There are two used car lots in my area that I am comfortable dealing with: Brubaker's Auto and another on the east side of Lebanon. Last time I bought a vehicle, my wife's cousin came along. I am not a car person and he is.Biblical Anabaptist wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 8:28 amGlad to hear I am not the only one
Buying Cars
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steve-in-kville
Re: Buying Cars
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Ken
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Re: Buying Cars
Last time I bought a used car it was to help my daughter in college replace a car that was totaled when she was rear-ended.
I only had one 3-day weekend to get the job done while visiting her from out of state so I just used CarFax to see what was available, hit all the dealer lots in the region, and she wound up with a Kia Soul bought from a Subaru dealer that she has since put over 100K on so it has turned out to have been a reliable car. Did we get the best possible deal? Probably not. But we got a reasonable deal for a reliable car that didn't have some sketchy history. So it all worked out.
For new car shopping I only do it online and have the deal done on paper before even visiting the dealership. But that was all pre-pandemic when cars were abundant. I would not want to be shopping today when the popular models are all scarce.
I only had one 3-day weekend to get the job done while visiting her from out of state so I just used CarFax to see what was available, hit all the dealer lots in the region, and she wound up with a Kia Soul bought from a Subaru dealer that she has since put over 100K on so it has turned out to have been a reliable car. Did we get the best possible deal? Probably not. But we got a reasonable deal for a reliable car that didn't have some sketchy history. So it all worked out.
For new car shopping I only do it online and have the deal done on paper before even visiting the dealership. But that was all pre-pandemic when cars were abundant. I would not want to be shopping today when the popular models are all scarce.
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A fool can throw out more questions than a wise man can answer. -RZehr
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Ken
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Re: Buying Cars
Bringing someone else along to act as a contrary voice is a great strategy for dealing with dealers. Even if they aren't a "car person". Just having someone around to say within earshot of the salesman "I don't know, I think we should go back to that other dealership, that car was a better deal and I think you liked it better" can light a fire under them to make something happen.steve-in-kville wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 8:32 amThere are two used car lots in my area that I am comfortable dealing with: Brubaker's Auto and another on the east side of Lebanon. Last time I bought a vehicle, my wife's cousin came along. I am not a car person and he is.
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A fool can throw out more questions than a wise man can answer. -RZehr
Re: Buying Cars
It's been a couple years...
I'm looking for a site that shows the most used cars on lots near me...
I'm looking for a site that shows the most used cars on lots near me...
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A wee little man can’t say, I’m sorry. A big man owns his mistakes and apologizes.
A wee little man trusts himself and his own discernment. A big man is humble enough to know that he needs the counsel and input of others.
A wee little man trusts himself and his own discernment. A big man is humble enough to know that he needs the counsel and input of others.
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Ken
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Re: Buying Cars
Carfax does that. I think it only shows used cars on dealership lots though and not so much small used car lots. But I'm not sure.
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A fool can throw out more questions than a wise man can answer. -RZehr
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JohnL
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Re: Buying Cars
Is there a specific kind of car you're looking for? I just do a search by typing the car model + my zip code + for sale. It usually pulls up
Auto Trader and Carfax cars.
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Free Will Baptist <-> Anabaptist
”Try hard not to offend. Try harder not to be offended.” Robert Martz
”Try hard not to offend. Try harder not to be offended.” Robert Martz
Re: Buying Cars
I want to plug in things like mileage, price range, etc and not have it bring up other years and models and price ranges
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A wee little man can’t say, I’m sorry. A big man owns his mistakes and apologizes.
A wee little man trusts himself and his own discernment. A big man is humble enough to know that he needs the counsel and input of others.
A wee little man trusts himself and his own discernment. A big man is humble enough to know that he needs the counsel and input of others.
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Ken
- Posts: 21863
- Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2019 12:02 am
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- Affiliation: former MCUSA
Re: Buying Cars
You can do that with Carfax. Also distance from your location. But I don’t know how comprehensively it scans all used car lots. You can also see the car’s repair and sales history which is sometimes useful and enlightening.Ernie wrote: ↑Wed Feb 12, 2025 3:07 pmI want to plug in things like mileage, price range, etc and not have it bring up other years and models and price ranges
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A fool can throw out more questions than a wise man can answer. -RZehr
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JohnL
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Re: Buying Cars
I recall you can do that at both of those sites above.Ernie wrote: ↑Wed Feb 12, 2025 3:07 pmI want to plug in things like mileage, price range, etc and not have it bring up other years and models and price ranges
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Free Will Baptist <-> Anabaptist
”Try hard not to offend. Try harder not to be offended.” Robert Martz
”Try hard not to offend. Try harder not to be offended.” Robert Martz
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Undershepherd
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Re: Buying Cars
The top sites used by the highest number of new and used car dealers are www.autotrader.com and www.cargurus.com
Other notable sites with slightly less users are cars.com, carfax.com, and kbb.com
Usually a dealership will use at least one of those four and sometimes more than one.
Other notable sites with slightly less users are cars.com, carfax.com, and kbb.com
Usually a dealership will use at least one of those four and sometimes more than one.
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