I think that once you have the neat and handy features that most people have come to expect on vehicles you will wonder why all vehicles don’t have them.
I do not remember which site, but last used car I bought I offered minimum trade in value, figuring they wanted more but would consider that the bottom line, Got it for a bit more but the site I looked at had minimum trade in, person to person sale, and dealer used car price. Start low you can always go higher, Carfax can be helpful or not, an independent inspection can be more helpful and is strongly advised, may need brakes etc. that will throw bucks ontop of the purchase price. . Transmission and AC are 2 points to have seriously diagnosed if I recall the correct years that apply and seem to be common issues.
Nope. Carfax is a farce. They present themselves as having access to some car history database, when in fact no such databases exists. The only data they have is what they’re given voluntarily from member used car dealers, not at all a good, accurate, or comprehensive database. The data the do give out is usually wrong anyway. They said an older vehicle that I’d owned since brand new was in a major accident under a prior owner… and it had never even been in a minor fender bender… and there was no prior owner.
You’re seeking a vehicle too old for KBB to have any meaning. The only thing that will have meaning is a good thorough inspection of the vehicle by a reputable shop with a written report combined with what these vehicles are typically going for in your area. Take no more than 75% of the prices being asked in your area to base the price on.
In dealing with a deceased person, just make sure the person selling the car is the Executor of the estate, then there will be no problems with DMV. They can sign just as the original owner. I sold both a car and house that way with no problem. Private parties are just like anyone else in the public, some good and some bad. Some are realistic and just want to make a deal and others are greedy and have too high an opinion of the car they are unloading. I even had a guy lower the price a little after we made the deal and went to pick it up and pay him. We were both nice and not penny pinchers and we both liked the car.