Buying a car can be a discouraging task, especially in the used car market. There are many things that you must take into consideration. How do you know if you are receiving a good deal? How do you know if the vehicle was in an accident? How can you bargain with a car dealer? Whatever you do, don't walk into a dealership without some prior knowledge of the cars you are interested in. First of all, know a ballpark figure of what price the cars you're interested in generally sell for. The easiest way to go about this is to log on to the CarPrices.com website and search through the used car section. Another piece of knowledge that is important to note, is how to inspect the used car. Don't expect the salesperson to tell you anything negative about the vehicle. Inspect the car closely by doing the following:

Look for different shades of paint and/or misaligned panels. These most certainly indicate that the car was in one or more accidents.

Search under the car for leaks and make sure the tires aren't balding. You don't want to do any major repairs directly after your purchase.

Test all of the interior and exterior lights, including the turn signals and brake lights.

Test-drive the vehicle to make sure that the brakes are in good working order, and that there is no sticking in the pedals.

If you don't feel comfortable about the reliability of the vehicle, then there is a good chance that it may cause you a lot of heartache. If everything seems to check out fine, and the price is competitive, then it is time to negotiate (not purchase). Understand that the advertised price is often negotiable. If you play your cards correctly, you may ride away with a fantastic deal. As in any negotiation, begin with an offer that isn't outrageously low, but one that is lower than you are willing to pay. And, in the likely event that you must add to your first offer, increase the amount in relatively short increments. Follow this guide, and your used car buying experience should be much less painless. It won't solve all your used car buying afflictions, but it certainly won't complicate them either. Sorry, no advice about which used car to buy, you must figure that out on your own!

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