There are lots of good reasons for buying a used car instead of a new one, but for me, it’s that I covet cars I can’t afford to buy new. So I buy a 3- or 4-year-old car with low mileage and a few months left on the original bumper-to-bumper warranty. The previous owner takes the big hit on depreciation, I have any problems my mechanic discovers repaired before the warranty expires, and I get a car I love.
But many people hesitate to buy used because they’re worried about “buying somebody else’s problems.” So here are tips that many experts, including AAA and the Federal Trade Commission, agree on that can minimize that possibility: