One of the most important things you can do to purchase a used car at bargain prices is to do your homework. You should check your local classified ads and see what the asking price is for the type of vehicle that you are in the market for. Make sure to get the high and low Blue Book Price on the vehicle that you are interested in. Here are some excellent sources for getting pricing:

YahooAutos - www.yahooautos.com

EDMUNDS - www.edmunds.com

Other resources to check with is CARFAX. They can supply you with the vehicle history report. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a research area to check recall history on cars. We recommend that you have the vehicle you are interested in purchasing be inspected by your own mechanic prior to purchase.

Newspaper Classified Ads are a excellent place to find cars at well below retail prices. Many times, people take their cars to dealers for trade ins and are offered below wholesale prices. Many of these people will be happy to several hundreds more that what was quoted by the dealer and you will end up with an EXCELLENT BUY!

Online Auctions can be a great place to find bargains. You can shop right from the comfort of your own home. Look for auctions with no reserve, these auctions don’t have a minimum price before they will sell.

Public Car Auctions are open to the general public and do not require you to have a Dealer’s License. Public auctions can be an excellent place to purchase cars at wholesale prices. Some of these auctions are: Auction Repossessions of Credit Unions, Banks & Lending Institutions. Some public auctions also auction Police and Local Municipalities, City, State, & County vehicles.

Estate and Bankruptcy Auctions can be a very good place to purchase vehicles at wholesale prices. These auctions are usually advertised in newspaper classified section or handled by Probate Estate Auctioneers.

Government Auctions are an excellent source for bargin vehicles. They include vehicles from DEA drug raid seizures, FBI, IRS, U.S. Customs Auctions, Department of Defense, General Services Auctions, Resolution Trust Corporation, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and U.S. Postal Services.

Rental Car Companies often sell their fleets of cars by auction. They can be a great source of cars. Contact these large companies and inquire.

Dealer Auctions can be one of the best sources to cars at below wholesale prices. Most of these auctions require that you have a dealer’s license. These auctions include lease cars, trade-ins, rentals, and fleet vehicles.