Buying a used car is often the best decision when it comes to picking up a vehicle for a good price and having the best of both worlds when it comes to affordability and durability. Let’s not mince words here, it is not in question that cars age, just as humans do, and that the older they get the more prone they become to faults and wear. But to leave that aside for the moment, you can pick up some real bargains when buying a used car. Just because it is not new does not mean it is a lemon. People have all sorts of reasons for selling their cars, and it is not uncommon to find a car going cheap that in other circumstances would have set you back almost twice as much.

A test drive is the absolute minimum thing you should request before putting any money down. From just looking at a car you will not be able to tell if it has poor acceleration or limp steering. If anyone refuses to give you a test drive in the car you are looking to buy from them, you must assume that there is something wrong with it. You may be wrong, but better to be wrong than to be proved right at the first tight corner and ploughing into a tree.