quickness

i plan on going and looking at a car being sold by a private party. he lives about an hour away from where i live but i talked to him on the phone and hes basically in his mid-twenties and is selling the car because he got a job overseas. what are some things i should ask and do? hes asking a few hundred over the blue book value so should i try to talk him down any? i kinda wanted to take the car to a mechanic but do i just take it to some random mechanic in that area that i have never been to? what others things should i ask and do? car is a 99 accord 2dr ex v6 with 74k miles

badtameezboy

Welcome to HAN.

Get the car checked from a Machanic, get a Carfax report and ask him to provide you all maintainence records.
If he is asking more than the value than the car should be in Mint condition cause thats the only time when you pay extra. Otherwise negotiate the price.
Also check the prices in your are at www.autotrader.com to see whats the average value of that car is.

How much is he asking BTW?

quickness

about the mechanic thing, i have a mechanic in my town that i would like to take it to but do you think he would be ok with that considering hes over an hour away from me? i was thinking i would just take it to a local auto shop there. the blue book value for private party is like 9130 and hes asking 9500. how much should i try and ask for?

badtameezboy

start with $7.5k and max you should pay is $8k IMO.
How is the condition of the Car?

Splatch

look for signs of body repainting or damage. tape lines in the jamb areas trunck hood etc. stay away from any signs of a crash vehicle. good luck and hope the car is clean.

quickness

ok i did the edmunds tmv for the car and it gave me $8133 as the private party price. although the edmunds site didn't give me the ability to put as many options as the kbb site but it basically got it in terms of a 2dr accord v6 ex. so you think i should come out and say 7500 cash first?

Splatch

start there or lower and negotiate

quickness

whoa i just found another accord for sale 2000 accord ex v6 2dr
here is their description:
grey metallic with black Leather interior, V6, Automatic w/OD, 57053Miles, Tilt, Cruise, AM-FM, Air Conditioning, Power Windows, Power Locks, Power Mirrors, Power Seats, Rear Defrost, Spoiler, Sunroof, new tires, factory mag wheels, great gas mileage, garage kept, very pleasant to ride and drive, very dependable , it is a honda
they are asking $6500. this has got to be too good to be true right? theres just no way its this low right?

tkamiya

Once again, the only way to know if a used car is a good buy or even an ok buy is to have it looked at by a mechanic. You asked, if the seller will be ok with you suggesting to have the car looked at by your mechanic an hour away. It actually works the other way around.... Your CONDITION of even considering to buy is by him agreeing to let you take it to YOUR mechanic at YOUR expense. If he says NO, then you thank for his time and walk away. He could very well have a reason why he doesn't want you to do this, and his refusal is a clue. Be very firm on this. You might also consider having a dealer look at the vehicle is one is more conveniently located. A shiny paint and low miles on odometer can hide ALOT of expensive problems.

Jon02Accord

and another thing, look at what kbb and edmunds show for "trade-in" value. this is a number you can use for leverage. that is the amount a dealer will offer. you can always mention to the person selling the car, look, i know the dealer only offered you $X, so lets meet somewhere between that number and retail.

for example, if KBB trade in is 5800 and retail is 7500, it does not matter to me what the person selling the car is asking, even if they are asking 7900. If 1. my mechanic approves the vehicle and 2. i have a check or cash and am ready to make the deal I would offer something around 6300 and not go over 7000.

thats just my 2 cents, ymmv.