Went used car shopping today. So interesting

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WhyMe

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spent the morning and early afternoon used car shopping . Went south of Seattle to the Tacoma and Auburn area. Went to look at a few Subarus . went to places i got off of CL and FB marketplace.

First place i went had a Forester for a good price. When i got there did not look anything like the pix. Dents and damage all around. the whole car lot was full of dented and damaged vehicles. wonder who buys these things. should at least make them presentable .

Second place i went had an Outback. no one came out so i looked around for it. it looked clean, but further inspection showed the rear had funny gaps and a paint line from the rear of the roof to the front. Anyone not looking closely would not notice it.

third was a dealer that sold rebuilt vehicles. had a 2013 outback limited with 98k for 10k. looked and drove it ,and while it drove ok, the body work seemed a little rough. they are asking too much close to retail clean title to consider it .

Gonna hit the North Seattle places tomorrow. used car shopping is so interesting.
 
My Jetta was totaled this past week and I'm now trying to decide what to do as well. I hate car shopping.
 
Try internet first. That's what I did up there. Purchased a car from Tacoma Subaru. The car was exactly as stated. The price, had little to no wiggle room.
 
I just completed a multi-month search for a Escalade ESV (Suburban) for my wife to drive this winter. Was looking for the 2007-2014 generation which I think are the best they made, 6.2 AWD and looking for the 07-09 in particular without AFM and the associated problems. Was not looking for a gem, just a nice well cared for example that was nice enough inside to keep the wife happy and no rust or damage to the body panels. No deferred maintenance or major things that need fixing right now.

Holy smokes there is a LOT of crap out there. Some Private sellers lie worse than the dealers do! Drove 2 hours each way to buy one that was supposed to be rust free and clean. Pics looked great, Carfax was good, every bit of due diligence that could be done long distance was done. What a flaming POS it was. Rusty Quarters (hidden by clever angles in pictures) trashed carpets (same) drivers seat was falling apart (again clever photography and lies). Shade tree repairs to power steering, leaky trans and rear main, just a dog.

Plenty of other wasted trips coming back disappointed. On the other had ran across several private sellers and dealers asking 5k above KKB Excellent retail for vehicles that are nice, but nothing special.

I Finally found one, but it was almost a full time job. Wife loves it, so I can go back to my regularly scheduled life.
 
My last vehicle purchase was the best I've made yet. Two things helped immensely. A) Time; B) Knowing exactly what you want.

Trying to pack a vehicle purchase in the span of a few days has often led to disappointment, for me at least. If unsure of make and model, consider all those used cars your personal testing vehicles with no expectations of buying. If you happen to land on a cherry, all the better.
 
Originally Posted by WhyMe
spent the morning and early afternoon used car shopping . Went south of Seattle to the Tacoma and Auburn area. Went to look at a few Subarus . went to places i got off of CL and FB marketplace.

First place i went had a Forester for a good price. When i got there did not look anything like the pix. Dents and damage all around. the whole car lot was full of dented and damaged vehicles. wonder who buys these things. should at least make them presentable .

Second place i went had an Outback. no one came out so i looked around for it. it looked clean, but further inspection showed the rear had funny gaps and a paint line from the rear of the roof to the front. Anyone not looking closely would not notice it.

third was a dealer that sold rebuilt vehicles. had a 2013 outback limited with 98k for 10k. looked and drove it ,and while it drove ok, the body work seemed a little rough. they are asking too much close to retail clean title to consider it .

Gonna hit the North Seattle places tomorrow. used car shopping is so interesting.


You are shopping for Subarus in a Subaru Market, in the Middle of Subaru Snow Season.
Expect to pay a premium or buy next June.
 
Used car lots are very shady here in WA. Have you tried places like CarMax?

...or even CL? I feel more comfortable with private party in that price point. Think of those that got low-balled on their trade-in and now looking to offload their decent car.
 
Originally Posted by vw7674
Originally Posted by WhyMe
spent the morning and early afternoon used car shopping . Went south of Seattle to the Tacoma and Auburn area. Went to look at a few Subarus . went to places i got off of CL and FB marketplace.

First place i went had a Forester for a good price. When i got there did not look anything like the pix. Dents and damage all around. the whole car lot was full of dented and damaged vehicles. wonder who buys these things. should at least make them presentable .

Second place i went had an Outback. no one came out so i looked around for it. it looked clean, but further inspection showed the rear had funny gaps and a paint line from the rear of the roof to the front. Anyone not looking closely would not notice it.

third was a dealer that sold rebuilt vehicles. had a 2013 outback limited with 98k for 10k. looked and drove it ,and while it drove ok, the body work seemed a little rough. they are asking too much close to retail clean title to consider it .

Gonna hit the North Seattle places tomorrow. used car shopping is so interesting.


You are shopping for Subarus in a Subaru Market, in the Middle of Subaru Snow Season.
Expect to pay a premium or buy next June.

Yeah I know. Kinda need to find something before the insurance wants the rental car back .
 
Originally Posted by spavel6
Used car lots are very shady here in WA. Have you tried places like CarMax?

...or even CL? I feel more comfortable with private party in that price point. Think of those that got low-balled on their trade-in and now looking to offload their decent car.

Never looked at car max. There is one in Lynnwood so I might hit it tommorow
 
Originally Posted by WhyMe
third was a dealer that sold rebuilt vehicles. had a 2013 outback limited with 98k for 10k. looked and drove it ,and while it drove ok, the body work seemed a little rough. they are asking too much close to retail clean title to consider it .


I would never buy a rebuilt vehicle for that kind of price. The major drawback to any rebuilt vehicle is that there's no manufacturer coverage once you're in rebuilt status. So if there's any extended warranty on any item, it's no longer valid. Same with any remaining car warranty or federal emissions warranty but of course at that mileage, probably expired unless it's a Pzev vehicle which would have a 15/150k warranty on various parts. I believe recalls still have to be honored though.
 
I once drove 120 miles round trip to look at a MGM that a car dealer had. When I got there, I was informed that they sold it a while ago. Even though I had just called and spoke to someone who confirmed that it was still there.

Minorly frustrating.
 
Given the vehicles and dealerships you are describing, I think anything they offer is going to be "interesting".

What price range are you looking for?

Subarus are horrible used buys IMO.
 
Originally Posted by WhyMe
Originally Posted by spavel6
Used car lots are very shady here in WA. Have you tried places like CarMax?

...or even CL? I feel more comfortable with private party in that price point. Think of those that got low-balled on their trade-in and now looking to offload their decent car.

Never looked at car max. There is one in Lynnwood so I might hit it tommorow


They're prices tend to be on the higher side, but they don't play games. Price on the sticker is the price on the car, plus tax. They'll only ask if you want their warranty, which is surprisingly good and a usually reasonable price.

Best part, no sales person following you around or "let me go get the keys!" All the cars are unlocked, cars that are sold or about to be shipped out are clearly marked, so you can walk around and sit in various vehicles to find the one you like best.
 
I've been used car shopping and here in South Florida, we seem to have an abundance of "Flood Vehicles" from other parts of the country. They try hard to hide it, and I could easily be fooled. Good thing the Carfax seems to indicate problems.

It's one reason why I often strongly suggest purchasing a highly discounted new car vs. used. As the cost per mile over it's lifetime is rarely over 5c per mile more.

The risk of getting a bad used car is rather high despite significant effort. Been there, done that.
 
Originally Posted by Skippy722
Originally Posted by WhyMe
Originally Posted by spavel6
Used car lots are very shady here in WA. Have you tried places like CarMax?

...or even CL? I feel more comfortable with private party in that price point. Think of those that got low-balled on their trade-in and now looking to offload their decent car.

Never looked at car max. There is one in Lynnwood so I might hit it tommorow


They're prices tend to be on the higher side, but they don't play games. Price on the sticker is the price on the car, plus tax. They'll only ask if you want their warranty, which is surprisingly good and a usually reasonable price.

Best part, no sales person following you around or "let me go get the keys!" All the cars are unlocked, cars that are sold or about to be shipped out are clearly marked, so you can walk around and sit in various vehicles to find the one you like best.


Carmax tends to offer the best trade in value but sometimes dealers also beat them. Other than that, just like any other place, they're just a large national chain so they can hold firm on the pricing. But they're certainly more than most places. Had a couple guys who worked there apply for one of my apartments. They weren't making much more than minimum wage one was a cleaner and the other did body work. Their high prices goes to corporate and their stock.
 
This is why I hold on to my old car; shopping low ball price cars is so frustrating, at least I know what do I drive
 
If you are stuck on used Subarus, try Roo Sales in Puyallup, 1/3 mile from the fairgrounds.
They have a website, costly used roo's but you won't blow a head gasket in 7,000 miles.
I would check their stock first for a good gone-through ready-to-roll unit.
 
While I don't know anything about the SeaTac area, I would check with the local Subaru dealers.
I would imagine they have the better cars.

Good luck.
 
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