Discussions

Advice from eBrandoners.  
 
Where is the best place to look for a used vehicle?  
What questions to ask and information to look for to avoid a bad vehicle (previous accident, mega repairs etc)  
 
I am looking for a small or mid sized SUV.

Woodworth at Kenton will give you honest friendly help and advice. I won’t go to anyone else.

There are great videos on the Utube that walks you through all the questions you have! research the problems the make of vehicle you end up looking at has had. The information you seek is out there.

Look for a vehicle sold by original owner. Ask for detailed service records and read them carefully, if they are not available walk away. Check how often oil was changed, if tranny fluid was ever changed, etc. Check condition of all fluids (color), check if coolant has any metal debris in it. Don't waste your time dealing with corner lot resellers, don't believe in all the pre-owned certified or any other crap they put on it, they know no history of the car and are only interested in selling you a car. Search on YouTube for ChrisFix how to buy a used car. Bring the car to an independent mechanic for an inspection if you are getting close to making decision on a vehicle. CHrisFix on YouTube has tons of advice on how to buy a used car and how to service it yourself.

We buy used cars off online classifieds via private sellers too. We take our time - we have a good idea of what exactly we want and the condition we wants for the price we pay. It can easily take 6 months or more to find just the right vehicle. We always pay cash, so we have the ability to be quick and flexible when just the right one comes up.  
 
If you're really looking for a budget buy, consider some vehicles with rebuild status. I never would have thought I would buy one, but our last vehicle purchase was 'in a hurry' due to MPI write-off from a collision and my husband needed a vehicle for work ASAP. The Sentra we ended up buying has been a great car, the rebuild was on the trunk portion and not the frame/cage itself. We've had a couple of years of trouble-free driving with it for a good price. They aren't all great buys - my brother had a terrible one years ago - but they are worth considering for the price and condition in some cases.

Another bit - without knowing what your budget and financial position is - sometimes "mega repairs" are okay if the price is right.  
 
Many years ago, I acquired for very cheap a Plymouth Acclaim (that's how many years ago, LOL) that needed a new transmission at about 200k km on it. I had a rebuilt transmission put in for like $1200 (again, how long ago this was!), plus did a few other repairs, and drove it trouble-free for quite a while until I sold it, with safety, for about the same price I paid to buy it and put the transmission in, essentially making it free to me. The person who bought it drove it for several more years without incident until it finally died, but it had over 300k on it by that point.  
 
So depending on what's needed, sometimes it can be a good deal to do the work and then drive it, especially if it's in otherwise good shape and the price of the repair is taken into consideration.

Further to my previous recommendation of Woodworth at Kenton.  
We bought a Dodge from a non franchised dealer and we had an issue with it. Without question Woodworth sorted the problem for us covered by the driveline warranty. After this experience we didn’t look anywhere else for our next vehicle, went straight to Woodworth.  
I should add that I am a licensed mechanic and auto electrician not affiliated to any dealer in any way. There are lots of excellent deals on used vehicles late and older if you are prepared to invest the time and be fussy to find a good vehicle that you want.  
Personally I prefer buy from a good friendly small dealer who will be there should you need back up in the future.

I am not in a rush for another vehicle so will take my time.

i use auto trader to start my search. give me a rough idea of what people or dealer want for vechilces

My wife and I are snowbirds and are flying down south soon. We had talked about selling our 2017 Chevy Equinox before we go, that way it won't be sitting unused for months. PM me if you might be interested. Our vehicle is in primo shape and worth the time to send a PM.

I am aiming to educate myself, learn what is out there and prices. The advice here is much appreciated.  
 
to the offers to check out a vehicle or get help, thanks I am not there yet. Hope to buy something in the next year.

If you would like to support our local businesses, I feel very confident you’d be happy with the help from Marshall Motors. Ourselves and our friends have had nothing but top-shelf experiences there! Good luck.

I used autotrader.ca to buy my car and I couldn’t have been happier. I was able to specify various details (km, price, etc) and find what was available. You can expand the search area if you’re willing to travel a little bit to save some money.