In my forty plus years of life, I have never bought a new car. I have had various different models: VW rabbit, Mercedes 200, Chrysler, Mustang, and Dodge Neon. These are the cars that lasted a few years.

Through these experiences, I found that I needed to be wary about buying a used car. There are so many things that can go wrong with a car that has had several previous owners. Being a non-car person, I do know that you have to watch out for problems with timing belts, cracked blocks, and previous accidents.

When I was looking for my last used car, I took my mechanic with me. You probably are not as fortunate as I am. My mechanic is my brother. He was been working on cars all his adult life, mainly at Ford and Chevy dealerships. He now owns an auto-body shop.

At the time I was dragging him around to look for a good used car, he was managing a small shop out of Las Vegas. His company would get calls from cars driving from San Diego to Las Vegas. The cars would overheat during the long drive. They would tow the cars to the shop and fix them. Needless to say, they always had business.

There were some very good reasons that I had a mechanic to check over the car. First, he could look at the make or model and tell me what types of repairs I would need soon. Second, he could tell me if the car had been over-used. Third, he was very good at bringing down the price.

We did find a red 1998 Pontiac Grand Am. And, the guy selling the car had worked for my brother a few months before. When he saw my brother, he dropped the price of the car about five hundred dollars. My brother looked at the tires, trunk, and the engine. After stooping while looking at the car's lines, he could tell it had not been in an accident.

I did buy the car.

I have bought cars without having bringing a mechanic. I payed one thousand dollars for a car that didn't run the next day. I suppose you know that if you buy a car from a private owner that it is bought "as is." "As is" means that when you buy the car you can not get your money back if it doesn't run the next day.

Another car I bought for about two thousand dollars would chug and stop at the stoplights. Remember "as is." My dad rebuilt the carburetor with spare pieces of cardboard. It ran until I ran over a dead deer a couple years later.

So when you buy a used car, it is good to be wary. Bring your mechanic even if you have to pay him some money to check out your car. Then you can be assured that your used car will last you a long time. Maybe.

Learn more about this author, Cyn Bagley - Memoirs Steward.
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