Donna Said:

Buy a new or used car? college student?

We Answered:

When you buy a new car, the minute you drive it off the lot, the value just dropped drastically. It is then considered a used car.
A used car is definitely the way to go.
The key to finding a reliable used car is-
1) Shop around and compare prices, find out how long it's been on their lot. If it's been there more than a month then it''s either overpriced or not a good vehicle, nobody else wants it.
2) Don't buy a disposable car; alot of cheaper cars are considered not worth the money you will need to put into them later on.
3) Be sure to buy one with low mileage.
4) Definitely take the car to a trusted mechanic during the test drive!
5) Be sure to ask for the carfax report for that vehicle and READ IT.
NEVER offer them their asking price! They always allow plenty of negotiating room when setting the price.
Start with an offer of just over 1/2 of the asking price.
If you have the cash, it's a good idea to buy from a private seller instead of a dealer.
Then you won't be paying their overhead-the dealers rent, phone bill, PG&E, salesman's salary, etc. and get a much better deal.
You do not need insurance yourself to test drive, the dealer has this covered.
The best insurance for you is Geico.
You are welcome to email me, I'm outside of S.F. and will be happy to give more advice.

Brent Said:

Recommendation for what kind of used car a college student should buy?

We Answered:

good question, nowadays there are so many broken down old and new cars for sale, finding the jewels for sale in the pile of broken crap available is increasingly difficult. Let me start by recommending a website www.samarins.com is free, it has tons of information on how to buy, and what to look for when buying used cars. As far as asking questions, the best thing to do, is get in the car and start driving. I have a figured out over the years something that worked pretty well for me, hopefully it will help you and you can pass it along to help others.
I like to test drive ANY used car when its cold and been sitting overnight (at least) Many people, will try to sell a car with a problem just beginning, because they do not want to get stuck with the repair bill. For example a transmission problem just beginning, may only show up when the vehicle is cold. The car will literally not even move for the first 15 minutes. But once warmed up may work fine the rest of the day (but not for long) I had an old man do this to me, he lived in a million dollar house, and he burned me, I am in a wheelchair from arthritis (looking at the car for a female friend) I asked him the night before not to warm it up, but he did anyhow, and looked confused and pathetic when I asked him why he started it up ? (and I drove one hour just to get there) well stupid me, figured the pathetic old man brain was rotting. So I bought the car, and sure enough the next morning when it was cold, I started it up and it had a problem. So for a private party car, always test drive it cold, if you ask them not to warm it up, and they do anyway, walk away, is my advice.
I suggest you stick with front engine, rear wheel drive only, Front wheel drive cars are ok when new, but are no good when it comes to high mileage no front wheel drive over 50,000 miles. nissan, honda, toyota and subaru are on my list, no to anything else, they are just no good when older.
An engine too have a problem just beginning, it may only show up when cold too, it may be hard to start, or it may start and make some rattling noise or loud banging or knocking and blow big clouds of smoke the first several seconds, and then be ok for the rest of the day.(but again, not for long) engine oil should look like engine oil brown and clear and clean. Transmission fluid should be pinkish or reddish clear and sniff the dipstick,it should not be brown black and smell burnt.
I start a car up, if it smooths into a high idle in the first 5 to 10 seconds, without loud banging noises, I give it a minute or two to warm up for oil circulation, then drive it like I stole it. ANY USED CAR, THAT CAN RUN AND DRIVE AND STOP AND GET UP TO FREEWAY SPEEDS (55MPH) IN THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES, MAY NOT BE IN TOO BAD OF SHAPE, OK?
and this would be more so at a private party car, car dealers don't have time to warm up every car anyhow.
Plan on test driving any used car for 30 to 40 minutes, minimum. a cold start, followed by a extended test drive, is going to eliminate most crappy cars. The reason for the long test drive? most cars take 20 minutes to warm up properly. If you test drive a car for 40 minutes to an hour, it will likely last you awhile .
This is also the time to check out all the bells and whistles, make sure everything works, check the radio, make sure the heater and the ac work, power windows? roll them up, and all the way down several times each, not just an inch or two. Open and close the doors, check the brake lights and turn signals while looking in the trunk, BEEN raining lately? get down into the layers of the trunk, look under the spare tire for stinky water and rust. By checking and making notes of lights and things that do not work, you can check with your mechanic. later on. Never be in a hurry to buy anything. No matter what happens, I know one thing for sure, there is always a better car, for less money with lower mileage around the corner, some of the best, nice, cheapest cars I ever found, were by accident, coming back from looking at yet another endless pile of broken crap car. I love the little old lady, or little old man cars, I found some three and four hundred dollar cars, I wish I had today. The owner took care of it, did not beat the pee out of it, fixed what broke, and other than an occasional pole that jumped out and hit the back end were great cars.
Its also a good idea to know what price something is, www.nada.com is a price guide, there is a section for classics too (20 years and older) be patient, and patient, and look for a car owned by some older person And if you have any more questions, you can always take the car to a mechanic, after all you have been over it pretty good by now, having a mechanic test drive it, inspect the brakes and front end, and the underside for oil leaks and frame damage or repair is a good idea, and since you checked all the lights and turn signals and horn and stuff don't pay him to do it again. hope this helps.

Janice Said:

What is a good used car for a college student?

We Answered:

It should be 4-door, 4-cyls, not sporty. I would prefer Honda or Toyota... First time drivers usually have much more expensive car insurance, and it depends from car. You should compare insurance rates while choosing the car - for example here - carquotes.imess.net

Virginia Said:

The best used cars for the environment?

We Answered:

Flex-fuel ones(cars in actual production)

Samuel Said:

What is a good used car to purchase for a college student?

We Answered:

If you're looking for something low cost and reliable, I would look at a toyota carolla. They get good gas mileage, are pretty cheap to insure, and make good commuter cars. My mom had one for 20 years!
However, if you need room to store stuff you might consider a wagon such as a subaru outback (not as reliable as toyotas, but still a good choice.) In smaller suvs, the Rav4 or Toyota highlander area also good choices.
Toyotas and Hondas are the most reliable, but Hyundais are a great alternative, because they are cheap and are becomming more an more reliable. Avoid luxury cars, because they are more expensive to insure and repair.
For any car, it's important to look at the mileage (anything over 130k will start to have mechanical problems)
It's also important to go to Kelly Blue Book to see if the seller is giving you a reasonable offer for the car's price.
Make sure the previous owner has all records, a clean title, and good general knowledge about the car.
You can also look up good used cars on consumerreports.com
They have a lot of great info about cars.
And remember to bring a friend who has good car knowledge with you when you go to look at the cars. They can give input and might point out some things you hadn't noticed.

Andre Said:

Recommended used car for a college student?

We Answered:

A big mid-ninties Buick or Oldsmobile... you can park this in front of the frat house with the windows down, and not be afraid of someone stealing it...

it won't matter if frat brother " Peanut" heaves a six of Coors and four chili dogs on the back floorboard...

four buddies, and all your fishing gear can make that roadtrip up to " Lost Crystal Lake" in comfort....