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Re: [PLUG] [OT] buy a second-hand car (From Paris To Philly)
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Sadly, if he wants to purchase the car within 15 to 30 days of finding
it, he'll have to forgo the AAA insepction. I called in August and
the delay to get an inspection ran about 15 days... I've heard it can
be longer. How somebody can wait that long to buy/sell a car is
beyond me.
Eric
multiple seriousity <msimons@slackware.com> said:
> On Fri, 14 Dec 2001, christophe [iso-8859-1] barbé wrote:
> > My first question is about car resellers. What's the best place to
look
> > for second-hand cars?
> > Are there some tricks that I should know before buying a car in the US
> > (being a french) ?
> > What are the most common car insurance companies ?
> > PS: I will be off-line from Monday to ... a few days later (I hope).
>
> My advice:
>
> don't buy a second-hand car from a dealership, buy it from an individaul
> (check the various local papers) of course this takes time to find the
> right one, but depending on how good you are and how much you know you c
> get things narrowed down with just a few papers and the telephone. .
>
> when you do go to see a few cars that you are very interested in,
> negotiate with them to take the car with you or to let you take the
car to
> the AAA Diagnostic Clinic in Broomall, PA -- for about $100
> (nonmember) they will tell you EXACTLY what is wrong or right with the
> car... all they do is diagnostics so they have no reason to lie or
> anything.. you can negotiate with the person maybe to split the cost
with
> you, if you turn out to not take the car, they get a copy of the
> diagnostic report to show the next potential buyers...
> you can find out all about it at:
> http://www.aaamidatlantic.com/automotive/diagnostic_clinic.asp
>
>
> also, I don't know how long you plan on staying tin the US.. or how much
> money you have to spend (or if its a big deal for you or not..) if
you're
> not staying long, being unsure about the car isnt such a big deal
cause if
> you're only going to stay a year or two, it will probably last you,
but if
> you're planning on staying longer...
>
> also, try to take advantadge of the resources you have... do you have
> insurance in your home country? ask your current insurance company about
> U.S. insurance issues, they may be willing to cover youfor a short
period
> of time while you are first here, or may have advice for you, or a
sister
> company here..
>
> another thing, mayb consider calling the french embassy or looking
up some
> sort of cultural association for advice an/or networking.
>
> also considerations are where are you living and where is your job... if
> you're choosing to live downtown you may not need to buy a car right
away
> (or at all?) parking in downtown philly is a pain in the backside..
>
> also, your driving record.. is it good? is there any way to get a
copy of
> your driving record (in other words something from the license issuing
> authority/police there that might state any record of accidents,
tickets,
> driving history or lack thereof? I dont know what sort of ability they
> have to check foreign records, or how they treat foreign drivers, but it
> doesn't hurt to be prepared ... if it can save you a little bit in the
> long run.. once you're here you cant go back and get a copy)
>
>
> and dont forget... you have the best tool you could possibly have to
> research this stuff in advance... the web!
>
> http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Shopping_and_Services
> /Financial_Services/Insurance/Automotive/
> (this actually leaves out a lot, like statefarm, etc..)
>
> Know what it's worth!! by all means, go knowing what it's worth..
> http://www.edmunds.com/
> http://www.nadaguides.com/
>
> know more about the SPECIFIC car you're interested in:
> http://wsf.carfax.com/cfm/general_check.cfm?partner=edm_0
> (its not perfect and can be missing a lot, but if it's there, it's
> there..)
>
> thats about it from my hat..
>
> --
> msimons@slackware.com INFORMATION*MEDIA*PHOTOGRAPHY
msimonsmail@yahoo.com
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> ______________________________________________________________________
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--
Eric A. Lucas
# "Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
# and danced the skies on laughter silvered wings...
# -- John Gillespie Magee Jr.
______________________________________________________________________
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