Is this too many miles for a used car?

[Tarball]

Buying a used car is like playing the lottery. You have no idea what the history of the vehicle is. You may get a winner or you may get a lemon.

I bought a '99 Denali a year ago with less than 97k on it for $10,000. This weekend I am changing the intake gasket and heater core due to an overheat issue (hours of fun). Still a damn nice truck for the price.

When buying ANY used car expect to have to put money into it for maintenance and misc. unscheduled repairs. Just remember this, EVERYTHING on your car/truck will eventually break; the more "features and bell and whistles" the more things there are to repair and the more complicated things can get during a repair = = more $$$.

[jfoodstamp]

Here is the skinny. I am a professional car sales consultant who has been selling cars for a few years. Buying a used car can be scary but there are some things you can do to really put the odds in your favor. First get a Car Fax or Auto Check history report. Even though Car Fax is a far more popular name the Auto check is more thorough. Next take the car to and independent mechanic shop of your choosing and have an inspection done. Usually cost under 100 bucks but well worth it. Most of the time the mechanic shop will look extra hard to find stuff wrong because they want you to fix it there and look like "heroes". Determine what the real value of the vehicle by going to NADA.com. NADA is the value of the vehicle that the banks use when determining how much money they will loan on a vehicle. You can also look at the Kelly Blue Book for reference but is typically way higher and a dreamland figure and favors the dealer. Another tidbit of info is that just because a car is on the back lot going to auction is not a bad thing, the Ford dealership I work at is huge and we get tons of trade ins even stuff like newer BMW'S and Benzes and we automatically take them to auction or wholesale them because we don't have much success selling them. Think about it, when was the last time you went to an American Car dealer looking for a diesel Volkswagon. Lastly make a decision based on all of these components and consider an extended service contract.

[BEEMDUB]

Just know that the cheap ones are probably rwd so if you get a lot of snow that could be an issue. Does it have to be a Tahoe or are there other options? If you'll be financing you really don't want to have a car with 100k+ miles and be making payments for several years if issues start to arise.

I will be getting a car loan, seeing as my mom and dad both have perfect credit I would most likely get a cosign to get a low ass interest rate. But that is the only thing I am weary about is the high miles, I know it obviously depends on which car I'm looking at and how good of shape it's in. An extended powertrain warranty from whatever dealer I go to is definitely something I'll most likely get. And I'm 100% set on a Tahoe, if I can't get a NNBS one then I'll just wait until I can get one eventually. Last case scenario I could see about trading in my 07 charger.

Here is the skinny. I am a professional car sales consultant who has been selling cars for a few years. Buying a used car can be scary but there are some things you can do to really put the odds in your favor. First get a Car Fax or Auto Check history report. Even though Car Fax is a far more popular name the Auto check is more thorough. Next take the car to and independent mechanic shop of your choosing and have an inspection done. Usually cost under 100 bucks but well worth it. Most of the time the mechanic shop will look extra hard to find stuff wrong because they want you to fix it there and look like "heroes". Determine what the real value of the vehicle by going to NADA.com. NADA is the value of the vehicle that the banks use when determining how much money they will loan on a vehicle. You can also look at the Kelly Blue Book for reference but is typically way higher and a dreamland figure and favors the dealer. Another tidbit of info is that just because a car is on the back lot going to auction is not a bad thing, the Ford dealership I work at is huge and we get tons of trade ins even stuff like newer BMW'S and Benzes and we automatically take them to auction or wholesale them because we don't have much success selling them. Think about it, when was the last time you went to an American Car dealer looking for a diesel Volkswagon. Lastly make a decision based on all of these components and consider an extended service contract.

Good info thank you, I definitely will be checkin out extended warranties, especially since I'm looking at tahoes with high miles. Now another question I have is when I'm getting a car loan, should I tell the dealer I'm paying cash?