Published: February 07, 2007 09:04 am      

How to buy a used car

Buying a car can be both a fun and nerve-wracking experience. While most people have a dream car in mind, the majority of those people realize much more than desire comes into play when searching for a car. Finances, usage and insurance costs are three of the biggest concerns for car buyers. For those looking to buy a used car, however, they key is to not spend your hard-earned money and end up with a lemon.

Fortunately, most states now have lemon laws, protecting used-car buyers from shady car dealers and even, in some cases, private citizens looking to unload their problem onto someone else. Many times, however, used-car buyers don't realize until it's too late that they purchased their car "as is," meaning they're not protected by lemon laws. For those looking to avoid being swindled, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers these tips.



· Do a self examination of the vehicle with a checklist in hand.



· Test drive the vehicle. While most people are wise enough to test drive a vehicle before purchasing it, you should make sure your test drive is a thorough one.



· Ask for a maintenance record. A maintenance record will tell you how well the owner took care of the vehicle. If the owner hasn't kept records, ask who his mechanic is and then ask that mechanic if he has records of the vehicle's maintenance.



· Have your mechanic inspect the vehicle. Your own mechanic is someone you can trust and will offer an unbiased opinion on the car.



· Check the vehicle history report. The Internet has made shopping for a used car a lot less risky. Thanks to sites like CarFax, for a small fee you can look up the history of the vehicle you're thinking of purchasing. This is a great advantage to the buyer.