Used car buying guides
Short, practical guides to help you avoid a bad buy and pay a fair price.
How to Check a VIN Before Buying a Used Car (Free and Paid Options)What a VIN tells you, where to find it, which checks are free (recalls, decoding) and what you need a history report for.How to Negotiate a Used Car Price (With a Script You Can Send)Step-by-step used car negotiation for dealers and private sellers: research, the first offer, using repair costs as leverage, fees and when to walk away.Is This Used Car Price Fair? How to Tell in 5 StepsHow to judge a used car's asking price against the market: compare like with like, adjust for mileage and condition, and know the difference between asking and selling prices.Salvage vs Rebuilt Title: What They Mean and Should You Buy One?A plain-English guide to branded titles: salvage, rebuilt, flood and lemon buyback. How to spot them, how they affect value and insurance, and when to walk away.Used Car Checklist: 12 Things to Check Before You PayA practical checklist for buying a used car from a dealer or a private seller: paperwork, VIN, recalls, history report, test drive, inspection and price.Used Car Listing Red Flags and Scams to Spot Before You ReplyThe warning signs in used car ads on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and dealer sites: too-good prices, pressure, odd payments and what to do about each.
Looking at a specific model? See problems and recalls by model.