[z28dreams]

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you could buy a used car from carmax. that way you know a profesional already checked it out.

plus, you can then take it to a couple mechanics to check out, and if they see something wrong (which i doubt) you can take the car back w/in 5 days or something.

carmax is an excellent way to buy a used car if you don't know anything about cars.

if you don't want to go down that route, why don't you ask some of your professors? there has got to be a maintenance staff at your school, get to know them and ask them. definitely go independant though.

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As someone who's worked at carmax for a summer, I'd highly recommend against it. (as well as other certified-car programs as well).

Say you have a car you're looking at. A typical price you'd get from a dealer with negotiating is $10k. Through carmax or a recertified program, the car would cost closer to $12k. In addition, carmax vehicles do not come with a warrany. You can buy one ($1500-$2000), but then what's the point?

Think about it this way:
Car, no warranty - $10,000
Car, recertified, no warranty - $12,000
Car, recertified, w/ warranty - $14,000
Car, with warranty, NOT recertified - $12,000

In short, why would you even consider paying the extra money for a recertified car if you're going to get a warranty with it to protect it anyway? It doesn't make any sense.

I personally never get a warranty, but if you do, do it w/ a non-recertified car.

Note: some manufacturer's recertified programs have short warranties with them. You will have to take this into account. My numbers are mostly indicative of Carmax.