Used Cars: For Sale By Owner vs. Used Car Dealers

You're looking for a used car, and you know thatwant.
you have two main ways of finding one. You canOn the downside, a dealer, because of their higher
go to your local used car dealer, or you can lookoverhead, will charge you more than a owner
through listings to find cars for sale by owner.selling the car himself would. This is something to
Which way is best? Why choose one over theconsider before heading over to your local used
other? Read on to learn more.car dealer.
Basically, the main advantage of buying through aAnd speaking of for sale by owner, what are the
used car dealer is that they generally can offeradvantages there? Well, I already mentioned the
you some sort of guarantee or warranty, thoughbig one: lower prices. Since car owners can't offer
how much greatly depends on the dealer. Ofyou the same guarantees as a dealer can, they
course, such promises are only as good as thoseoffer you much better deals.
who make them, so be sure to read and askUsed car owners can also tell you a lot more
around to find out whether or not the dealer hasdetail about the history of the car than the dealer
a good reputation.can, though this is also subject to the
Dealers are also able to arrange financetrustworthiness of individual you're working with.
agreements, if you need them. Be warned,Overall, though, if you're looking to save on a
though, many dealers do not offer very friendlyused car, going with a for sale by owner listing
finance terms, so be wary of taking anythingcan be a great way to go.
you're offered.Of course, an owner won't be able to finance the
A dealer should also be able to look over the carcar for you, so you'll need to arrange that
and verify its mechanical functionality, thoughseparately if needed.
again this type of service is only as good as theSo, if you're still on the fence about which way to
reputation of the dealer.go, why not just try both? Visit some dealers,
A dealer also offers a wide selection in oneand talk to some individual sellers, and see which
location, making it easy to see and compareones make you feel the most comfortable. The
multiple cars in one outing. This is very convenient,more places you go, the more likely you are to
especially if you're not sure exactly what yourun into that used car of your dreams.