I've always gotten great deals on buying cars which had to be started with a screwdriver. Craigslist is great.

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I've always gotten great deals on buying cars which had to be started with a screwdriver.  Craigslist is great.

I stay away from car sales on Craigslist that say "bring your own screwdriver" or "screwdriver optional"

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I've always gotten great deals on buying cars which had to be started with a screwdriver.  Craigslist is great.

I stay away from car sales on Craigslist that say "bring your own screwdriver" or "screwdriver optional"

Oh no. I make them provide the screwdriver. I'm no sucker.

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I stay away from car sales on Craigslist that say "bring your own screwdriver" or "screwdriver optional"

Oh no. I make them provide the screwdriver. I'm no sucker.

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Offleaseonly.com or any certified pre owned.

Let some other poor schmohock take the 20% depreciation hit!

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I'll give one piece of advice. Do some long term thinking about what you do.

How will you be doing with whatever you buy if gas goes toward $5+ a gallon again in a year? Do you really need to carry more than five people ever? If you're doing one percent of your trips to carry more than five people it probably makes more sense to buy your vehicle based on the ninety-nine percent of the time you drive it and either rent a car for the two trips a year you need more than five seats or get a cheap second vehicle for that scenario that you hardly drive.

My point is vehicle buying is a big decision, really only second to buying a house for most people, so be responsible to yourself. Do you want to spend hundreds of dollars a month on gas because you bought a suburban and have an hour drive to and from work when all you really needed was a RAV4 and could use the extra money for having dinner out every week.

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I'll give one piece of advice. Do some long term thinking about what you do.

How will you be doing with whatever you buy if gas goes toward $5+ a gallon again in a year? Do you really need to carry more than five people ever? If you're doing one percent of your trips to carry more than five people it probably makes more sense to buy your vehicle based on the ninety-nine percent of the time you drive it and either rent a car for the two trips a year you need more than five seats or get a cheap second vehicle for that scenario that you hardly drive.

My point is vehicle buying is a big decision, really only second to buying a house for most people, so be responsible to yourself. Do you want to spend hundreds of dollars a month on gas because you bought a suburban and have an hour drive to and from work when all you really needed was a RAV4 and could use the extra money for having dinner out every week.

That's obviously a good point and a good reminder.

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Season Ticket holder since 2004.

 

        

Offleaseonly.com or any certified pre owned.

Let some other poor schmohock take the 20% depreciation hit!

I helped my son buy his car from offleaseonly down in Orlando. He got an excellent car but caveat emptor definitely applies to that place. We spent over 8 hours examining cars with a fine tooth comb before we found the one he bought. Offlease buys these cars by the literal truckload and dumps them on the lot. There are some really good ones, and there are some horror stories. 

To offlease's credit, they do not try to misrepresent anything. The cars are unlocked and open to full examination. We opened hoods, trunks, glove boxes, pulled dipsticks and rolled back carpets. If you find one you're interested in, they have computers inside where the prospective buyer can enter the VIN and get a free Carfax report. Although Carfax only shows what's reported, they also show the car's location history. If it has spent its previous life in the northeast, then corrosion can become a problem. We found one car he liked that looked beautiful on the outside but when the hood was opened the engine bay was a mass of corrosion. They even have cars there which have had airbag deployments. I found another one which had the invoice from the body repair shop and the electrical connector for the airbag, which had been snipped off, inside the glove box. 

Offleaseonly is a good option but you have to pay due diligence and do the work. I like doing that sort of thing so it was no problem. My son got a solid 2014 Camry with good mileage with that nice depreciation discount. He's been driving it for a year and a half now with absolutely no problems. This is NOT a place to buy a car if you just want to mouse click for something that would look good in the driveway.

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Duval Honda, Arlington Toyota (or the other Honda/Toyota dealerships -Avenues. Keith Pierson) Certified Pre-owned

2-3 year old used Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander or 4Runner.

You're Welcome

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