Originally published Sunday, September 14, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Comments (0)
E-mail article
Print view
Money Tip
Homework can pay off when buying a car
In March, Krystal Lester was desperate. The single mother from North Carolina needed transportation to get back and forth to work or she might lose her job.
McClatchy Newspapers
In March, Krystal Lester was desperate. The single mother from North Carolina needed transportation to get back and forth to work or she might lose her job.
So she went shopping for a used car. To save time, she skipped an important step: having the car checked by a mechanic before buying.
"I was rushing to get into something," Lester said. "I did it out of desperation and need. I know now that I should have taken a licensed mechanic with me to look at the car."
Since the purchase, she has replaced the starter, the timing belt and made other minor repairs on the 2001 Ford Escort, she said. The day-care professional said she has had to use her rent money to cover the repair expenses, which she estimates have totaled more than $1,500.
Lester isn't the only consumer who recently bought a used car without doing her homework first.
As the economy weakens, there will likely be more consumers shopping for used cars.
If you are among them, here are a few things you should do before driving off the lot:
• Ask to see a report on the car's history. This will detail whether the car has been stolen, flooded, totaled, in accidents or been involved in any recalls.
If the dealer doesn't provide the report, you should get the car's vehicle-identification number and check it yourself on a Web site such as www.carfax.com or www.autocheck.com.
• Check out the dealership with the Better Business Bureau and the attorney general's office to see if any complaints have been filed against it.
• Take the car on a test drive and have a licensed mechanic thoroughly inspect the vehicle.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
More Business & Technology headlines...
E-mail article
Print view Share:
Digg
Newsvine
![]()
Flood fears dampen business, home sales
UPDATE - 10:15 AM
Reports on consumer confidence, GDP tug at stocks
UPDATE - 11:09 AM
Thrifts earn $200M in 3Q as problems continue
Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rise for fourth month
A Bing deal for Microsoft, News Corp.?

PNW Magazine | Easy As Pie
A little friendly competition between professional pie-baker Kate McDermott and The Seatttle Times' Kathleen Triesch Saul is handled with great taste.
nwautos
Local riders say they've seen a surge in scooter interest in recent years, mostly from people wanting another commuting option. Seattle now ranks as o...
Post a comment
nwjobs
Post a comment
Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Do you suffer from "sitting disease"?
Post a comment
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Jerry Brewer | Jerry Brewer: Seahawks can't lean on the Hutch Crutch now
- Woman stabbed by stranger in North Seattle
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- UW, WSU once again meet to see who's worse
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- Husky Football Blog | Ranking the Pac
- Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
- Tugboat sinks at Seattle waterfront pier
- Illegal workers quietly let go
422 - Climate change speeds up since 1997 Kyoto accord
224 - Bellevue residents blast new bikini espresso stand
174 - Metro won't cut bus service after all
160 - New Husky recruit: Enes Kanter
109 - Washington State coach Paul Wulff says he's excited about Cougars' future
99 - Next Seahawks GM should be Mike Holmgren
97 - Seattle woman charged with knife attack on boyfriend's ex
92 - Big demand, grim outlook for state Basic Health Plan
91 - Middleton says Huskies "plan on scoring at least 50 points'' Saturday
87
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Architects, chefs find 'kid' within to build Gingerbread Village
- Rediscovering Moab, 'the most beautiful place on Earth'
- UW, WSU once again meet to see who's worse
- Hutch gets $10M from Bezos family for immunotherapy research
- Nicole Brodeur | Homeless woman bent on giving
- Elton John & Billy Joel reschedule Seattle concerts





