<p>I am flying to LA a couple of weeks before school starts and during this time, I am looking to purchase a cheap used car for my son. I have never bought a used car so I have been searching Craigslist and have found there are quite a few less than honest (I think) sellers there.
Is there a site that USC students are listing their cars for sale, or better yet does anyone know of someone who is selling a car that will run without trouble? Has anyone purchased a used car from one of the many dealers that have stores around the USC campus?
The biggest problem is because of the area, they are charging an extra 2,000 per year in coverage so we are opting out of theft. So if someone steals his car or if an uninsured hits him, we have to be able to take the loss so that is why the cheaper the better.
Any comments or experiances students have had with buying, having a cheap car? He will not be using the car for class, just to go to Ralphs, Targets, the Beach on the weekend, etc.</p>
<p>I don't have any experience buying a used car, but I would like to point out that it's entirely possible for a freshman student living on campus to have a comfortable year without owning a car.</p>
<p>Ralph's is a short walk away and there is bus service to the beach and to Target. Don't forget that he will also be surrounded by other students who own cars and like to go those places as well.</p>
<p>Ned, he actually did have a great year as a freshman without a car - no problem he was on campus and had the meal plan. Now as a Sophmore, he has an apt in the Figueroa Arms near Finn Apts south of Tuscany apts and the coliseum. There are no markets he can walk to there. I also would like the car to share with his roommate so they both can make the trips to Ralphs and other stores because his roommate will be stuck too. Plus he may like to try an internship a few days a week.
Also, in the same vein, the car insurance company gives a discount for high grades. I asked my son to get his GPA from Oasis, but all he pulled up is his previous classes with the grades. Is there some place he can pull up the classes with the GPA in progress on it? Thanks !</p>
<p>Thanks for the clarification. When you said he didn't need it to get to class, I had assumed he was living on campus. I'm glad he had a good freshman year. I will probably end up getting a car myself when it's time for an internship as an upperclassman!</p>
<p>The current GPA can be accessed through OASIS. Log in and select "Completed Course Summary." This will display the credits earned so far as an undergraduate, as well as the cumulative GPA.</p>
<p>Do you know if the insurance company will accept a GPA record printed off the web? I know to maintain my student coverage under my parents' health insurance, I had to go to the Enrollment Services office and get a print out on special USC letterhead declaring that I was enrolled as a full-time student.</p>
<p>I'm planning to sell my '97 Thunderbird in a week or two here. When I put it up, I'll send you a link to the ad. I've just decided that I want something smaller, as the Tbird is a bit of a boat. Speedy boat, though.</p>
<p>my freshman is bringing his car that I bought for him in L.A. last summer. L.A. is a great place to find a good deal on a car IF you do your homework first. Fortunately, there are a number of online consumer protection resources to save time and aggravation. Cars.com is probably the easiest resource to find private party/dealer inventory. Once you've located some possibles (make sure they are NOT SALVAGE TITLE!!!) then check their smog test history at this free State of Calif. DMV site...
<a href="http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/vehtests/pubtstqry.aspx%5B/url%5D">http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/vehtests/pubtstqry.aspx</a>
most sellers will gladly provide you the license/vin info. on their online listings, the LA Times requires License nos. for classifieds,
the smog history gives a good idea of how well the engine has been maintained, but just because the car has failed once or twice doesn't mean there is a serious problem (it could be a simple Mass Air Sensor replacement on the air cleaner intake).
CARFAX is a good next step (many dealers will provide it free of charge) or you can sign up for a 30 day subscription for like $20., discounts for AAA members, which will give a repair/accident history for the vehicle.
Make any offer to purchase/deposit ($500. should be enough) subject to mechanical checkout (give yourself 2-3 days) for a weekdays only reliable shop to fit you in. CitySearch has some consumer reviews on repair shops.</p>
<p>Ned - Yes, Geico does accept the GPA printed off the web
Larationalist - Sounds like an amazing car, but unless he finds some amazing job that pays well, I don't think my son can afford gas for anything other than say a small Neon, Geo, Escort, Hyundai or other low end compact car. But in your seach as you sell your T-bird and see some cheap small car that you are declining, please let me know.</p>
<p>Menloparkmom - Wow, thanks for the smogcheck link! We don't have that in NY. I will check cars.com too! I do know about Carfax. I wonder though if someone unscrupulous will just keep the deposit. (I am from NY so maybe I am overly suspcious?)</p>
<p>ebay- yeah, I have a feeling it might be on the market for a while because of that. I'm looking forward to the improved gas mileage on my Jetta, but menloparkmom wouldn't approve because it's a salvage (vandalized, fixing it up myself). Definitely beware of salvage vehicles, but if the seller can document for you the reason it was salvage (they should have pics from the salvage auction) and how they fixed it, and you're satisfied with those fixes, it can be a fine way to get a car at an incredible discount.</p>
<p>My one caution- avoid Suzukis. Some people love them and the mpg rating is tempting, but they turn out more lemons than average.</p>
<p>just say you're a USC dad buying for your college son and most sellers will take your personal check to as a deposit to hold it while you get it checked out.
Make sure you get it put up on a hoist and look underneath with the mechanic and his flashlight to check for frame damage, leaking seals, tightness of suspension/steering. Pull the wheels and check the brake condition. Check the cars service records to see if any major components have been or are in need of replacement.</p>
<p>your son should have a local bank checking acct.(?) maybe USC credit union, so that check should reassure the seller that you're not going to take off with their car. I'm partial to Toyotas and Hondas in So.Cal. because of reliability/inexpensive parts,repairs,/numerous mechanics/quick service maintenance. Huge install base, motors with reg. oil changes should last 150K+ before rebuild, so should be some good used buys out there. Good luck!</p>
<p>Not sure if someone mentioned 2 news groups: usc.forsale and usc.wanted. </p>
<p>Those are the main forum USC students posting their sales. I used to access them on UNIX machines on campus, or log onto aludra.usc.edu or nunki.usc.edu then using an email client called PINE. Now I heard you can go to google group to search for them.</p>
<p>There was another popular paper called recycler.com when I was shopping for my car. Not sure if it still works. It was pretty good, but you will be guarantteed to have some not so honest sellers. It is LA, just be careful.</p>
<p>I heard on the radio a couple of days ago that AAA in California was doing away with charging their rates by the area one lives in. This might help you save if you're getting charged a premium based on location.</p>
<p>You can buy a used car that has a warranty. There are some new car dealers who'll warrant the used car and some used car places will as well. If buying from a used car dealer, make sure they've been around for awhile and have a good reputation - BBB might help out here. Many used car dealers are fly-by-night and are only around for a few months (sometimes only weeks) before vacating the property overnight so stay away from these. Having the car inspected by a reliable mechanic is also a good idea.</p>
<p>Yes, I found the USC for sale, great site on Yahoo groups and did find a car, but he already had a buyer. I did find recycler and checked them but again, a car I found was already sold. It seems the ones under 4 grand go quickly!</p>
<p>Dad & Menlo, I am seriously thinking about paying the extra 500 -1000 over a private party to buy from a dealer because at least the car has been checked out! I didn't realize there was so much to check on a car! But if I can find a student selling I think they would be honest</p>
<p>Heres how the insurance stacks up for a 19 year old - $2,000 per year minimum for basic insurance (in case you hit someone else) plus minimum $2,000 for theft, uninsurance all that. This figure goes up for a more expensive, newer car. The $2,000 for theft, vandalism, uninsured is optional. I don't think the insurance for the basic would change, just maybe the theft part.</p>
<p>Buying from a reputable dealer that offers a warranty (often 12 months/12K miles) can help protect you since by then you'll have a better feel for whether something serious is wrong with the car. Even if you buy the car from an honest student (and most would be honest) you'd still end up without the warranty protection. You also may not have to pay too huge of a premium for it since these car dealers typically acquire the cars for much less than you'd pay for the car yourself from a private seller. This means they can usually sell it for close to the price the private seller would and still make a profit.</p>
<p>I sold one of my cars through an independent consignment dealer who's been in town for years. As part of the agreement to sell the car, they put it through an extensive inspection and require that any points be fixed before it goes on the lot since they warrant every car they sell for 12 months/12K miles. I knew my vehicle well and I know a lot about car mechanics and they correctly and honestly identified some areas that needed to be fixed (I told them about a couple of areas I knew about). </p>
<p>The insurance premium for the theft, vandalism, uninsured seems high even for a 19 year old so you might want to shop around insurance a bit. Also, keep in mind that with the large numbers of illegal aliens living in the LA area (and all of California), you definitely want to have uninsured coverage since they're rarely insured. Especially in the USC area, theft and vandalism coverage would be a good idea although it's a good idea anywhere unless the car just isn't worth the cost of the coverage. Again, 2K for this seems high.</p>
<p>As far as insurance goes- if you're eligible for USAA, get a quote from them. If yourself, your spouse, or one of your parents served in the military, you should be eligible. They cost about 2/3rds of what the rest of my quotes came in at.</p>
<p>Reputable used dealers- the Felix chain has a used lot at the northwest corner of Figueroa and Jefferson. They've been there for years and actually lease the property from USC, so you at least know they're not the 'fly by night' type. A student would probably be trustworthy, but it's hard to be sure they've taken good care of the car.</p>
<p>I didn't buy a car for him his first year. When I did buy one I bought him a brand new car since I didn't want to have him break down on some freeway, and I didn't want to have to keep on pouring money into a junker. I am glad I did buy a car since it has allowed him to get the internships he needs. There have been no breakdowns although I have to fight with him to get the oil changed. We bought a Toyota Matrix.</p>
<p>TSdad - Do you remember the cost of insurance you had to pay for a new car for a 19 year old? Was it registered in the 90007/90037 zip code which has a notorious theft rate? Many get around the insurance cost by registering the car somewhere else, but we don't have that option.</p>
<p>I am reading the boards because I am nervous about son taking a road trip today. We felt the same as tsday-new car to avoid fear of breakdown. Son fell in love with mini cooper-went to a car show-no minis. He then fell for the Scion Xa(I think it looks like a baby Matrix)-and since it was cheaper that is what he has had the past 2 yrs. Was about 12K. Very reliable-ins is about 2K a yr(w/ good grade discount, school is not in downtown LA)-more than H's BMW. He doesn't travel cross country, I am not certain it would be comfortable for that. He is taking the SUV on the road trip.</p>
<p>Try autotrader.com
It is so neat, you can type in the zipcode of where you want the car, how much you are willing to pay, and even if you wanted you can type in what kind of car you are looking for. You can find hundreds of cars on there. It is the best.
Oh yeah- Escorts rock!</p>