The Smartest Ways to Save on a Used Car

What do most people do when they need a car? They go to the dealership and leave with one. But that’s most people. Most people are broke. You don’t want to be “most people.” The following post describes the many, many creative ways to get into a car and save tons and tons of money. These are the obscure ways to save on transportation.

firefighter-734786_640

Get Something with a Rebuilt Title

Car with salvage titles typically sell for about half the price of a ‘clean title’ car – even after they have been repaired. That means you can get a car that looks, runs and drives like it just rolled off the lot. Except you can get it at a 50% price reduction simply because something negative happened to the car in a past life.

The risk in doing this is that the car you’re buying may not have been repaired properly. Or perhaps there is still damage to the car that remains to be uncovered. So proceed with caution. If you’re not great with cars, recruit a friend who knows what to look for. Things you’ll need to look for are improper welds, safety hazards and most importantly – ensure the frame is straight. A tweaked frame means the car won’t align properly and it’ll lead to problems like the tires wearing unevenly.

Also ask where the car was repaired. Is it a reputable repair shop? If so, you should be golden. This is how you buy a car for 50% off without it looking like it was ever damaged.

Buy Something That Has Been Recently Crashed

Want to save even more money? Then buy something that has been crashed – and is still looking gnarly. This is the cheapest way to get a car. I have a friend who just bought a 2013 Ford Fiesta with 18,000 miles for just $3,500!!! It came with a damaged quarter panel and rear bumper cover. After putting about $1,000 worth of body work into it, the car looks just like new again. The car, even with its now rebuilt title, will sell for $10,000. Pretty incredible.

Buy and Resell

Someone I know does this regularly. He buys a car off Craigslist, drives it for a while and then sells it on for a profit. Yes, he gets a free car to drive and later sells it for more money! He says the moment you make money is when you buy the car. So he recommends you negotiate and get a good price on the front end.

I did this in high school. I bought a Mitsubishi Eclipse, owned it for 3 years and sold it for the exact same price. It’s how I got a free car. It’s a pretty awesome feeling when you get a car, use it and sell it on for the same price as you bought it for years ago. Besides fuel and insurance, the car was free. Pretty awesome.

Final Thoughts on Obscure Ways to Get a Discounted Used Car

These are the 3 ways I recommend for getting a discounted used car. The discounts can be extreme – as much as 50%! Don’t be like the average person who strolls into a dealership and pays a huge amount of their net worth just to have a car to drive. Be smart. Use one of the above mentioned hacks for buying a used car. Let me know in the comments below if you’ve scored any incredible deals.