Used car dealerships? Need a new, used car

I need to buy a used car, after my teenager totaled my car. Can anyone recommend:

   -a reputable used car dealership

   -mechanic who will inspect a used car?

Thanks for any recommendations!

Marano and sons in Garwood or westfield?  a lot  of people have recommended them...its maybe 5 minutes off parkway exit 137.  they have 2 lots about a block apart, 1 for sedans/hatchback/coupe and 1 for larger cars.

I usually buy certified pre-owned from a dealer.  More expensive than craigslist etc 
 but I feel a little more comfortable with the vetting.  I find those cars aren’t typically older than 4 years FYI.  Just search for the brand (e.g. Honda pre-owned) and there should be a search by model / other criteria.

Bernie’s on the corner of Millburn & Cypress also sells used cars though I don’t know how many he keeps on hand (especially now).  there are usually some parked in the lot so you can do a drive by.  He also inspects used cars and has kept my 2005 Honda Pilot running well.

Good luck and sorry about your car! 

With Hertz declaring bankruptcy, buying a car from them is a good option, if there are any left.

drummerboy said:

With Hertz declaring bankruptcy, buying a car from them is a good option, if there are any left.

 The Hertz bankruptcy cars are scheduled to come to market in the fall. That will substantially reduce used car prices. 

Thanks. Bernie's doesn't currently have any. Marano's l looked reputable, but is a little pricier than I want. Looking to spend $10-12K. Any one else have suggestions?

as far as prices at Marano, i doubt you would get the same car at much less....they do have cars that are mostly 1-3 years old.  One I considered is 11K, a couple 13k, that you could negotiate down a little.  they are hatchbacks.  if you want something bigger, you would need something older in that price range

lunagirl said:

Any one else have suggestions?

Have you considered trying one (or more) of the online services, like AutoTrader.com, CarGurus.com, Cars.com, TrueCar.com, Edmunds.com, KellyBlueBook.com, etc.?

check your PM

We've used Allan (owner) at Valley Auto Sales twice over the years for Toyota Avalons. 

300 Valley St. South Orange, 973-378-2275 

I've bought 4 cars off of Craigslist from private parties and been satisfied.  I had Ricky at All Star Motors on Valley in South Orange look at all the cars I thought were worth buying and he was able to give a good report on the cars condition.  He helped steer me away from a couple that looked great but once they were up on a lift he or his mechanics could see there were expensive things needing replacement.  

We had a great experience when we bought my daughter's car at Madison Honda about two years ago. She got an Accord off lease. We were happy with the deal and the process. 

Soul_29 said:

We had a great experience when we bought my daughter's car at Madison Honda about two years ago. She got an Accord off lease. We were happy with the deal and the process. 

 This is good to know. I'm going to start looking soon and was wondering what folks thought of various dealerships. Soul, did you first find the car off lease or first started working with Madison Honda itself as opposed to other Honda dealerships in the area?

I’m looking right now and have found that the Carfax site links car sellers in the area and shows me available cars based on my filters.  Doesn’t help with the dealership reputation though.  I will say I find that cars at dealerships for other brands (e.g. a used Honda at a Cadillac dealership) tend to be less expensive.

Good to know wendyn thanks. One of the reasons I may stick with the dealership for the brand I'm interested in is I too am considering getting a car off lease so perhaps the same brand dealership would have more in inventory that way. 

Yep I would check brand specific dealers but for example Madison Honda is linked to Carfax and when I search for Honda CRVs on Carfax I can see several at Madison Honda for my criteria (cost, year, trim).  I also see them at other Honda dealers and non-Honda dealers.  I’m assuming not all dealers are linked but it is another place to find options.  Helpful for me as I am looking at several different males/models.

wendy said:

Soul_29 said:

We had a great experience when we bought my daughter's car at Madison Honda about two years ago. She got an Accord off lease. We were happy with the deal and the process. 

 This is good to know. I'm going to start looking soon and was wondering what folks thought of various dealerships. Soul, did you first find the car off lease or first started working with Madison Honda itself as opposed to other Honda dealerships in the area?

 I had bought a new car there and was happy with the service, so my daughter and I just ambled in there when she was looking. She knew she wanted pre-owned. They were great. We looked at the Civic and the Accord. She settled on an Accord with 3,100 miles. That's not a typo.  Thirty-one-hundred. She's been very happy with the car. 

I bought my 2009 Subaru from Sheldon Motors on Rte 18 in East Brunswick,

General question about negotiating prices for anyone who wants to weigh in. The last new car I bought (a Ford Taurus wagon) I was schooled in the negotiate from dealer price up and not sticker price down. My current car - a 2004 Outback- I bought used in I think 2008 from a dealership way out in Western NJ. It was my impression that they were using it as a loss leader to bring folks into the dealership. I can't recall if I did any negotiation for that used Outback but recall it was a good deal. Any suggestions for negotiating for these off lease cars? Do I check carfax and/or Kelly's bluebook for those dealer versus individual prices? Thanks for any suggestions.

Another rec for Marano’s in Maplewood. Honest, not greedy, extremely efficient and courteous. I’ve bought 2 cars from them and wouldn’t hesitate to buy a third.