How to Find an Inexpensive Vehicle (If You Know Nothing About Cars)

It can be very difficult to live and work without some sort of quick transportation. If you live near a bus route, you can usually find a way to get where you need to go within an hour or so, but this option isn't open to everyone. This guide will give some basic tips about what to look for if you need a cheap vehicles.

Buy or Lease?

Most places will advise that you purchase a car over entering in to a temporary lease. If you don't have much for income, however, purchasing may be out of the question. If you have decent credit, you can lease a sub-compact car for a few thousand dollar down payment and less than $200 per month. I would advise this option if you know little to nothing about cars. By leasing, you'll only be stuck with the same vehicle for a few years and can learn what you really want out of a vehicle. If you're financial situation changes once the lease is up, perhaps you can look in to buying.

Used cars can be another option if you need a vehicle, but don't want to deal with payments. Ideally, you will want to ask friends, family and coworkers if they know anyone looking to sell. Having someone you know vouch for the seller raises your chances of getting a fair deal. Craigslist has some good finds, but it can be risky. You can also take a walk around the neighborhood and look for cars with "for sale" signs in the window, but that's pretty inefficient. No matter what, always get the car checked out by a shop of your choice before you buy. It can cost around $100, but you'll at least have some idea of what you're getting in to.  You might even be able to negotiate it in to the selling price.  Personally, I would take it to the car brand's dealership. They will know what to look for and can see if it's been serviced at their dealership. They might even give you some idea of what may be needed in the future.

What to Buy?

Once you've decided whether to purchase or lease, you'll want to do some research on what you need the vehicle to do.  Small sub-compacts are usually pretty cheap to purchase and easy to maintain.  If you plan on getting a lease, look at the Honda Fit, Ford Fiesta, Chevy Sonic, Toyota Yaris, Kia Rio or Soul, Mazda 2, Nissan Versa or Hyundai Accent. Do some research online, narrow your scope to a 4 or 5 and go to the dealer.  Speak with a salesman, and be sure to insist on a test drive. Some cars will have odd quirks that will only find from driving. You should probably avoid buying the first car you drive, unless you get a really good deal and love the car.

If you end up looking for a used car, try to get something relatively simple. If you don't have much money, never, under any circumstances, purchase a European luxury brand. Audi's, BMW's, Mercedes', Land Rovers, and Jaguars are expensive to maintain and can be difficult to find parts for. Oil changes alone for these cars can cost up to $100.

In general, just stick with a small American or Japanese (or possible Volkswaggen) car from the last 20 years with less the 160,000 miles. Look for simple, front wheel drive cars since they're easy to maintain and have fewer parts that can fail on you. Cross reference the asking price with the Kelley Blue Book website ( http://www.kbb.com ) to make sure you're getting a good deal. Be sure to avoid any car that's been lowered or modified in any other way.

In later posts, I'll give some more detailed tips on how to keep the car maintained, and what simple repairs you may be able to do yourself.