Advice needed

[Gost2036]

Alright I'm looking to buy a new car and as I've never done it before I am looking for any helpful suggestions. I'm under somewhat of a time crunch because I'm not sure how much longer my current car will last. I give it 2 months at best. I'm not very picky when it comes to my cars. If it can get me from point A to point B reliably I'm good. Main info I'm looking for:

Associated fees with buying car
Tips for things to look for or ask about
If its better to go dealer or private seller.


I only have about $4,000 to work with as well. I live in Minnesota.
Let the collective wisdom begin.

[Aethian]

Where are you? Just so those of us who deal with road salt can narrow down the options we give.

[edible_hat]

Run the back of your hand along the bodywork, if it feels rough it's been repaired by a panel beater. Try to stick a magnet to different parts of the car, if it won't stick there's rust which has been painted over.

In Australia we have something called the Red Book which lists high, low and average prices for second hand cars. It's updated every month. Car dealers have to pay to get access but it's free for the general public.

[Chanlin]

Only real major advice I can give would be to have a mechanic you trust give the car a once over before purchasing it. I've done this with both used cars I've purchased and both times the mechanic spotted a minor problem. In the first instance the seller took care of the problem, in the second instance I negotiated a lower sale price and then had the problem fixed.

Its also a good idea once you make the purchase to have that same mechanic give the car a more thorough inspection. Generally the first inspection is just a cursory once over to make sure there aren't any obvious or common problems.

Other basic things to check on would be if the seller has a maintenance log of any kind showing what repairs have been done. Its better if he has receipts from the mechanic to back up the work and show any parts that have been repaired/replaced etc

In Australia we have something called the Red Book which lists high, low and average prices for second hand cars. It's updated every month. Car dealers have to pay to get access but it's free for the general public.

This would be the Kelley Blue Book in the states. Generally the same deal. More often than not you can google the year make and model of the car to find this listing or go to www.kbb.com

[Pedersen]

I'll point you to some of the best advice I can: Edmund's (http://www.edmunds.com/)

You can get reviews (http://www.edmunds.com/apps/usedmatrix/UsedMatrix) of any specific car. You get Tips and Advice (http://www.edmunds.com/caradvice.html) (and pay especial attention to 10 Steps To Buying A Car (http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/78386/article.html).

You can read about a journalist who reports on his experiences working as a car salesman (http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/article.html). And, finally, you can get some strategies (http://blogs.edmunds.com/strategies/) for buying a car.

No, I don't work for them. But they've made seeking out a car very easy in the past for me.