Used Car Buying Tips for today's Market

The used car market isn't of a mind to be kind to buyers now. If you happen to be in the market for a used car right about now, finding one is harder and pricing it to go is harder still - all thanks to the way car owners in the country are hanging on to their old cars for longer than ever (the new car market has been has been hands-down the worst the carmakers have ever had too). You don't even get much of a choice in used cars these days. It's been slim pickings ever since car owners decided to not trade in for a while. If you want to put a figure on it, each year now ever since the recession started, used car dealers around the country have been seeing their inventory drop by about 3 million cars a year - as compared to what it used to be like before the recession started. It's just that a lot of us who would have been heading to a car dealership for a new car have just been lining up with the less than well-off to get an old car. That's twice as much pressure on the used car circuit - fewer trade-ins, and more customers. What you need right now to compete with all these buyers on the market is a way to understand the market in a way the others don't. These used car buying tips then are just for you.

A friend of mine in LA needed a good-looking car that would not look cheap and make him look bad; but he had no more than $7000 to spend; he found on Craigslist a dealer who specializes in used cars obtained from movie sets. These are the cars you see in the movies parked along the street in the background. He got a five-year-old luxury Lincoln for his price, and it was thousands of dollars less than what the Kelly Blue Book said it was worth. It pays to get a little creative. Now, if you don't feel like going out of your way like this, there are still some pretty good deals to be had in a market like this. Consider the compact car for instance. One of the best used car buying tips for now would be to consider a compact. When gas prices hit four dollars a couple of years ago, manufacturers came back by suspending SUV production and putting everything they had into compact cars. When gas prices fell, manufacturers were slow to respond; for that reason, you have your pick of the lot when it comes to small cars. And with so much small car inventory in little demand now, a purchase like this is primed for the bargain hunter.

There is another side to that deal too: manufacturers cut production on SUVs two years ago; but with low gas prices such as there are now, SUVs are in demand again. Used car prices on SUVs are at an all-time high now. To begin your search, begin online on AutoTrader.com or Cars.com to get the lay of the land - how much they cost, what level of wear you will have to put up with, the options included, the vehicle identification number (the one that help you check to see if car is as clear as he thought it was). You could easily look everything up at these sites. Once you follow these used car buying tips and go to a dealer armed with all the information you need, prices included, you have all you need to drive a hard bargain. The most important piece of information that can arm you for the fight will be information on similar cars in other locations within 1000 miles. If you can walk into a dealership and throw that in his face, that should offer real leverage.

If for instance, if it is a convertible that interests you, looking all the way over in California might make sense. Convertibles are plentiful over there, and you could probably get a great deal. Whatever you buy, make sure you see the car for yourself, and that you hire a certifying inspector to give the vehicle a once over. You'll find them on Carfax.com or eBay Motors. If you want to have someone ship the car over to you, try TransportReviews.