If you are in the market looking out for used cars for sale then you are also probably thinking in terms of the lowest prices possible. If your budget is modest and there is not much room for manoeuvring then you must follow a stringent code of criteria which will help you get your choice of the best used cars.
For a strict budget it is better to go for a car which will provide value for money service. It has to be reliable and ideally a four cylinder car with four doors and a front drive is the best in this category. The age of the used car also matters a lot as cars less than five years old will cost more but again, you should not opt for car which is older than 12-15 years. The age of the car will testify to its condition and will also be important in other factors. Insurance, service, cost and availability of replacement parts as well as any resale in the future is all affected by the age of the used car.
The best used cars for sale would fall into the age category of 1-5 years old since they will be almost as good as new and without the disadvantage of buying new cars which gets devalued immediately you pick it up. A car which is moderately new will have less mechanical failures, would have chalked up fewer miles and replacement parts would be easily available. Insurance will also be considerably less than on a brand new car.
Cars which are five to ten years old are also good buys for the careful shopper because the insurance rates are much lower and replacement parts are easy to get. The price of used cars in this age group is also considerably lower than that of a car which is only 1-5 years old and you may even hit upon an undervalued car if you look around enough. The five to ten years old car category is the benchmark for sharp drop off in prices for cars.
Cars which are more than a decade old are priced according to their condition and the reputation of the vehicle. If you are picking up a car in this category then you must be prepared for regular repairs and maintenance for the remainder of its time. While some cars end up giving good service others may not prove so road-worthy and may require on-going repairs on a monthly basis. At this point it is a good idea to compare the savings which you have made while buying the car vis–vis the expenses which you will have to bear in its repairs and maintenance.
Overall, it can be concluded that as far as the best used cars for sale are concerned, they should be in good running condition, replacement parts should be available readily at no extra cost, fuel, maintenance and insurance expenses should not be high and you should be assured of the car’s reasonable longevity.