Comments on: “A Deer Tried to Kiss Me Driving 40mph” (Help!)

By: J. Money

J. Money — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:23:30 +0000

Glad it worked out, Brandi! Thanks for letting me share your story/questions around ;)

By: Brandi

Brandi — Mon, 16 May 2011 17:39:12 +0000

Hey J,

Just an update: Last week/weekend, after spending a LOT of time on craigslist, kelley blue book, and wikipedia (I don’t do cars…so I had to look up the ones that didn’t have pictures to see what they were) I narrowed my search down to what I thought I wanted.

I knew I wanted a small SUV. I liked the look, the space, and the idea that it might take more than a kiss from a deer to destroy it! So then I started searching by make/model on craigslist and using the information to go back and forth from the ads to kelley blue book I found a bunch of used Kia Sportages that were reasonably priced.

I went to a couple of private owners first, but none of them were willing to wait until my insurance check came in. So I continued to shop. At a small dealer in Missouri I found one with only 75,000 miles on it priced within my budget. So I went and test drove it. I took the boyfriend because he is a serious negotiator! Dave Ramsey would love him. We got him talked down enough to be able to cover taxes and fees with the insurance check too.

I put down a $200 deposit. AND should be picking it up this next weekend, pending the insurance of course.

SO that’s my story.

Hopefully you won’t get another email from me regarding the destruction of this car anytime soon. I’m hoping to make it AT LEAST 2 years with this one!

Thanks for all your help and your readers’ advice!
Brandi

By: J. Money

J. Money — Fri, 13 May 2011 21:45:33 +0000

@Diane – Yeah, be sure to listen to your gut and just lay out everything you need to be comfortable with the situation :) For example, request all cash or cashier’s check, over personal check. Or better yet, go with the buyer to the bank to have them issue it directly to you. Stuff like that. You can never be too careful when talking with prospective buyers, but you can put lots of barriers up that would possibly detract the jackals. When I sold my Highlander, I made the guy bring me $16k or so in pure hard cash :) Had him meet me at my bank where the loan was still at, and hand it right to the teller (it was a bag fullllll of money!!! hahaha…). That way, if something was wrong we’d find out ASAP and it was at the bank where things can be caught. It’s annoying as hell as the buyer, esp if he’s 100% trustworthy, but if they want it that bad they’ll take the extra steps. And you can get a good feeling for someone after spending some time going back and forth in negotiations, test-driving, etc etc. Always have someone with you for back up and extra opinions too :)
@Donna Freedman – Hahahaa… wow. I would REALLY not leave the house if I were confined to a bus! I’m way too lazy for that ;) Save you crap tons of money though, that’s for sure!
@aj – Great great advice, tanks AJ! So true on that “universe” thing too – the more time and patience you have, the better odds of finding the “right” one :)
@JennyDee – Haha wowwwwww that’s some good research! Dang girl. I lose focus after 5-6 test drives! :) Very impressive though, you’ll be sure to reap those rewards! And good call on paying off that high % c/c too, that’s dope.
@DanB – YUP! all great great pieces of advice – thanks man! Esp on nasty car lots… those are the worst.
@Amy Saves – Does it ever get weird seeing your car in the wrong driveway? haha… hopefully it doesn’t break down anytime soon too – that would suck.
@Ashley – Oooooh now THAT’S an idea!!! Wow. Would have never thought up that one. I’d totally pay a mechanic to do that for me! Not only for the convenience, but the fact that he’s a mechanic too! If he knows the car, he would win over prospective buyers every time! Would be hard not to trust him, haha… as long as he’s a “good” one.
@Brandi – Yes, please let us know! Glad you’re finding these useful – I am too!
@The Monthly Budgeter – Yup! You actually reminded me that I bought my last car there actually! Shipped it from Florida all the way up to Virginia :) Great great car too, miss it.
@Jenna – NO way!! haha… at first I thought you were gonna say that they were both “in it” together to try and get the price down or something, haha… not that I now how that would work? But what a great story :) I like that.

Reminds me of my uncles who once were trying to outbid eachother for a watch that was being sold all the way out in the UK. None of them ever used eBay much, but for whatever reason the were UNKNOWINGLY trying to outbid the other for it! Haha… the only way they found out? At a family reunion. The winner was wearing it and it caught the loser’s eye!!! hahhaha…. so crazy.

By: Jenna

Jenna — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:35:28 +0000

My boyfriend sold his vehicle last year via Craigslist and was happy with that. He had two interested parties…turned out that they were a married couple…the husband was looking for himself, and the wife was looking as a surprise for her husband. :-)

I also have family members who have purchased cars on eBay and have gotten some good deals. Either way, you’ll have to be careful about who you’re buying from, and definitely get a second opinion on the car.

By: The Monthly Budgeter

The Monthly Budgeter — Thu, 12 May 2011 22:08:35 +0000

I have had success selling cars in the local classifieds, so that may be a way to go. However with the decreasing newspaper subscriptions, Craigslist or Ebay could be great options. I know a friend that bought a Mustang on Ebay for a great price. It just takes time to find the deal that fits you.

By: Brandi

Brandi — Thu, 12 May 2011 21:29:18 +0000

Thanks J and to all of your guys for your advice! Hopefully I’ll have some great updates after this weekend :)

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 12 May 2011 21:16:01 +0000

My family has had some luck selling cars through a mechanic. He’s willing to let the cars sit at his repair shop (and deal with the test drives and such) for a reasonable fee. If you know any reputable private mechanics they might have something similar going or know of someone who’s trying to sell.

By: Amy Saves

Amy Saves — Thu, 12 May 2011 21:10:15 +0000

I got lucky when I sold my car. My neighbor was interested in buying it from me. She gave me less than what I was asking for, but it worked out since she paid in cash and I didn’t have to wait for someone to buy it. Plus, some people on CL can be shady, just be careful you don’t get scammed.

By: DanB

DanB — Thu, 12 May 2011 18:13:33 +0000

Stay away from car lots at that price range. I would get an idea of what you are looking for make/model wise before just looking for price. Make sure once you settle on what model you like that you dont just buy the first “nice” one you see and that you look up owners forums to find out common problems for the model and get possible good deals from the forum as well. Other than forums, Craigslist private sellers probably best bet. Dont be afraid of high mileage (150k plus miles) if it is Subaru, Honda, Toyota and has been obviously taken care of. Most import 4 cylinder cars use timing belts and a lot have interference engines, check history on that, many get neglected around that price range and if it breaks you may have expensive valve damage.

By: JennyDee

JennyDee — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:59:52 +0000

I just bought a new/used car two months ago. I put down $3800 (eerie coincidence??) and financed $9000 at 2.75%. I would have put down more, but I paid down a credit card $1000 instead (it’s at 11%).

I searched used cars on autotrader.com, edmonds.com, carsoup.com, kbb.com and craigslist. It took me 17 test drives and 18 dealers, but I bought a 2009 Pontiac with 44K miles. I wanted a coupe, so it was mucho hard to find what I wanted in a used, reliable car. This is GM certified.

The worst thing about buying used is having to drive each and every car to learn their nuances. I thought I knew what I wanted (Honda Civic, Impala, Taurus), found cool cars (VW Bug, Nissan) and ended up with something completely different. For me, combining a good price with good mileage (I’m getting average 29mpg) was optimal.

I have a friend who has bought all her cars for cash, well below $4000. Each and every one has been cr*p. I think it may be the car lots she’s going to, more than the cars themselves. If you find a car you like, research it, have a mechanic look at it, check the VIN (but this doesn’t always list all the problems with a car, including not listing wrecks). I could have gotten a car for cash, but I didn’t want to have to go through the buying cycle again in five years. I want mine to last 8-10 like they have been.