Safety first !. Review on Buying a Second Hand Car

Buying your first car or changing it to a different one can be confusing and tough considering options one has in the USA. Negotiating with Sales persons could be difficult task for someone who does not know how to deal and may end up paying much more than required. Many people always confuse while making a decision whether to buy a new car or a used one. There are many thoughts to it. Some people I have heard like the smell of new car, plus there is an amount of safety and reliability involved in terms of manufacturer?s warranty for 3-4 years or 36, 000-50, 000 miles depending on the make of car you buy.

Although new car may offer you all the above features, one needs to take into account depreciation, financing and car segment that you are getting for the money you are paying. For example for a 2005 Mercedes Benz ML 350 one has to pay approximately$55, 000 whereas you can buy a 2000 ML 320 for approximately$20, 000 with about 60K miles on it. But, for$35, 000 that you are saving, it is worth going for a used car than buying a new one. So, if you are thinking of buying a brand new mid-size car like Toyota Camry or Honda Accord or Passat, you could alternatively buy a Mercedes Benz C, E or M Class. One can also get a Mercedes 320 SL for approximately$25, 000 K. I would not recommend you to go for BMWs though. BMWs usually have more mileage on them in very few years. If you are a car lover, then I am sure you will be one of those who would like to own makes like Mercedes or even Volvo for that matter. Surprisingly I have not seen many people owning a Volvo inspite of the fact that it offers mostly everything that a Mercedes or a BMW does. Volvos have revolutionalized their design after 2000, which make them real competitors in the premium segment. Alternatively, Audi A6 or A8 could also be a choice to make.

Before buying a used car, one needs to do some research and internet provides all the information you need. I find https://auto.consumerguide.com/ the best site, which gives all the details, pros and cons of the vehicle with approximate value. There are other websites like https://kbb.com or https://edmunds.com, which provide you with similar information. For used car pricing in a zip code, I have found https://autotrader.com site useful. You can contact dealers or private owners by email or phone and ask questions which helps to know more about the car. You could also register yourself with https://carfax.com, which would give you information about vehicle history if you have the VIN. Apart from finding required information about the particular vehicle that you are planning to buy, you could also visit the manufacturer?s web site and know about features and safety it offers.

So, if you are planning to spend about$20, 000 on a new mid-size segment car where in you will get 3 years manufacturer?s warranty, I doubt you will get features like good engineering, better safety, leather interiors, sun roof, moon roof, alloy wheels, heated seats, side airbags or even a good music system. And it is quite likely to get these additional features with a better make for the same price. As far as warranty, manufacturers do provide an option of buying an extended warranty up to 100 K miles. Premium segment brands offer better customer service and features like navigation systems, Bose music system, SOS, alternate vehicle if you have given car for service etc.

The basic reason that I would recommend to go for these premium makes is safety apart from class. These makes have been far ahead in passenger safety than other makes. Just to give you some example, Mercedes started giving airbags as a standard feature much earlier than other makes. One could also get crash test results from the manufacturers. Many lower end carmakers do not perform crash tests and thus one cannot be sure how safe you are going to be in case you meet an accident. Considering biggest advantage of safety the premium carmakers offer, I think a used car makes more sense than buying a new lower end car. After all, Safety First!