You’re going to pay more for a car from a dealer. Your friend needs to come to terms with that. He’ll also have sift through the BS. I was interested in a car at Southern Motors in Michigan. Talked to them a couple of times, then checked their reviews online. Lots of bad reviews plus the car had issues (thanks to Sunroofcuda for checking it out for me). I passed on the car even though I really liked it.
I ended up finding a very original car on Facebook of all places. Bought it from a private party. The guy was super cool about the process and stored the car for me for nearly two months while I arranged shipping (long story).
Patience is a virtue. It took me 2 1/2 years to find my Belvedere.
Dealers are typically comparable to pimps. And the higher quality merchandise comes at a premium when dealing with one.
I have helped many buyers over the years avoid catastrophic purchases just by looking at pictures of the potential purchase. He can contact me if he so desires and I will try to help. I'll PM you the info. I have also seen some newly purchased nightmares come through in the last 20 or so years by those that tried to go it alone. Myself, I think half the fun is the chase. LOL
