Be Careful What You Buy-- Especially From a Driveway or Parking Lot

These days, it's pretty obvious that people are looking for all kinds of ways to beat the high price of gas, but you have to be careful how you go about it. Particularly if you're planning to buy a cheap "get around town" car that's for sale in somebody's driveway or - even scarier - one parked on the side of the road.

A few years ago, my brother-in-law came across a beautiful (but older) candy-apple red Nissan Maxima sitting in a grocery store parking lot with a "for sale" sign on it. When he called me to come look at it, I told him it looked good, but I'd need to put it up on a rack next week in order to look underneath the car.

He quickly called the owner at the number on the sign and before I knew it, my brother-in-law was writing out a check for the $2500 asking price.

Two weeks later, his beautiful car's shock towers had broken because the tops were rusted (but spray painted over). The exhaust had already begun billowing black smoke and an oil leak had sprung. He proceeded to put another $2000 into it, but a few months later more trouble arose and to make a long story short--he eventually junked it.

Moral of the story? Be careful what you buy on the side of the road.

Comments

[Rebecca]

I don't think I'd ever think of buying a car from a private owner without doing a CarFax check first. Second, I'd try to arrange for my mechanic to take a look at it for me. A nice exterior can be very misleading, as your brother-in-law sadly found out too late.

[Suzanne]

It's always a gamble buying a used car with no warranty. If you really like its looks you can be so tempted, but you have to be wary that it's hiding mechanical problems that will show up too late.

[govail]

There's always a risk involved. I agree that CarFax is a good idea, but it's not perfect. You're definitely risking your money by not having a warranty.

[axel76]

With car prices still relatively low, I'd go with a new model. The savings isn't worth the uncertainty. You're paying for reliability and peace of mind with a new vehicle.