Cars for Sale by Owner in Sacramento, CA (2024)

FAQs

Where is the cheapest place to own a car? ›

Avoiding sales tax can be incredibly beneficial to your car purchase, but it's only possible in some states. Alaska, Montana, Oregon, Delaware, and New Hampshire have no statewide sales tax. You'll note that these states also generally correspond to the states with the lowest unexpected fees.

Aliso Viejo, in southern Orange County, has been named the #1 most affordable city in the state of California in which to buy a car. According to a recent survey by Autolist.com, Aliso Viejo is approximately $1,160 less expensive for buying automobiles than anywhere else in the state.

Some of the most popular online car buying sites include CarGurus, AutoTrader, Cars.com, TrueCar, and Hemmings. Key factors to consider when choosing an online car buying site include user-friendliness, selection of vehicles, pricing transparency, and customer reviews.

There's no rule to how many miles on a used car is too much, but by attempting to stick to the 12,000 miles per year rule is a great place to start. Find out how old the car is, multiple the number of years by 12,000, and if the number on the odometer is significantly higher than that, some concern might be warranted.

Both Carvana and CarMax advertise no-haggle pricing, but Carvana offers a seamless selling process that helps it come out ahead in our rankings. We give Carvana the edge over CarMax as a car selling website. Our team rates CarMax just slightly ahead of Carvana for its car buying services.

CarMax has a no-haggle policy, which means you can't negotiate the price. This can be a benefit, though, because you know you're getting CarMax's best rate first instead of a lowball offer.

How many miles can a car last? ›

A conventional car can last for 200,000 miles. Some well-maintained car models will reach 300,000 or more miles total. The average passenger car age is currently around 12 years in the United States. Choosing a well-built make and model can help extend your car's longevity.

The best states to buy a car in are New Hampshire, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, thanks to their low (or non-existant) tax rates and cheap registration fees. Buying a car is a complex process, whether searching for something brand new from the dealership or buying a used car from a private seller.

We rate companies like Autotrader, CarGurus, Vroom and Peddle as reputable sites worth checking out as well. You can also find good used car deals on sites like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and eBay Motors, but the selling and buying process may not be quite as smooth.

As you can see, New Hampshire is the most affordable state for new and used car purchases. It's worth noting that Florida and Oregon are viable choices. Florida's lowest starting cost can explain its unanticipated expenses. Furthermore, Florida cars will be in much better shape, which is a huge long-term benefit.

Key Takeaways. Car ownership costs vary significantly by state, with California, Nevada, Florida, New York, and Washington being the most expensive due to high costs of insurance, fuel, sales tax, and vehicle depreciation.