Alternatives to Used Car Dealerships

The used car market continues to boom and offers many people an affordable method to obtain a cheap used car that fits their needs. In the past, when you were ready to buy a used car, you spent days, weeks, even months driving through the dealers car lots and looking and dreaming about the used cars on the lots. Many times, there wasn't a car there that you really wanted, but that was all there was to choose from. That's why you bought your car there. The car dealership was conveniently located, they offered payment plans (not a good thing when buying a used car), and they could convince you that you needed that one car on the lot that you wouldn't normally have even looked at.

Today, it's all different. The alternatives to used car dealerships abound, and we're not just talking about the newspaper classified ads. Where will you look for your next used car?

Buying a used car from the classified section of your newspaper, though still useful, may not provide you with the best options, choices, or pricing. A popular place to locate just about anything you need is Craigslist, which is an online classifieds system that is broken down by state and even by city. So, let's say you live in Florida, you can go to the Florida site for Craigslist and then narrow down by city. Some areas have a Craigslist for just their state. Do a search for Craigslist and then narrow down to your locale.

Now, what will you find on Craigslist for vehicles? Anything and everything. Plus, there's a search option where you can specify the vehicle you're looking for and the price range. Go ahead...go try out the site. Get to your Craigslist site, click on Autos, and just take a look at the vehicles that have been listed today. Try out the search option; put in a vehicle make, even year and click search. See what comes up? Do you have choices now?

As with buying a used car from any source, you need to do your research. This is so incredibly easy what with having the Internet at your fingertips to do all the work for you. Narrow down the vehicles you are interested in, find out their book/market values, get an idea for the going price and what repairs may cost. Try to have a mechanic available to look at any used car you might be interested in. And, folks, act responsibly and be cautious when meeting people selling anything in out-of-the-way places. It's always good to have someone with you for many reasons.