Phone: 301-373-8747

Tom Hodges Auto Sales, Inc., specializes in used cars and trucks. All of their vehicles pass a 120 point inspection.  They strive to ensure that their customers are 100% satisfied; no hassle credit approval (all levels of finance available); and trade-ins are welcome.  They also offer a $100.00 referral program - now that shows their confidence in maintaining 100% satisfied customers.  They also have a 3 day return policy, some restrictions do apply, however, you don’t always get that benefit with a used vehicle.

When I reviewed their website, I was impressed by the inventory page.  The site had a great selection of cars, trucks, vans, SUVs, and a motorcycle, too!  They show the picture of the vehicle and list the exterior color, transmission, engine, stock, mileage, and even the price.  This information allows customers an opportunity to see what they are interested in and what they can afford.  What a great way to save time!  It will also be advantageous to check out their Web Specials and Money Saving Coupons on the site.

Tom Hodges Auto Sales, Inc. is located approximately 6 miles north of Patuxent Naval Air Station and 50 miles south of Washington, D.C.

Buying a new car is really exciting, but then buying a used car makes sense as lot of money is saved. A new car after purchase is no longer a new car and has to under go depreciation value. As the value of the new car decreases up to 40 percent within three years, a car is not considered as an investment. Whereas when a used car is purchased it benefits the purchaser with a lower value. Money is saved on insurance premium cost, registration cost, financing cost and licensing fees and the purchaser need not worry about the sales tax too.

A used car is considered to be less reliable, as the exact condition of the car is not known. Also when a used car is bought in auctions, the purchaser is not even given a chance to look or test-drives the car, which makes the purchase altogether very risky. There is no idea if the previous owner performed maintenance and repairs of the car regularly. Such cars even though bought at a very low price will end up costing more on repairs and maintenance after purchase.

When buying used cars detailed inspection of the interiors has to be made, as it will avoid any chances of replacement of any item as it costs more. The exterior of the used car also needs careful examination to find out if the car was involved in any accident or damaged in any natural calamities etc. The engine and the oil should be checked to avoid heavy expenses in replacing the car engine. Car should be test driven to see the performance of the car, suspension and to check the brake controls.

There are certain kinds of used cars which are maintained very well, handled and driven by a single owner and which even comes with a lifetime warranty. Such cars are off-leased and sold. The purchaser will be very lucky enough to buy such kind of well maintained, hassle free used cars.

1. Make a low offer. Okay, you knew this one. A trick you may not have used, though, is to make a low offer, and then leave your phone number with the seller. Time has a way of making sellers desperate, especially after you just helped convince them that they are asking too much.

2. Be careful with car price guides. Use the "blue book" etc, but try not to pay more than wholesale. I can't think of many times when people I know have paid more than "bluebook," so these "average" sales prices are doubtful.

3. Talk to people. This is one of the simplest and effective used car buying tips. Just let friends, family and others know you're looking for a car. Quite often people would be happy to avoid the whole process of advertising and showing their car if they could just get rid of it by giving a good deal to a friend.

4. Check out the engine. Have a mechanic look at the car, and tell you what it's likely to need in the next year or so. Then make a list, so the seller can see in writing why you are offering less than he wants.

5. Auctions. See if there is a public auction in your area. If not, maybe you can go with a dealer friend and give him a $100 to buy a car for you.

6. www.carfax.com. It's around $25 to run vehicle background checks for a month - long enough to find your next car. They'll show the chain of title, accident reports for the car, and even safety and reliability scores for that model.

7. "Ugly" cars. Watch for cars that sit on the lot for months. Dealers will often sell these "ugly ducklings" at a loss just to move them. Again, you may want to leave your phone number with a low offer.

8. Rental company cars. They are sold fairly cheap when they get the new ones in. Buy at bluebook wholesale or less, because they have had many different drivers, so they've more wear than normal.

9. Repos. Credit unions and some small banks do their own selling of repossessed cars. You usually bid on paper, maybe with a $50 deposit, and then get your $50 back if you're not the winning bidder. If they don't sell their own repossessions, ask where they are sold.

10. Consider gas mileage. High mileage may be better, but maybe a car that costs $500 less will use only $400 more gas in the two years you expect to own it. Do the math.

11. Best yet... Shop on eBay. eBay Motors is sure to have numerous cars and trucks available in your geographic region. Most if not all of these auctions will include detailed descriptions of the vehicle for sale, numerous pictures and buyer/seller feedback that will give you a very good idea about the reliability of your prospective seller.

Use the tips here the next time you are shopping for a used car. Meanwhile, why not learn a few negotiating strategies. This helps in many areas of life, and is the most important of these used car buying tips.

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First and foremost, check with your car insurance company before deciding to purchase a specific car on eBay Motors or anywhere else.  If the cost of car insurance is a major deciding factor, then you will want to be clear about the costs before you commit to purchasing.  In addition, it may be helpful to know that SUVs carry a higher insurance cost than that of a car.  With that being said, the cost of insurance will be less on a used car than if that same model were purchased new. 

Before deciding that your car of choice is the deal of a lifetime, take a moment to research it’s value according to Kelly Blue Book.  This company is one of the most respected in the industry and instantly provides new or used car values directly from their website.  After entering specific information relating to a car, individuals will receive an instant value assessment according to the information provided.  This tool will help all potential car owners to find out whether or not a deal is too good to be true or just not too good at all.

Take a moment to consider the car’s fuel mileage.  With gasoline prices what they are, it is important to think about how many miles you will get from one gallon of gasoline.  The more mileage you have per gallon, the less you will end up spending in gasoline.  This is definitely something to think about!

When shopping for cars on eBay Motors, take special notice of the mileage.  This is a good indication of how much life the car has left in it or whether you are buying a car that has seen it’s best days.  A great number of cars on eBay Motors have very low mileage, but others are well over 100,000.

As a final thought to shopping for cars on eBay Motors, take a moment to make sure that the car you ultimately select is one that will best fit your lifestyle.  If you have a large family, for instance, a compact car probably isn’t the best choice.  You will need additional space to make sure that everyone is comfortable and to make it ideal for long road trips.  At the same time, a single person may be more than happy in a smaller car because of the simple fact that they use much less gasoline than an SUV or similar automobile.  When shopping for cars, either new or used, it’s all about lifestyle and which one best fits yours.

• The first step is to do some research about your desired car. Check classified ads and trade guides to get a good idea of prices. The Kelley Blue Book at kbb.com is an excellent site and contains a free used car valuation tool and thousands of reviews and ratings.

• Once you’ve decided on which car you’d like to buy and have found a possible seller always go and take a look at the car in daylight.

• Take a friend along with you. If problems occur in the future it’s very useful to have a witness available to validate what was said.

• Check that the car has not been clocked. The average mileage is 12,000 miles a year. Have a look at the tires to see whether this looks right or if the car has new tyres ask the owner for details of its servicing history.

• Always go for a test drive. However, make sure that you are insured to do so and if the seller says that he has cover ask to see his policy.

• Carefully check the log book and registration documents. In particular look for the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). This will usually be located on a small plate on the driver’s door or in the engine bay. The absence of a VIN number strongly suggests that the car has assumed the identity of someone else, probably because it has been stolen at some point in its past.

• You could also consider purchasing an AA Car Data Check. Importantly this will include a full description of the car, including engine size and date of first registration, so you can be sure of what you are buying. It will also tell you whether the car has a finance agreement recorded against it, if the car has been written off, and whether the car has had any number plate or colour changes.

• The chances are that at some point you’ll enter into negotiations over the price. Have a highest price and target price in mind before entering into negotiations. If your two offers are some way apart you try not to say anything. Car salesmen use this tactic all the time as people find silence uncomfortable. Try this and the seller will often suggest meeting half way, at which point you can propose meeting half way between your offer and the new offer, getting yourself a better deal.

• Finally, if interested in the car consider having it independently checked by a reputable garage. Reputable sellers will understand this so be wary if the owner of the car is against having it checked.

So how can you get the best out of your used car search and your experience online?

The first decision you have to make is the type of car, model and make that suits your lifestyle and your budget and then fix a price in your mind which you are willing to go up too. The majority of online used car searches will let you compare makes and models within your price range and give you a variety to choose from. They also allow you to select cars within your local area or by postcode if you are not willing to travel too far.

While the internet can save you a lot of leg work, one thing the used car websites cannot always tell you is how a particular car handles, so it is essential that you learn as much as you can about the particular model or make of the car you are interested in. There are many online resources which rate cars, so this could be a good way to do your research.

One of the valuable tools the internet provides as opposed to looking in your local newspaper or free ads, is the ability to not only search through a huge amount of cars but also view multiple photos of the car which gives an excellent indication of the condition of the car.

Finally, while you are able to search virtually anywhere in the country, take into consideration the cost of travelling to the area to view the car and take it for a test drive.

If you are thinking of buying your used car from a dealership that specialise in used cars then you will have a warranty on the car, while if you choose to purchase the car from a private dealer there wont be one, you will have to weigh up the pros and cons of this and decide if you would rather have some peace of mind and pay a little extra or save some money.

While the cheapest used car deals can usually be got from the private dealer as more often than not they are desperate to sell and as such you can haggle over the price and knock them down more than the dealerships, it is also the more risky way of buying your car. However there are many honest and trustworthy people out there who want to sell their car for sincere reasons and with these people you can both get a good deal.

When it comes to finding a dealer in used cars then the internet is the best way to do this. Rather than travelling from dealer to dealer to see what each is offering you can do a search in a specific area online and more often than not they have any special deals of the week listed online. A great many dealers will offer incentives to buy from them and will boast of these online, many have offers such as free tax and testing or free insurance for 6 months. If looking to buy your used car from a dealer then this is the best way of doing so and can save you not only money but also a great deal of time. 

There are many great used car deals to be had out there and it’s just a case of digging them out and finding the best and this is where the internet comes into its own. The easiest way to begin your search for the best deal is by using one of the popular search engines, this is your gateway to many bargains.

“My car’s worth $25,800.” “I looked up used car prices on the web and my vehicle’s worth twenty grand.” I hear quotes like these everyday. I wish, for the customer’s sake, that the values are real. By “real” I mean a viable number according to market value.

As hard as it is to accept, even for me as a dealer, what we think a car is worth, and what it’s actually worth according to “market value” is often drastically different.

To find a vehicle’s value the context must first be discussed. What’s context?

Context includes, but is not limited to:

1) Vehicle condition: mileage, maintenance, 1-owner…etc
2) Desirability: new model, special editions, just plain cool…
3) Seasonality: plow trucks, convertibles, 4-wheel drive…etc
4) The Economy: factory incentives, gas prices, hybrids, SUVs
5) Location: Beverly Hills versus the Bronx

Now, each of the above context variables could easily have several sub categories. For example…

Vehicle condition is extremely relative. One person may think there vehicle is perfect, someone else states it needs $1000 worth of work.

Desirability is also relative. A bunch of very cool bells and whistles may not add any value, or it may add $1000’s.

Seasonality is relative. A convertible in the summer has more value than one during a Chicago winter. A plow truck in June will have significantly less value than in November in the northeast.

Economic recessions, exorbitant gas prices, combined with manufacturer incentives can shift new and used car prices all over the map.

Location has a major effect on used car prices. A convertible in California is worth more than one located in Canada.

To summarize, context funnels down to market value. Web sites such as Edmunds, NADA, and Kelley have drastically missed this mark, creating a host misinformation. To be fair, these are great research sites, but they can not be the final say on price.

Stating that a vehicle is worth a certain amount of money based on a web site’s data does not take the above factors into account. It’s a value based on misinformation.

These web sites have created an aura of trust when in actuality, the values are mythical. The market is the real indicator of vehicle worth—for better or worse.

What should one do? Buyers and sellers would be wise to follow the market. Check out autotrader.com, cars.com, and/or *ebaymotors.com and watch what vehicles are being advertised and sold for. While these sites are not the final word either, they’re much more accurate than web sites leaning heavily on opinion and averages.

Note: eBay used car pricing is generally wholesale. In other words, it would not be accurate to compare a wholesale-priced eBay car (which may need a significant amount of reconditioning) to a retail-priced vehicle in showroom and/or perfect working condition.

In the end, and this come straight from industry expert, Barry Roth, “Take the highest price and the lowest price you find on the Internet and throw them out. The remaining numbers in the middle is where one should wade. But don’t forget value. Price is one thing—value is the real key to a great car”