The Used Car Blog

We want consumers everywhere to feel confident about their ability to engage in the used car process on their own terms. We’re going to be posting articles about every aspect of buying used cars, from giving you tips on how to judge the condition of a used car to knowing your way around financing options to what you should look for when test driving a vehicle.

Auto City vs Online Used Car Buying: A Head-to-Head Comparison

Younger people have a hard time understanding how people got anything done before the Internet and smart phones. In the digital age of the 21stcentury, more and more of life happens online. From communicating with friends and family to banking to all the things you can buy and have rapidly shipped to your home, it's incredibly convenient. In the rush to take advantage of all the opportunities for selling anything and everything online, we'd like to pause and recognize there are still some things best left to in-person, real-world transactions. We think buying a vehicle is one of those things. In this article we'll explain why we think you should avoid online used car buying.

Auto City Introduces Day One Credit for Bankruptcy Car Loans

Auto City has been helping people in the greater San Diego area fall in love with a different kind of car shopping experience for more than a decade. We saw every piece of the car shopping process that was broken and fixed every one of them. From haggle-free up-front pricing to a great selection of newer used vehicles to our 3-day money-back guarantee, Auto City has your best interests in mind. Then we decided we wanted to buy more of our cars directly from you, so we launchedDriveoas a better way to sell your car for more money than you'd ever get on a trade-in deal. Now we're launching another program to better serve our customers:Day One Credit, which specializes in bankruptcy car loans.

Understanding Used Car Warranties

When you're shopping for your next vehicle, do you plan on examining the warranty that comes with it? If you're like most people, it's not something you've ever really given much thought. But if something goes wrong with your car soon after you purchase, you're going to suddenly want to know all the details about its warranty - if there even is one. And if you do have one, you could be in for a rude awakening about what's covered and what's not. This is one part of the used car shopping process you want to understand better for you buy, and this article will cover many of the basics you should know.

Why Used Car Reconditioning is The Single Most Important Thing when it Comes to Car Shopping!

When shopping for a used car, everyone wants to find one for a good price that's in great shape. One challenge is how difficult it is to compare different used cars, because each one is unique and different depending on how their previous owners drove them and cared for them. When you're looking at various used cars at a dealership, the most important thing of all is the reconditioning that went into preparing them for sale as it will ultimately determine the condition of that used car, its overall cost of ownership and how good or bad it is posed to serve its new owner. For this reasona lower priced used car does not always equal a better deal. A properly reconditioned used car may be more expensive initially but ii will surely save a lot more in the long run.

Top 4 Reasons Not to Buy Used Cars Online

When you step back and look at how the Internet and mobile technologies have totally transformed life in the 21stcentury, it's pretty amazing. Besides the ability to quickly find information and connect with people all over the world, people today don't think twice about buying nearly anything online. Never before has it been so easy to find product information for comparison shopping and have your purchases delivered to your home in ever-shorter amounts of time. But there are still some things better purchased in-person, and we think used cars are among them. In fact, this article will give you 4 big reasons NOT to buy used cars online.

Is It Better to Finance a Car Through a Dealer or my Credit Union?

When you're shopping for your next used car, it's all too easy to get totally wrapped up in finding the vehicle that's right for you. Your search might begin online to narrow down options, and then you'll visit various dealerships to check them out in person, take them out for test drives and so forth. What often slips off the radar screen, however, is the auto financing you probably need to make a car purchase. This part of the process tends to sneak up on you. But shopping around for the right car loan is every bit as important as finding the right car. This article will give you guidance on financing, including the debate about dealer financing vs credit unions when it comes to choosing a lender and loan.

Top 5 Reasons to Buy Your Next Used Car from Auto City in San Diego

When it's time for you to start shopping for your next used car, how does that make you feel? No, this isn't a therapy session, although you may still be recovering from your last used car shopping experience if it didn't go well. If the idea of finding and buying the right used car fills you with dread, we want you to know there is a better way. At Auto City, we sat down years ago and looked at all the different "pain points" people hate about used car shopping. Needless to say, it was a depressingly long list! But then we did something totally radical. We fixed them to create a used car shopping experience people actually love. If this sounds too good to be true, you really need to experience it for yourself. Here are the top 5 reasons why you'll love buying your next used car from Auto City in San Diego:

4 Questions for Buying Your Perfect Used Car

When's the last time you really thought about the kind of toothpaste you buy? There are literally only a few companies that make toothpaste, and yet there are dozens upon dozens of options lining the shelves of your favorite place to shop for personal care items. If standing there looking at toothpaste is overwhelming, how in the world can you ever figure out what kind of used car you should buy?

First-Time Car Buyers Beware! Watch Out for These Sneaky Tricks

Few things are as exciting as purchasing your first car. It's an important purchase as well, representing what will be the biggest purchase you make after your housing expense. This is one decision you want to get right, which raises the stakes enough that the process can become way more stressful than anyone needs or wants. To complicate things further, the dealerships and private owners selling cars don't always have your best interests in mind. In fact, some of them will try just about any dirty trick they can to make a sale or, even worse, scam you out of your money and leave you with no car or a piece of junk. First-time car buyers beware! Here are all the sneak tricks you need to watch out for:

How Used Car Market Forces Affect YOU

In 2017, consumers purchased a record 39.2 million used vehicles, and 2018 saw that number rise to more than 40 million. Without a doubt, the used car market is hot! In fact, used cars represent a larger share of the overall vehicle market than brand-new cars. But this begs the question of why there has been such strong growth in the used car market. Why should you care? When it's time for you to purchase your next ride, knowing how used car market forces affect prices can help you get a great deal. This is the kind of insider perspective and analysis you won't find at most dealerships, but at Auto City we are all about helping everyone have a better used car shopping experience!