Finding a sweet deal on a lightly-used car in the US...

[amorak]

Hey guys,

looking to grab as inexpensive a 2008 Mazda CX-7 AWD out of the US as I can, for my mum, as long as its clean and still has its warranty and is under 30k mi.

I have checked the usual places, craigslist, auto trader, where else besides fleabay do you seasoned US-buyers find smokin deals?

[Hevishot]

One of the problems people have when they bring vehicles in from the states is that some dealerships up here will not honor the warranty. Atleast thats how it is in most GM cases.

[amorak]

Originally Posted by Hevishot

One of the problems people have when they bring vehicles in from the states is that some dealerships up here will not honor the warranty. Atleast thats how it is in most GM cases.

Warranty validity is not determined by the dealers, but by the car company.

GM honours warranties, for example, after a car has been in service for 6 months.

Mazda, Ford, for example, honour the warranty without delay.

I am very familiar with the warranties and the importation process, I just need to find a killer deal

[burn_this_city]

I think you'll struggle to do much better than a private sale through autotrader.

[amorak]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

I think you'll struggle to do much better than a private sale through autotrader.

I agree, I have been staying away from private sales, due to the hassle and potential problems... I dont want them to sell teh car out from under me when I fly down, or me give them the money and they take off, etc... So a dealer seems like the best option.

[burn_this_city]

I wouldnt be overly worried about those things. You can mitigate most of them by flying down and having the vehicle inspected and haggle in person. Trick would be not to put all your eggs in one basket. I prefer buying vehicles from private sellers rather than stealerships. Not sure how you would get a bank draft down south though.

[VladtheImpaler]

Search the hardest hit areas economically - I know Vegas/Nevada in general had some amazing deals a few months ago. Just plug in city names one by one into google and go from there.

[Shazam]

eBay.

[HockeyPuck]

I've bought a truck off of autotrader, an Audi off of Ebay and a Honda off of Cars.com.

In general, I've found vehicles out east are cheaper than out west. Especially New York, Pennsylvania, etc. I have a friend that imported a Lexus from Georgia and had it shipped to Sweetgrass for $900.