I'm suddenly in the market to buy a car

[ngericl]

Long story short, my car's transmission took a dump this week and it's probably not worth fixing. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to get a ride with that new car smell, if you know what I mean and I think you do.

So I'm looking at getting one through those repossessed auctions. Is there anybody out there in FTR Land with experience going that route? Thanks in advance.

[JeffreyGB]

Buying a used car? My recommendation is to go Japanese. I have a 20 year old Nissan that is still going strong (giving me less problems than the car I had before it - a 7 year old Buick).

[ngericl]

Ya, I'm looking for a Japanese make. I'm wondering about the process of getting a car through these auctions. Is it easy? Is it safe? What is the quality and condition of the typical car found in these things?

[Aceofone]

If it is at all possible, avoid auctions like the plague. There is no way to properly verify the condition of the car before you buy it.

Best bet is to look through a classified section, narrow your list to 2-3 cars, and have AAA or a similiar company do a diagnostic on the cars (they test everything, from compression ratios to the cigarette lighter).

[FyrFytr998]

If it is at all possible, avoid auctions like the plague. There is no way to properly verify the condition of the car before you buy it.

Best bet is to look through a classified section, narrow your list to 2-3 cars, and have AAA or a similiar company do a diagnostic on the cars (they test everything, from compression ratios to the cigarette lighter).

Not true if you know a good mechanic who will go with you and look the car over. Most mechanics can tell if there has been extensive work or no work at all done to a car.

[stevedonel]

Auctions can be good, if you know what to look for and what to avoid. Normally, you dont get to even see the car run, let alone drive it. You can find something that looks like aces, but after you put all your money in, you notice it was A4o

Try to find an "old" company car. They normally sell them after 4-5 years, with relatively low miles, and well cared for. My most recent purchase was a $5000 car for $1000. It helps to know people.