. I like the idea of buying slightly used as it knocks the sticker shock down a bit and have been saving up so as not having to finance up to a 25k.

For the money I feel the RAV4 and Honda CRV are too small and am inclined to buy a Sienna or another Odyssey before getting a Pilot or Highlander which are more money for slightly less room. The Odyssey is one of the mostly American made vehicles in this country. I would still consider an Accord or Camry as well and rely on our current Odyssey for road trips. These vehicles will hopefully be our last with any luck.

If it were up to me I would have something fun to drive with a stick like a Miata or S2000 but looks like the practicality overrules the fun factor and that is OK.

Update. The credit union is good in theory but right now slim pickings for the models we are looking for. I will keep checking them. C(-)ris suggested a high end dealer with off brand trade ins. This looks promising as well. Good prices, low miles and one owner. Also checking out and keeping tabs through on line (Car Gurus etc). Thanks everyone

Or I could just bite the bullet and pony up for this
[www.thedrive.com]