Buying A Used Car Shop Here First
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Written by Steve R. Lowry
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Monday, 09 February 2009 |
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IF YOU'RE IN THE MARKET for a used car, taking a spin on the World Wide Web could prove more enlightening than visiting a car lot and kicking tires.
Suppose you're looking for a 1990 Lincoln Town Car. Search the new Web site (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/nsa/nsasearch.shtml) sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the government's automotive watchdog, and you'll turn up almost 400 owner-reported problems and 328 service bulletins issued by the manufacturer to address technical problems. But If you have your eye on a 1993 Saturn SL2, you'll find only 65 service bulletins and 80 owner complaints-a revealing comparison despite the fact that older and higher-sales-volume cars tend to have more extensive complaint records.
All you need to navigate NHTSA's extensive data base is a car's make, model and year. To use the information efficiently, first check recalls and ask the seller if problems have been remedied. Then check consumer complaints to identify patterns and service bulletins to look for recurring problems. It helps to narrow your search-to the car's braking system, for example-and to go online at off hours to retrieve data more quickly. You can also check out your own car to see if a problem you have has been reported by other owners and is eligible for "goodwill" repairs.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 09 February 2009 )
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