Help me buy a beater car

[DavidDoes]

I love the Honda Fit as well. Had a 2007 that got 42 mpg before I knew anything about hypermiling. I've also owned a 2007 Scion xB that was just as good of a vehicle, but was much cheaper and got slightly less in way of fuel economy.

According to dashboard-light, when I was looking at a Mazda3, much higher up on the list of similar vehicles was the Scion xB. Definitely worth a consideration.

[RWD]

Also, DO NOT STEP FOOT on any car lot unless the cars are sitting on dirt or gravel.

At this price point you should probably be avoiding car lots altogether. Most used car lots I know that are gravel are Buy Here Pay Here places which you probably shouldn't deal with under any circumstances.

[Ecky]

Also, DO NOT STEP FOOT on any car lot unless the cars are sitting on dirt or gravel.

At this price point you should probably be avoiding car lots altogether. Most used car lots I know that are gravel are Buy Here Pay Here places which you probably shouldn't deal with under any circumstances.

I got my Insight at one of these around 5 years ago. Price was competitive with private seller, car needed nothing. Was in truck country, nobody wanted a tiny silver 2 seater hybrid and they just couldn't get it off the lot.

[nereo]

Also, DO NOT STEP FOOT on any car lot unless the cars are sitting on dirt or gravel.

At this price point you should probably be avoiding car lots altogether. Most used car lots I know that are gravel are Buy Here Pay Here places which you probably shouldn't deal with under any circumstances.

I got my Insight at one of these around 5 years ago. Price was competitive with private seller, car needed nothing. Was in truck country, nobody wanted a tiny silver 2 seater hybrid and they just couldn't get it off the lot.

I've had good luck 'stalking' these kinds of used car lots.  I keep track of cars I might be interested in, then check back a few months later.  If its still there often they will sell it cheap just to get it off their hands. That's how I got my last car, for a few hundred less than what KBB said a private seller should have charged.  It was a trade in and it had just sat on the lot for 4 months without garnering any interest.

[RWD]

Also, DO NOT STEP FOOT on any car lot unless the cars are sitting on dirt or gravel.

At this price point you should probably be avoiding car lots altogether. Most used car lots I know that are gravel are Buy Here Pay Here places which you probably shouldn't deal with under any circumstances.

I got my Insight at one of these around 5 years ago. Price was competitive with private seller, car needed nothing. Was in truck country, nobody wanted a tiny silver 2 seater hybrid and they just couldn't get it off the lot.

I've had good luck 'stalking' these kinds of used car lots.  I keep track of cars I might be interested in, then check back a few months later.  If its still there often they will sell it cheap just to get it off their hands. That's how I got my last car, for a few hundred less than what KBB said a private seller should have charged.  It was a trade in and it had just sat on the lot for 4 months without garnering any interest.

I would be mostly worried about them having installed an ignition interrupt system and GPS tracking. Even if you pay cash for the car and these systems are disabled they could cause issues down the line. It can be very difficult to reverse modifications to the wiring system of a car (similar to aftermarket alarms).

[nereo]

Also, DO NOT STEP FOOT on any car lot unless the cars are sitting on dirt or gravel.

At this price point you should probably be avoiding car lots altogether. Most used car lots I know that are gravel are Buy Here Pay Here places which you probably shouldn't deal with under any circumstances.

I got my Insight at one of these around 5 years ago. Price was competitive with private seller, car needed nothing. Was in truck country, nobody wanted a tiny silver 2 seater hybrid and they just couldn't get it off the lot.

I've had good luck 'stalking' these kinds of used car lots.  I keep track of cars I might be interested in, then check back a few months later.  If its still there often they will sell it cheap just to get it off their hands. That's how I got my last car, for a few hundred less than what KBB said a private seller should have charged.  It was a trade in and it had just sat on the lot for 4 months without garnering any interest.

I would be mostly worried about them having installed an ignition interrupt system and GPS tracking. Even if you pay cash for the car and these systems are disabled they could cause issues down the line. It can be very difficult to reverse modifications to the wiring system of a car (similar to aftermarket alarms).

Can you clarify this a bit?  ARe you worried that they would steal the car back, or that the systems they put in place to prevent theft would be prone to failure later?

I'm not sure the place I got my last car from was that sophisticated.  Their security was more of the chain-link + dog variety.  but who knows... 9 years later and haven't had any problems

[RWD]

I would be mostly worried about them having installed an ignition interrupt system and GPS tracking. Even if you pay cash for the car and these systems are disabled they could cause issues down the line. It can be very difficult to reverse modifications to the wiring system of a car (similar to aftermarket alarms).

Can you clarify this a bit?  ARe you worried that they would steal the car back, or that the systems they put in place to prevent theft would be prone to failure later?

I'm not sure the place I got my last car from was that sophisticated.  Their security was more of the chain-link + dog variety.  but who knows... 9 years later and haven't had any problems

I am mostly worried about the latter. Splicing into the wiring harness introduces a possible failure point in the future that could suddenly immobilize your vehicle.

Buy Here Pay Here type lots are often very shady and I'd be wary about doing business with them even if it looked like I was getting a good deal. Here is an article about one playing games with the paperwork. Although that specific example involves financing you have to imagine they are going to be less than ethical in other areas as well. Maybe they'll put heavier weight oil in the engine to hide a knock. A pre-purchase inspection with an independent mechanic would be absolutely the bare minimum due diligence at one of those lots.

[radram]

I would be mostly worried about them having installed an ignition interrupt system and GPS tracking. Even if you pay cash for the car and these systems are disabled they could cause issues down the line. It can be very difficult to reverse modifications to the wiring system of a car (similar to aftermarket alarms).

Can you clarify this a bit?  ARe you worried that they would steal the car back, or that the systems they put in place to prevent theft would be prone to failure later?

I'm not sure the place I got my last car from was that sophisticated.  Their security was more of the chain-link + dog variety.  but who knows... 9 years later and haven't had any problems

I am mostly worried about the latter. Splicing into the wiring harness introduces a possible failure point in the future that could suddenly immobilize your vehicle.

Buy Here Pay Here type lots are often very shady and I'd be wary about doing business with them even if it looked like I was getting a good deal. Here is an article about one playing games with the paperwork. Although that specific example involves financing you have to imagine they are going to be less than ethical in other areas as well. Maybe they'll put heavier weight oil in the engine to hide a knock. A pre-purchase inspection with an independent mechanic would be absolutely the bare minimum due diligence at one of those lots.

Please help us understand.

Are you concerned that a former owner modified a car with aftermarket products? Are you then concerned with the dealer removing these items? Why would they remove them?

How does this lot-type have and more or less probability of that occurring?

Are you also, to a lesser degree, concerned with a dealer installing these devices? What would be the reason to do this?

[RWD]

I would be mostly worried about them having installed an ignition interrupt system and GPS tracking. Even if you pay cash for the car and these systems are disabled they could cause issues down the line. It can be very difficult to reverse modifications to the wiring system of a car (similar to aftermarket alarms).

Can you clarify this a bit?  ARe you worried that they would steal the car back, or that the systems they put in place to prevent theft would be prone to failure later?

I'm not sure the place I got my last car from was that sophisticated.  Their security was more of the chain-link + dog variety.  but who knows... 9 years later and haven't had any problems

I am mostly worried about the latter. Splicing into the wiring harness introduces a possible failure point in the future that could suddenly immobilize your vehicle.

Buy Here Pay Here type lots are often very shady and I'd be wary about doing business with them even if it looked like I was getting a good deal. Here is an article about one playing games with the paperwork. Although that specific example involves financing you have to imagine they are going to be less than ethical in other areas as well. Maybe they'll put heavier weight oil in the engine to hide a knock. A pre-purchase inspection with an independent mechanic would be absolutely the bare minimum due diligence at one of those lots.

Please help us understand.

Are you concerned that a former owner modified a car with aftermarket products? Are you then concerned with the dealer removing these items? Why would they remove them?

How does this lot-type have and more or less probability of that occurring?

Are you also, to a lesser degree, concerned with a dealer installing these devices? What would be the reason to do this?

I am concerned with the dealer adding aftermarket remote ignition interruption systems and GPS tracking. A Buy Here Pay Here lot is likely to add these systems to all their vehicles immediately because most their customers will be high risk borrowers. They are in the business of collecting a few payments, repossessing the vehicle, and selling it again to repeat the cycle.

"What people may not know is a lot if not all buy here pay here dealers place GPS devices on every car sold."
https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Auto-Loans/Buy-Here-Pay-Here-Loans-told-by-a-REPO-MAN-You-Should-Read-This/td-p/4365694

This is not something you typically have to worry about if you are buying private party or from a normal dealership.

[robartsd]

Here is an article about one playing games with the paperwork.

The buyer in that story should have tried to get more out of the situation. Faced with the situation outlined, I'd probably ask for the vehicle back (or the original purchase agreement price), all my money back, coverage of all my legal fees, plus $100/day starting with the day of the repo. In exchange I'd be willing to sign a NDA. Making it clear that this is the minimum they'd have to come to to avoid going to court for the full treble damages and that I'd be willing to sell my story to interested journalists should make it pretty easy for them to decide that my offer was a good deal in fairly short order.

[radram]

[quote author=RWD link=topic=98000.msg2185011#msg2185011 date=1540828343

"What people may not know is a lot if not all buy here pay here dealers place GPS devices on every car sold."
https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Auto-Loans/Buy-Here-Pay-Here-Loans-told-by-a-REPO-MAN-You-Should-Read-This/td-p/4365694
[/quote]

Seems like a minor concern to me. Admittedly, this is the first I am hearing of it.

If placing and removal is so prolific, I have little reason to worry.

[RWD]

"What people may not know is a lot if not all buy here pay here dealers place GPS devices on every car sold."
https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Auto-Loans/Buy-Here-Pay-Here-Loans-told-by-a-REPO-MAN-You-Should-Read-This/td-p/4365694

Seems like a minor concern to me. Admittedly, this is the first I am hearing of it.

If placing and removal is so prolific, I have little reason to worry.

There are privacy, ethical, technical, and financial concerns. I don't think it's really that minor. The installation of these sorts of systems is only prolific at Buy Here Pay Here type places. I can't understand why someone would deliberately shop at one of those unless they have no other choice. You can find cheaper better cars elsewhere and then you don't have to worry about them defrauding you every step of the way.

[radram]

"What people may not know is a lot if not all buy here pay here dealers place GPS devices on every car sold."
https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Auto-Loans/Buy-Here-Pay-Here-Loans-told-by-a-REPO-MAN-You-Should-Read-This/td-p/4365694

Seems like a minor concern to me. Admittedly, this is the first I am hearing of it.

If placing and removal is so prolific, I have little reason to worry.

There are privacy, ethical, technical, and financial concerns. I don't think it's really that minor. The installation of these sorts of systems is only prolific at Buy Here Pay Here type places. I can't understand why someone would deliberately shop at one of those unless they have no other choice. You can find cheaper better cars elsewhere and then you don't have to worry about them defrauding you every step of the way.

I agree, the main reason would be desperation. If there is 1 place that will lend you the money, guess where you will go? The number of people in that financial situation that lurk on this site probably rounds to about 0. And if they are here, they will not be in that position very long if they can begin to implement the strategies learned here.

From what I have read, once they no longer have an interest in a vehicle, they are committing a crime if they continue to use these devices. I would guess  this rarely, if ever, happens. They do not want to commit crime, they want to make money. Once the car is sold and paid for, you do not exist to them. These criminal charges would be public information, regardless of a conviction. Do you have any evidence of even 1 case where one of these businesses used these devices while not having a controlling interest in a vehicle?

[robartsd]

From what I have read, once they no longer have an interest in a vehicle, they are committing a crime if they continue to use these devices. I would guess  this rarely, if ever, happens. They do not want to commit crime, they want to make money. Once the car is sold and paid for, you do not exist to them. These criminal charges would be public information, regardless of a conviction. Do you have any evidence of even 1 case where one of these businesses used these devices while not having a controlling interest in a vehicle?

The main concern that I think would be applicable here is that the installation of these devices creates additional failure points making the car less reliable than the buyer may suspect. Good to be aware of even if the marginal difference is acceptable to you. You also need to be aware that cars on these lots have likely been repossessed multiple times and may be salvage vehicles. Salvage vehicles will show on title when you receive it, but I'd be sure to ask about this and ask to see the title before purchasing. Repo history cannot be 100% assured. Nero seems to have figured out the mustachian use for these places:

I've had good luck 'stalking' these kinds of used car lots.  I keep track of cars I might be interested in, then check back a few months later.  If its still there often they will sell it cheap just to get it off their hands. That's how I got my last car, for a few hundred less than what KBB said a private seller should have charged.  It was a trade in and it had just sat on the lot for 4 months without garnering any interest.