Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange
Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [purchasing]

Questions seeking price/shopping assistance are off-topic.

Questions seeking price/shopping assistance are off-topic because they tend to become obsolete quickly. Instead, describe your situation and the specific problem you're trying to solve.

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Is a bigger car safer than a smaller car?

From the point of view of mass, a smaller car appears to be a disadvantage if in an accident with a bigger car, because the change in momentum of the smaller car will probably be higher. A bigger car carries more material that can absorb energy via…
Sparkler
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Motor Industry reliability data - is there a source?

As a consumer, I have very little to go on if I want to buy a reliable new car - the reputation of the company, past reliability reports/opinion/reviews for older models, perhaps I could infer something from the warranty on offer... But fleet…
John U
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Should I perform any special checks when buying a high mileage car?

After a series of breakdowns with my current car, I've finally decided that its time to get a replacement. Looking round local dealers, I've found a 9 year old used Mazda 6 diesel which seems to meet my requirements, and as far as I can tell is in…
JustAnotherCoder
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Is a car dealer required to offer an extended warrantee?

Not sure if this should be here or in a legal area, but it has to do with buying a used car, so hopefully it fits here. My wife and I just purchased a used car (2007 Toyota), and the finance person who was doing the paperwork said it was "required…
Milwrdfan
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Returning a new car to a different dealership in USA?

I purchased a brand new 2024 Honda car with all cash, about 2 weeks ago in Washington State, USA. I live about 2 hours away from the dealer where I purchased the car. Starting two days ago, the car started trembling a bit when I accelerate. I had…
SonJo
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How should I modify a car to live in it? How risky are used cars?

I've been thinking of living in a car because rent in my area is astronomical; I don't even want to pay it on principle. Sadly, "By the mere existence of his stomach everyone is condemned to participate in that chase" so I was thinking of living in…
user1833028
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minivan with 48000 miles needed front driveshaft replaced?

I looked at a used minivan today from a dealership and it seems in good shape, but the Carfax report says that it recently had its front driveshaft replaced. It is a 2012 model with only 48000 miles. Is this unusual? It seems odd to have to replace…
Jason S
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Buying a used car that is a few years old but high mileage

I am looking at cars that are 2013 or 2014 model year. I found a 2014 model year vehicle for sale that has about 90K miles on it. I know this is high-mileage for a 3- or 4-year old car, but I'm used to buying used vehicles that are five or six years…
Jason S
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Looking at a 2008 Ford Ranger, a couple questions about the car

I’m looking at purchasing a 2008 ford ranger with 150k miles. It has the 4.0 engine with an automatic transmission. The price is 4000. There’s three issues that jump out at me This transmission (I think) leak. All around the pan is covered with…
Millyraider
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What contextual information can you use to determine the likely bounds of "damage reported" on a Carfax?

I am helping my daughters search for their first cars, which usually involves 3-4 year-old Leafs or similar. Most dealers now provide a Carfax for their cars, and I've been surprised to see how many have 'damage reported' on the Carfax. Most of…
Nicholas
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Is there a general rule of thumb regarding the number of previous owners when buying a used car?

I'm considering buying a 10 years old car that had 4 previous owners. I'm told that's a little high. But what's high and what's low, is there a way to tell?
drake035
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buying a new unused car parked in storage

I am thinking of buying a car that has been in storage for the last 9 months.It only clocked less than 30km mileage to date. The company that owns this car bought in volume (good discount) for their staff and this particular car was assigned to…
Dean
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