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[Michael Czeiszperger <michael AT czei.org>]

Title: Negotiating the Price of a 2011 Camry at Fred Anderson

On Aug 1, 2013, at 6:39 AM, Colleen McCarthy <cmccarthy1 AT nc.rr.com> wrote:

Hi Folks,

I’m interested in two 2011 Camry’s for sale at Fred Anderson. 

I have only bought one car from a dealer in my life and that was in 1980.  I honestly don’t have a clue as to how to negotiate the price, warrantees, or anything else involved in the sale of a used vehicle from a dealer.

Hi Colleen--

I don't think anyone's asked a question on this list for years! Your best bet to come up to speed on how to buy a used car is check out the How To Buy A Used Car guides from Consumer Reports or Edmunds:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/used-cars/buying-advice/index.htm

http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/

The used-car buying process is basically to get the details on the vehicles they have to sell, and then use the online price calculators like Edmunds to see what the car is really worth.  There's quite a range in the value of a used car based primarily on age and mileage, but also condition and options.  In order to do an accurate appraisal you need to figure out the exact model and get a list of extras, like sun roof, leather, GPS, etc, and THEN adjust for general condition.

You're always going to pay extra for a used car from a dealer, and they may or may not have done anything to the car.  For a 2011, there's probably little or no maintenance that needed to be done, so there's really no point in buying from the dealer given the 20% markup.  I understand the convenience though, as I've been tempted to buy at CarMax but chickened out each time.

I prefer to buy used cars from individuals, and then take the car to have a thorough inspection by my mechanic.  This is a lot more information than you're going to get from a dealer, so you'll have an unbiased and more accurate picture of the long-term condition of the car.

Typically car warranties transfer to new owners, but I'm not sure of the length of the warranty on a 2011 Camry.  Those cars don't start to have problems until much later, so a warranty is unlikely to make a difference, and I WOULD NOT purchase an aftermarket warranty.

Good luck!

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Mike Czeiszperger

Chapel Hill, NC                    

C: 919-619-0607

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