used and abused
Back in April, Nait put a $500 refundable deposit down on a used car, then decided he didn't want to buy it anymore when he found it needed $10,000 in repairs. Five months later, neither the dealership nor
Capital One, will refund his money. He
gives a blow-by blow here.
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carfax
CarFax provides a useful tool for used car buyers, tipping them off about the myriad abuses their prospective rides once suffered. But Gyorgy says the service failed him, failing to report a number of modifications and indignities that voided the ride's warranty. He writes:
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cars
Trisha in Oregon bought a great new-to-her car from a used car dealership. Unfortunately, the problem with buying a car "as-is" is that the dealer may not be up-front with you about how the car actually is.
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auto bailout
BusinessWeek did a little math and discovered that if you lined up all the new financing deals, tax incentives and discounts — a new car might actually be cheaper than a late model used one. But do you care?
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cars
Consumer Reports' annual car issue is here, and with the death-spiraling economy in mind, they've identified the most reliable
used cars for all of you value-conscious consumers. Hey, there's even an American car on the list!
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used cars
Consumer Reports has put together a list of the quickest depreciating new cars so that you bargain hunters can snatch up a lightly used car for a good price. In case you weren't aware, new cars take a big hit in depreciation in the first few years of ownership — a smart buyer lets someone else pay that "new car" tax.
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car shopping
Consumer Reports has compiled a list of common car shopping
mistakes from their
Smart Buyer's Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car, which, of course, you can find in bookstores.
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National Motor Vehicle Title Information System
A federal judge ruled last week that the Department of Justice has until March to establish a used car database as directed by Congress 16 years ago. The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System will warn potential buyers if a used car was stolen or totaled, and will instantly verify the car's title and mileage. Here's how it will work...
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fuel economy
You're sick of your SUV and thinking of getting a car that's new to you, but which ones get the best gas mileage for the price?
Consumer Reports has the answer — a list of the 7 most fuel efficient
used cars for under $10,000.
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automobiles
At fifty thousand dollars, buying a new Corvette can hurt—but on the plus side, after five years it will still retain a value of around 50% . That puts it among the top
10 best cars for resale value as compiled by CNN Money and based on Kelley Blue Book figures. Or if your budget is smaller, a Honda Civic Sedan costs around $19k and retains 52% of its value.
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used cars
Patrick is a former used car salesman who grew a conscience. He has three tips to share with us:
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four square
Former used car salesman Alan Slone grows a conscience and reveals one of the major strategies dealership use to screw you when buying a new car.
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cars
Our cyberoptic umbilical to our Internet mother may be on the fritz, so we can't exactly tell you if Edmunds.com's Confessions of a Car Salesman is an Internet classic. But it should be and it's a must read for anyone looking to purchase a car, whether new or old. Know thy enemy.
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cars
Well, at least they tell it like it is. [NSFW]
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cars
Browsing Metafilter, we found this excellent post detailing the smart way to make a purchase from those plaid-skinned abominations who lurk in the primal shadows of every consumerist's nightmares, grinning their straight razor smiles and beckoning us to sign contracts in bilesome blood: the car salesman.
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