I'm looking for a 5th gen maxima and the prices are cheaper and more in my price range from private than dealers. Is it worth the extra to get a maxima from a dealership? Obviously the good thing for private is cheaper but what can be bad about it? What do you reccommend?

thanks

 

Buying any used car is going to be a gamble.

A dealer generally has no idea what the previous owner did. They might lie about anything. Usually, they just detail out a trade-in and throw it on the lot. If you can find one that has a type of pre-owned warranty and inspection, it might be worth a little extra for that kind of coverage.

The previous owner isn't always going to tell you what he/she did. He/she might lie about anything. They also might be very honest. Some accidents don't show up on carfax. They might tell you they changed the oil every 3k, but they only changed the oil twice in 30k miles. Anything is possible.

I have purchased only two new cars in my life and five "nearly new" cars from a dealership, along with four private party cars. Only one -- a Mustang convertible I bought private party -- had stolen license plates on it (the title was clear, though). Other than that, I have been pretty lucky. No serious flaws. All five "nearly new" cars were Nissan products, I might add.

Good luck with your search

 

Buying any new car is a risk. BUT! If you do your homework and take the time you can help your cause. Check into everything! Go over the car with a fine tooth comb, if you are not a pro bring one with you, look at the body, the tell tale signs for wear and mileage, use carfax, DMV, anything to get a beat on the previous owner and the cars history, pulll the tires, check the fluids, especially the tranny if it is an automatic. That is a costly item. GOOD LUCK!!

 

I would always buy private party over a dealership, but finding the right type of person to buy from takes time. In illinois you also save a bunch of money on sales tax buying private party

 

ye, nothing good about a used car dealer, trust me i know i used to sell cars. always try a private party first. somethines however you come across the car you want ata dealers lot, well in that case you can expect to overpay, but if its eactly what you want then it may be worth it.

 

well im looking for a 6-speed 02-03 and dealers are around 18-19k but once in a while i find one from a private party about 2000 less than dealers. The person i'm looking to buy one from now just needs money so he has to sell and the car seems to be in great shape with oil changed at the right times. My thought is anyone who has a 6-speed probly loves it and takes care of it.

 

My thought is anyone with a 6-spd beats the hell out of their car and races it any chance they get. But thats just my opinion.

Either way you go you can get shafted, dealer or owner. Just use every resource possible to check the car out yourself. Use the carfax, bring a mechanic, test everything possible on the car. Dont rely on what the owner/dealer says.

 

I paid private for mine from one of the biggest dealers in atlanta. 7 hours of bargaining will get you this..

 

well its an older person so theres a good chance it wasn't beaten on

 

only time I would go dealer is if you find a used trade-in max at a new car dealership. Usually they put the trade-ins in the back and are eager to get rid of them. New car dealerships don't like having used cars on the lot.

 

if your looking at an 02 it'll probably have like 30k or so. even if they beat the crap out of it, its not gonna do that much harm. they are built to be driven. they may drive it hard, but i doubt they are taking it past redline or anything...what car lover would do that??

 

Definately try private first. Get a carfax report and get it checked out by your mechanic if your worried that there might be any problems either then that you should be saving money and feeling alittle more at ease.

 

just got my '99 SE from a used dealer close to where i work. both my cousin and a co-worker got used A4s from this place and both were satisfied with the experience. it had every feature i was looking for, and once i took it out for a test drive, i knew i had to get it. the deal worked out, and they actually offered me money on my used Saturd for a trade-in. the loan i got wasn't great, but i'll refinance it soon enough.


all the posters that have said "Carfax doesn't tell you everything" are exactly right!!!. My trade-in had a bent frame and would eat through front tires in three months, but if you run a Carfax on it you'll see a perfect record. Carfax is a nice resource, and you can definitely rule out vehicles if their reports come back messy... but that report that says the vehicle is tip-top should never be taken as gospel.