5 Things to Avoid When Buying a Used Car

When shopping for used cars, there are a few important points to keep in mind to ensure you get a good deal. With so much information out there, it can be hard to know what to look out for. To make sure you get the best value for your money, here are 5 things to avoid when buying a used car.

1) Check the vehicle history report

When you're shopping for used cars, one of the most important things to do is check the vehicle history report. This report can provide valuable information about the car’s past, including any accidents, ownership changes, or other issues that may affect its value or condition. The report can also tell you if there are any active recalls on the car, which could be important in terms of safety and reliability. By taking the time to check the vehicle history report, you can be sure that you're making a wise decision when buying a used car.

2) Don't buy a car with an outstanding recall

When shopping for a used car, it's important to avoid any vehicles with an outstanding recall. Every car model has safety recalls issued from time to time and if the recall hasn't been addressed, it can put you at risk of injury or worse in the event of an accident.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) keeps track of all vehicle recalls, and a simple online search should tell you if the car you're considering has any open recalls. If so, it's best to avoid that particular car until the recall is taken care of. Don't put your life at risk by buying a car with an unresolved recall issue.

3) Have a mechanic inspect the car

It is always wise to have a mechanic inspect a used car before you buy it. This can help identify potential problems with the car, such as worn brakes or suspension components, or any other major issues that could cause problems down the road. A qualified technician can spot potential problems and provide a detailed report that can help you make an informed decision on the car. 

If you don’t have a personal mechanic to call on, most dealerships offer pre-purchase inspections for a fee. Make sure you know exactly what the inspection covers and whether it includes a test drive and examination of the engine and transmission. 

Keep in mind that even if the car passes inspection, it’s not necessarily a guarantee that there won’t be any future issues. 

4) Don't buy a car that's been in a major accident

When buying a used car, it’s important to know if the car has been in any serious accidents. Accidents can have a significant impact on the performance and safety of a vehicle, so it’s important to know the history of a car before making a purchase. 

If a car has been in a major accident, there may be frame damage. Frame damage can cause problems with the structure of the car and result in issues with the car’s alignment, suspension, brakes, and other components. It’s also important to make sure that any structural damage was properly repaired before buying a car that has been in a major accident. 

When looking at a used car, ask the owner for detailed information about any major accidents the car has been in. Have a mechanic inspect the car for any potential frame damage, and make sure that any damage that is present was properly repaired. 

It’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to buying a used car. Don’t take any chances with a car that has been in a major accident. Ask questions, have a professional inspect it, and make sure you feel confident about the quality and safety of the car before signing on the dotted line.

5) Don't overpay for a used car

It's easy to get carried away when buying a used car, especially if you're looking for a reliable and reasonably priced vehicle. However, it's important to avoid overpaying for the car. If you're looking to get a good deal on a used car, make sure you research the vehicle's average market price.

It's also important to remember that prices vary from dealership to dealership. Even if one dealership is offering a seemingly great deal, it's still worth shopping around and seeing what other dealerships have to offer. There are many online resources available to help you compare pricing, so take advantage of them.

When looking at used cars, don't be swayed by emotion either. Just because a car looks nice doesn't mean it's worth the asking price. Make sure you consider all the factors involved when pricing a car, such as condition, mileage, and features. Doing your research and shopping around can help ensure you don't overpay for a used car.

Statement on COVID19

Statement on COVID

How is Southern Auto Liquidators, Inc  addressing the Coronavirus, and your safety, in our dealership?

We know and understand that the Coronavirus is a concern for many people in Central Florida, and around the globe, including our current and future customers like you. We wanted to personally reach out to let you know what we are doing to help combat the spread of the virus.

We are closely monitoring and following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), to ensure we are doing our part to keep you, our employees and our community safe.

We’re Also:

* Increasing frequency of cleaning and sanitizing our stores. This includes most-touched surfaces like door handles, credit card readers, tables/counter tops and restrooms.

* Greater availability of Hand Sanitizer for customers as well as employees

* No Hand Shaking. This one is tough to change out of habit when greeting someone but it is to avoid any possible contamination.

* You will have contact with only one person through the whole process, start to finish, limiting your exposure.

* We wear protective face masks for your safety as well as ours.

* Vehicle will be pulled to front of store and all touched areas will be disinfected before you arrive.

* Greater in-depth Cleaning of vehicles. We already pride ourselves on the cleanliness of our vehicles, but we are putting an extra emphasis on the most touched surfaces with disinfectants.

In Addition:

* We also have online shopping available on our website, where we all of our inventory available.

* Ability to apply online, to reduce time being spent in the dealership.

We are prepared for any service changes to our local business, should they be required by the CDC, WHO and local or state government. We will continue to proactively monitor, evaluate and respond to the impact of the virus, and update you on any changes.

In the meantime, with the extra precautions we have put in place, we are still open and here to assist you in any way that we can.

Make Every Day Earth Day - Go Green in a Hybrid

It is high time that people should start thinking about the environment and different ways to save it. But the more essential it becomes to have a greener and cleaner environment, the more destruction is caused to the environment. There are several factors that are affecting the changes in our environment. But vehicles play a significant role. They emit harmful pollutants as well as the waste of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen gas. Even the use of gas, which is one of the most important and rare non-renewable resources, makes a huge impact on the environment. Thus, for a change, hybrid cars are more efficient in combating against environmental pollution. Some of the benefits of driving a hybrid car are:

It has a better gas mileage: There is no doubt that the hybrid cars have a better gas mileage than that of the other cars. An improved fuel economy along with a reduced consumption of fuel is the major benefit of hybrid cars. Better mileage and fuel efficiency can be attributed to the fact that the engine is there to supply extra power. And secondly, when your hybrid car is driving at a low speed, only the electric motor will work. So, it saves a lot of gas and helps the environment preserve its natural wealth.

Less Harmful emission of gas: As said earlier global warming has become a huge concern and one of the reasons for this global warming is the gas emitted from the cars. Harmful gases like carbon monoxide can cause a lot of damage to the environment. Because of their use of the electric motor more often than gas, they burn less fuel. This results in less emission of harmful gases.

It uses electricity: Since the hybrid cars partially depend on the electricity to run the cars, the use of gas is less. Also, there are many hybrid cars which have the ability to create their own electricity during times like braking and coasting. The electricity doesn’t harm the environment. In fact, since they can produce their own electricity, there is no need to use up more natural resources.

Reduction of toxins and pollutants: Normal conventional cars require a change of oil after 3000 miles but for the hybrid cars, there is no need to change the oil before 5000 or 6000 miles.

Check out the Hybrids we have for sale here at Southern Auto Liquidators. We try to buy Hybrids as much as we can to do our part in helping the environment. Buying Hybrid cars can be tricky because when something goes wrong with it, it can be an expensive fix. So we work hard to make sure that we are buying cars that are not only environmentally friendly, but in great condition and SUPER clean. You'll feel like you just bought a NEW car. Check these out, today!

2008 Toyota Prius Package #6 - Fully Loaded

 2011 Honda Insight - Drives so fast and responsive

Buying Cars Used VS New

While buying new cars is enticing, you should take a cold, hard look at how much you could save over time by buying used cars instead.

The average person owns 13 cars in a lifetime, each costing an average of $30,000, according to a report by the National Automobile Dealers Association. If each of those cars was 3 years old, instead of new, you could save nearly $130,000 during your lifetime.

The real money-saver in buying a used car is wrapped up in a sinister-sounding financial word: depreciation. Once you fully understand how car depreciation sucks money out of your wallet, you’ll learn how to save boatloads of cash over your lifetime. You often hear that a car loses 20% of its value as soon as you buy it. Yes, in just one minute, a $30,000 car will lose $6,000 as you gleefully drive off. By the end of the first year, mileage and wear and tear could bring that to 30%, or $9,000. Why don’t you feel this big hit? Because it takes effect much later when you sell or trade in your car.

Take a look at two similar cars, one new and one used: 

New-car depreciation: You buy the car for $30,000 and sell it three years later for $15,000. The car has cost you $15,000 in depreciation.

Used-car depreciation: Now let’s say you buy the same car, but it’s 3 years old when you buy it. You could buy the car for $15,000. Three years later you could sell it for $10,000. So the used car depreciation cost you only $5,000.

Now, if you’re paying attention, you would quickly say, “But driving a brand new car is much better!” You’re absolutely right. So, if driving a new car is worth an extra $10,000 to you, go for it. But don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Forget the old used-car stigmas 

It used to be common for people to put down used cars by saying that it was just a way to buy someone else’s problems. That’s not true anymore. Here are two updates on old knocks against used cars of recent vintage.

Reliability: Cars have never been more dependable than they are today. It’s not uncommon for some cars to deliver more than 100,000 miles before needing major repairs.

Maintenance: All cars require regular maintenance such as oil changes, tire rotation, brake jobs. But you can drive today’s cars much farther in between these scheduled maintenance visits. Even tires and brake pads last much longer than before.

So it’s pretty clear that buying a used car is much cheaper and that cars, in general, are more dependable. But take a look at these other advantages:

• When a vehicle is worth less, it costs less to insure it when you’re buying collision and comprehensive coverage. You can also drop collision and comprehensive coverage, which pay for repairs to your car and save even more. 

• Registry renewals are cheaper: The cost of registering a used car goes down every year. 

• Move up to a luxury car: Because you can save 30% or more, you can shop in a higher class of cars. 

• Less stress: Got a ding in the door? Who cares? But when it’s the first dent in your new car, it’s a huge bummer. 

Since the value of the vehicle will be lower, you’ll also save on your sales tax and insurance premiums. If you are financing, you’ll probably save in total interest payments, as the loan amount that you’re paying interest on will be lower, even if the interest rate is a bit higher.

By looking at the research and rankings for the car you are considering, you’ll know where there are potential problems, and you can avoid them. By the time a new model has been on the market for a couple of years, there will be some good predicted reliability information available that you can use to compare models.

The greatest advantage of going used is that the original owner will have absorbed the costly depreciation that occurs in the first few years of ownership. Their pain is your gain, however, as it will allow you to save thousands or tens of thousands of dollars on the cost of your car. You can either budget much less for your vehicle purchase or take a new-car-sized budget and buy a bigger or fancier model than you would otherwise be able to. And features such as navigation and leather seats don’t add as much to the price of a used vehicle as they do to the price of a new one.

Private Party Scams VS Used Car Dealers

While most used-car sales conducted by private individuals are perfectly legitimate, there are used car-buying scams out there, and they are on the rise — even for so-called "local sales". This is because so much of the business has an online component. In fact, consumer complaints about car sales scams increased 25 percent last year, according to Internet Crime Complaint Center, a U.S. government agency.

 Buying from a Used Car Dealer, on the other hand, comes with a certain amount of protection (even if they don't sell warranties, and are selling the car "As Is"). Besides the practicality of having the dealer handle all of the paperwork (which can really be a hassle when you’re doing it on your own), and of course, the potential of being financed through a dealer, as opposed to a private party. You can also potentially trade your car in to a dealer as a downpayment on the car you want to buy. Another important thing to think about when buying a used car is that a dealer has a reputation at stake with each sale. Think about it: If a dealer sells a flawed car without disclosing its problems, the dealer risks creating an angry buyer who could damage the dealer's reputation. A private seller doesn't have the same concerns, since he or she isn't actively engaged in the car sales business. As a result, good dealers will likely go out of their way to solve problems that arise after the sale, while many private sellers will likely avoid them. Additionally, a dealer will usually inspect and repair any issues that arise with the car before putting it up for sale to, again, protect their reputation. And dealerships offer more legal protection than buying from a private party. For example, because of the stringent laws dealerships must follow, you're less likely to run into problems such as purchasing a lemon or undisclosed salvaged vehicle. And dealers will always let you have the car inspected by your mechanic before you ever commit to buying, should you choose to do so.

You may get lucky with a private party seller, and buy a car with no issues that you can get cheaper than you would at a dealership. And for a lot of people, that is worth the risk. But it is a risk that you may end up having to pay more for, down the road.

We LOVE Smart Buyers!

Making a smart purchase requires some skill.  A smart buyer is really invested in getting the most for their money. They research extensively and “do their homework” to make sure that they are getting the highest-quality, at the lowest price.  At Southern Auto, we are smart buyers.  We are very invested in our inventory (literally!), so we “do our homework”.  We only buy New Car Trades from major dealerships, as they are the most reliable. And then we dedicate a lot of time looking for cars that are super-clean (humble brag: we have been told repeatedly that we have the cleanest cars in the local area. And we appreciate that, since we make work really hard to ensure that every detail is pristine), with a body that is as perfect as it can be, and no mechanical issues (if we do, by chance, end up with a car that we notice has a mechanical issue: we fix it right away, and we make sure that it is really fixed, because we love return customers - and we thrive on word-of-mouth). Then we do our research as to how much we can invest in the car while passing the savings on to our customers, all while still remaining competitive in the market.  We take great care in finding cars that meet our high standards because if we invest in a product to sell, we want it to be a good investment. We are smart buyers. And we love dealing with smart buyers, who speak our language. So, if while “doing your homework”, you happened to find this website - please give us a call….We would love to help you.

And if you are looking for something specific that you don’t see here, we can work with you to find what you are looking for, at the right price. Give us a call or send us an email, and let us know how we can help!  At Southern Auto Liquidators we are proud of the quality used cars we sell and our dedication to serving the needs of our customers. This is reflected in the amount of repeat business we receive. Whether this is your first purchase with us or one of many, you can count on our dedicated sales staff to make it the best buying experience possible.

Millennials are collecting "classic cars"......from the 80's!

You know you're getting old when the current main-stream generation is starting to collect "classic cars" from your childhood!! Personally, I'm not sure why anyone would swoon over an 86' Ford Escort, but apparently that's what the "kids" are in to these days!!  This year, for the first time, millennials are responsible for more collectible car activity than the pre-baby boom generation, according to Hagerty Insurance, the largest insurer of collectible cars. And they are changing the idea of what model cars deserve preserving. 

There are some standard cars that remain on the "hot list" for millennials, though. Nearly every generation of Ford Mustang is on the list, along with Chevy Camaros, Corvettes and pickups. Icons like the 1955-57 Chevy Bel Air and ‘49-'80 VW Beetle get plenty of love from car fans of all ages.

But, for the most part, get ready to see more Cutlass Supremes, Land Rover Defenders, Mazda RX-7s, Ford F-series pickups, Datsun 260Zs, Chevy Monte Carlos, BMW M3s and VW Corrados at classic car gatherings and the Woodward Dream Cruise!