How to Buy a Used Car
Step One: Educate Yourself
It is very important to educate yourself before buying a car. There are many things you need to know if you want to get a car with good quality and price. You can get advice from Edmund's web site which covers topics from "Car Buying Tutorial, 10 Steps that Every Car Buyer Should Follow" to "Edmund's Comprehensive Guide to Buying (and Selling!) a Used Car."
Step Two: Locate a Desirable Car
To find a car you want to buy, you can check local newspapers' advertisement section, such as The Ithaca Journal, The Grapevine, The Cornell Daily Sun, The Ithaca Times. You may also check newsgroups on the Internet such as "Cornell MarketPlace." You can find it under MT-NewsWatcher from "Bear Access."
Step Three: Check the Car If It Is a Lemon
What is a lemon? A Lemon (or Manufacturer Buyback) has repeated major problems, was repurchased by the manufacturer and reported to the state. You can find out if the car you want to buy is a lemon at CarFax web site. You need to obtain the 17-character Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) found on dashboards and title documents.
After you buy your car, you need to register with New York Department of Motor Vehicles at:
301 Third Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
Telephone: 273-7187
At New York Department of Motor Vehicles web site you can obtain information on car registration, driver license, and other related information such as "How may I file a complaint about a repair shop, inspection station or dealer?".
Don't forget to check "Traffic Safety Place".