A friend, Dave Lloyd, bought a car recently and summarized several ways to get a good deal:
AutoCheck and CarFax let you check a vehicle's VIN number and report on title/ownership history, reported accidents, and odometer readings. AutoCheck is the better deal, as it's 20% less (go with unlimited rather than single vehicle), easier to read, and a bit more comprehensive.
Edmunds True Market Value Pricing is invaluable for getting accurate pricing on both new/used - more accurate than Kelley Blue Book.
<http://www.edmunds.com/tmv/index.html>http://www.edmunds.com/tmv/index.html
Consumer Reports is also useful for evaluating cars and lots more - $26 annually is a steal.
These were the best sites I found for pricing cars regionally:
www.motors.ebay.com/
www.automart.com
www.autotrader.com
www.carsdirect.com
www.carmax.com is good too but I found the volume limited and it's
based purely on dealer partnerships.
Ultimately, though, after driving a few through private sellers and knowing price ranges, I called 3 local dealers, told them I was pre-qualified and what I wanted, and bargained from there.
AutoCheck and CarFax let you check a vehicle's VIN number and report on title/ownership history, reported accidents, and odometer readings. AutoCheck is the better deal, as it's 20% less (go with unlimited rather than single vehicle), easier to read, and a bit more comprehensive.
Edmunds True Market Value Pricing is invaluable for getting accurate pricing on both new/used - more accurate than Kelley Blue Book.
<http://www.edmunds.com/tmv/index.html>http://www.edmunds.com/tmv/index.html
Consumer Reports is also useful for evaluating cars and lots more - $26 annually is a steal.
These were the best sites I found for pricing cars regionally:
www.motors.ebay.com/
www.automart.com
www.autotrader.com
www.carsdirect.com
www.carmax.com is good too but I found the volume limited and it's
based purely on dealer partnerships.
Ultimately, though, after driving a few through private sellers and knowing price ranges, I called 3 local dealers, told them I was pre-qualified and what I wanted, and bargained from there.
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