what would i check before buying a used car? is there a list posted somewhere in car talk?
First and foremost you should check to see if they kept their receipts for maintenance and repairs on the car. Well, check with your insurance company to see how much it’ll cost before you even consider it. If you’re not mechanically inclined, have an inspection done to the car before you buy it to see what it needs, take it to your own mechanic, not theirs.
And explain that you want an inspection to determine if you should buy the car. Ask the mechanic to make three lists: things that must be done to register the car, things that must be done that don’t impede registration, and things that should be done eventually. If that is too much work for him, just go over his list and mark the items in each category. You might want the car anyway if you can reduce the asking price to account for the repair items and your time to get the repairs done.