Used Car Purchase

These things should be taken care of when buying a new car.

Where to find used cars.
A. dealers
Good for new cars, certified used cars, or other relatively new
used cars of 3-5 years age. To go to a dealer, you should be prepared
with a relatively high budget, and be ready to negotiate. Tax and other
fees may be up to around $1000. So ask for "out of door price" which is
all the cost add up together.
B. craiglist.com
Note that some commercial/private dealers may post in "owner" section,
which should be avoided if you only want to buy from a private owner.
Get the year, make, model, trim, mileage and price information.
You can also get more such as color, condition, upgrades etc.
C. bulletin boards of schools etc.
D. newspapers
E. People who you know

Steps to check a used car.
- phone call
On the phone, ask some general questions, such as the condition of the car,
why sell the car, anything not working, any fluid/oil leaking.
Ask for the VIN, reasonable sellers in general will give the VIN.
- get VIN, check autocheck and carfax reports.
- testdrive
- mechanic check
- price negotiation

Buy used car

• wiki: VIN
  
• Validate VIN
  
• Vehicle history check by VIN:
  1. Carfax ($34.99 per report, $44.99 5 reports)
  2. AutoCheck ($29.99 per report, $44.99 any number of reports a month).
  Compare Carfax and AutoCheck, Autocheck for free (3/day)
  3. instaVIN ($6.99 per report)
  
• Check a used car (in Chinese)
  
• Chinese Car Forum (very good)
  
• Used car tips
  
• Find used cars: craiglist.com, cars.com, kbb.com, edmunds.com
  
• Best and worst used cars
  
• Car name translation: En/Cn
  

DIY

• Check engine light on solution
  
• Youtube - How to wax your car
  
• Wheel Cover Installation Instructions (Buy on line: Hubcaps - Hub Caps - Center Caps - Hub Cap - Wheel Covers. Note: Walmart may have cheaper price. E.g., wheel covers cost $20/4-pack at Walmart, but $80 on this site)
  

Local car mechanics

• AAMCO. M-F:8-5, Sa:8-12. 2463 S. King St. 947-8500.
  
• Lex brodie. M-F:7-6, Sa:7-4. 701 Queen St. 536-9381.
  
• McCully Union Service. M-F:8-5, Sa:8-12. 2105 Beretania St. 947-4099, 951-4753. (good)
  

Car lease

• Car Lease Guide.
  
  Lease if you have a stable life, won't end lease early, only drive average miles per year (15k).
  
  Lease only car brands that have a high resale value, and whose manufacturers provide special lease deals.
  
  Potential problems with lease: early termination, destroyed/stolen vehicle. Protection: Gap protection.
  

Misc tips

• Best buys: Honda Accord, Toyota Camry etc.
  
• Safety (for bb): volvo.
  
• Review of cars driven