Do you know if you're buying a good used car?

Used car sales are at an all time high in America. More customers than ever are seeing the benefit of used cars over a new car purchase and the money they can save by making that decision.

The main reason that people do not want a used car is that they see it as buying someone else's problem. They feel that new cars are the only way to avoid that. What many people don't know is that even new cars have issues. As a matter of fact, the most reliable car in America, Lexus, has over 17 problems per 100 new cars sold. Believe it or not, that's a very impressive number on a man made machine with 10,000 parts.

So how can you avoid buying other people's problems? It always starts with research. Carfax or Autocheck can show you the history of the car. This includes accident history, frame damage or lemon law records. These cars should just be avoided if at all possible. With the large volume of used cars for sale today, there is no need to settle.

Ok, so the car hasn't been in an accident, now what? The condition of the car is a huge indicator of how people took care of their car. The most meticulous owners pay attention to not only the appearance but mechanical condition of their car. If the car looks perfect, inside and out, odds are it was taken care of. On the other hand, if you see cigarette burns, scuffs on all the rims, scrapes on the car and stains on the seats, the car's engine and transmission were probably shown the same attention.

After your visual assessment of the vehicle, you can start taking a closer look. Take the oil cap off, oil should look like melted honey. Rub some on your fingers, is there glitter in the oil (if so run, something is wrong), does it smell burnt, is there sludge on the top of the cap?

Look under the hood for examples of overheating. If you see anything floating in the antifreeze, stop leak may have been used to cover up a bad head gasket. You can usually also see evidence of overheating from coolant running all over the place.

Now drive the car. Keep the radio off after verifying it works, same with the A/C and heater. Do you hear any weird sounds? Metal on metal noises are the worst but pay attention to all of them. Can you feel the car shift? Shifting on a well maintained car should be smooth and uneventful, if you feel your head jerk hard when it shifts, the transmission is starting to go.

With a used car and an in depth examination, some things may come up on a car you still like. The dealer will usually promise to fix the item if you buy the car. If it's a cosmetic item, just make sure you get it in writing, they should do this automatically. If it's a mechanical issue, wait until it's actually fixed to buy the vehicle to protect yourself.

Used cars are a great value for the smart shopper. Follow these tips and protect yourself from a bad choice and you will have a great used car for years to come.