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It isn't just another guide for buying a used car in the US:       

Life in the US depends a lot on having a vehicle to get around. Land wide spread and major shopping malls located miles away from residential locations call for owning a mobility of your own to get through what you need. You feel crippled without one, how much ever outgoing you tend to be. Ofcourse, the whole description doesn't apply if you are in California or New York where public transportation is the preferred way of commute. And if you are only commuting in that way so far, you haven't known what it is like to get around on your own, driving all by yourself.

So, what's so different about buying a car here? Like all things in the US, everything has a price and it differs from place to place and from store to store. And, there isn't something called bargaining in this place. Well, you can call it 'negotiation' around here but it isn't like elsewhere. So, you have to choose your car and the place where you buy, carefully.

Here is a good article which describes how to go about buying a car. And if you have time, check this buying advice. This will give you some good insight into how car dealers sell their cars. Also, go through carbuyingtips.com before you jump onto the list below.

I am listing down the links to websites and some interesting articles that would help you out in your pursuit of owning a car, a pre-owned one or a new one. Doesn't the word pre-owned sound much better than an 'old car' or a 'used car' :-)?

Ok. Let's get on to business and if you are planning to buy from a 'Private Party', be sure to check this link: how to buy used car from a private seller.

Aren't you surprised to see eBay in the above list?? Yes. It is also a source to check for, but always be 200% extra careful when you are considering something from there. Several people bought very nice cars from eBay too and hence makes into the list above.

Salvage Title (Salvage Title-Wiki):
     When you are looking for an old car, always ask if the car has a 'Salvage Title'. If so, try to avoid it even if the car looks too good. If you really want to go for it, show it to a good mechanic before doing so. The complications are too many with a 'Salvage title' and it is not easy to get rid of it later, if you need to.

Evaluating the car's worth:

 Buying a used car involves 3 steps. 1. Selecting the brand and the mileage. 2. Choosing the Seller and 3. Choosing/Selecting the right car, without ending up on the losing side. The first two steps are pretty smooth. Later, you will have to get some reports on the condition of the car to assert the car's condition.

Also, know what the car's true worth is by checking the KBB (kelly blue book) value and its value at nadaguides. If you are buying from another individual you have to look for the 'Private party' value quoted here and then compare it with the asking price of the seller.

KBB is almost considered as the standard by 'Sellers' and I would say, for Buyers, treat the value in edmunds.com as the standard as this is what you CAN get it for. The TMV (True Market Value) at Edmunds is typically less than the KBB value. And after all this, if you want to make sure you are paying the right price for the car, use True Value for calculating the car's depreciation.

Car's History:

A "background check" is required not only for people but also for preowned cars. Get a carfax report and check where the car has been, how many owners it has been with and the duration with each of them. A one owner car would be the best bet than a car that has changed multiple owners. Do remember that any damage will take atleast 15 to 30 days to make it to Carfax. Only major issues, incidents, accidents get logged here. So, if there was a parking lot damage it wouldn't be on Carfax. Here are the sources for looking up the cars history.

Fuel Economy:

In today's world of high gas prices, it is good to get an idea of what you can expect from your next car in terms of its fuel efficiency. Head over to www.fueleconomy.gov and check the MPG rating for your model.

Now that you know of all the different sources where you can look for cars, let's move on to the next step, financing the amount when you cannot afford the hefty amounts. Head on to Auto Loan & Insurance

section for more information. Also, below is the loan payment calculator for quick reference before you land there.

Paperwork:

And now comes the overlooked part of the whole deal. 'The actual paperwork'. We don't care about this until we are close to finalizing the deal but when we do, we hardly find anything that is readily available. The dmv doesn't provide anything for free.

All you need to do for getting the car is to have the owner/seller of the car have a lien-free title pass over to you. If the seller has a loan on the car from another institution (termed as lien holder), the first course of action is to let him pay off the due and get the title cleared. If he needs money to do so, take a note of his lien institution, the amount owed to the institution (bank/credit union) along with the drivers license details of the seller and hand it over to your lender so that the money can be directly paid by you to get the title cleared. If you are paying the whole amount by yourself,  you can get the following documents signed, pay a portion of the amount and pay the remaining after the title is in your hand. Remember, unless your name is written on the title as the Buyer, you don't have any right on the car, even if you paid money.

Bill of Sale - To finalize your deal and have a peace of mind, it is always better to get the "bill of sale" document signed before driving away the vehicle. Some states require it while others don't but getting one drafted would help you a lot when needed.

Vehicle Bill of Sale

Payment Receipt - You can easily create a 'crude' payment receipt in a word document but here is a document to ease that effort. Print them off, get them signed and you are good to go,after getting your insurace covered.