2. Deciding Where To Buy a Used car
What follows is a brief assessment of the potential for getting a car, van, or pickup at a very good price, i.e., "cheap" vs. the risks involved in dealing with each of the buying options.

Private, Owners
1. friends and Acquaintances
There are many who will suggest that the best place to buy a used car is from a friend. The upside of buying from someone you know is that he or she will be less likely to sell you what has become their repair shop nightmare-at least not without warning you. They may even be willing to take a little less for the car than they could get from another buyer. However, there are also several downsides to consider.

• First, your friend may have an inflated idea of the value of the car and will resent your trying to negotiate a lower price.
• Second, if something does go wrong with the car, an unexpected repair charge could put your friendship in jeopardy.
• Third, uness there is still some factory guarantee left on the car¬a friend won't be in a position to offer you any kind of warrantty

Even with these possible negatives, a friend or business associate may still be the safest source for a used-car purchase.

Price:    It will vary according to:

• Seller's concept of car's value
• How big a favor they're willing to do for a friend
• How badly they want to sell the car

Risk: Moderately low. After all, you do know where the seller lives. However, to assure that the risk remains low, you must follow the inspection instructions outlined in this segment, and you should be sure to have the car checked by a professional mechanic before you buy.

2. Persons Previously Unknown to You
Most people generally feel more comfortable wheeling and dealing with someone they have never met before. You can "grind" the seller on the price and then, if not satisfied with the deal, walk away without endangering a friendship or damaging your relationship with an acquaintance. As we'll explain in our strategy section, one of the keys to buying at a good price lies in:

• Finding sellers who need to sell their cars
• Finding sellers who are in a hurry to sell their cars
• Finding sellers who have not had much success in attracting

Price:    It will vary according to:

• Seller's concept of car's value
• How badly they want to sell the car

Risk: You can keep the risk moderately low if you meticulously follow the inspection instructions in this segment.

Buying from Classified Ads
The reason most people elect to sell their own cars is because they want more than the wholesale price that a dealer or wholesaler would be willing to pay. Their rationale, and it's a legitimate one, is that by selling the car themselves, they stand to make more money, even it means enduring more aggravation.

However, this does not mean that their prices should be higher than, or even the same as, the retail price charged by a dealer. The reasons are as follows: First, unless the car has some manufacturer's guarantee left, the private owner has no practical way of providing a warranty. Second, private owners do not have the same expenses or overhead as a dealer. For both these reasons, the private owner's car should be priced below its equivalent on a dealer's lot. Having said that, remember that unlike a new car there are no two used cars exactly alike. The point to keep in mind about all this is that if you find a private party asking substantially more than a dealer for essentially the same car, you either have a situation in which you're looking at an extremely well-kept, low-mileage, much in demand car, or you have a seller with an inflated concept of the car's value.

Curbing
This is the name for the practice of salespeople at a dealership selling some of their used cars from home as if they were private sellers. It's a way for them to make a few extra bucks. The only problem is that all too often the cars they offer are the ones that the dealer can't move. That's why one of the questions we suggest you ask when calling on a classified ad is whether the seller is a dealer or works for one. If he says it's his car and you find that when you check the title it's not in his name, you would be well advised to walk.

Advantage-Buying from the Original Owner
One advantage of dealing with the original owner, especially one who has taken pride in the car, is that he or she will give you a more accurate picture of the car's maintenance and repair history. Conversely, a private owner may be trying to unload his or her automotive headache. If you decide to buy from a private source we strongly urge you to have the car checked out by a certified mechanic.

Finding Eager Sellers
Clearly people who have been trying to sell their cars for several weeks or even months are going to be motivated to accept something below their asking price. The question, of course, is how do you find these eager sellers. One method is to find a four- to six-week-old newspaper and go through the classified ads. Circle those cars that interest you. Then call and without revealing that you have gotten their number from a six-week-old paper, ask about their car. If it's sold, they will say so and you can hang up. If it's still for sale, the seller need not know that you know how long he or she has been trying to sell it.