Used Car Buying Tips That Actually Work

How to Buy a Used Car and Save Money

Used car buying tips and advice that will save you money.

A great way to save money when buying a car is to purchase a used vehicle instead of a new one.

When you drive a new car off a dealer’s lot, it depreciates rapidly. That means it’s worth less than what you paid for it. You can save thousands of dollars by letting someone else absorb the steep depreciation of the first few years of ownership.

Used Car Buying Guide

Want to buy a used car? My used-car cheat sheet is a step-by-step guide to buying a used car from a dealership, from start to finish.

How to buy a used car in 2026

Comparison Shop

Use available free online resources to research, compare and price pre-owned vehicles in your local area.

Used car price quote services

Free Car-Buying Tools

Navigate the car-buying jungle with comparison websites and free price-checking tools to find the best deal on a new car in your local area.

Best Free Online Car Buying Tools

Find the Lowest Used Car Price in Your Local Area From Edmunds.

Estimate Dealer Cost

Having a good idea of what a dealer should have paid for a used car will help level the playing field when negotiating a fair price.

How to estimate a used car’s cost

Anatomy of a VIN

Every vehicle you can see on the road has a unique Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).  What can the VIN tell you about a car?

What is a VIN on a car?

Check History

Vehicle history reports have become an integral part of any used-car purchase. They are one of the best ways to learn about a given vehicle’s past.

All about vehicle history reports

Test Drive It

How do you know if that shiny used car is a diamond in the rough or a hopeless money pit? It’s all in how you perform the test drive.

How to test drive a used car properly

How to trade in a vehicle to a dealership and get the most money.

Under Water

Flood-damaged cars are riddled with problems that you might not be able to see. The best way to avoid flood-damaged vehicles is not to buy one.

How to avoid buying a flood-damaged car

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