Buying a used car can be stressful. We've all heard stories about sleazy used car salesmen. Even if you get the car checked out, look at the Carfax, and take it for a test drive, it's hard to know exactly what you're getting. There is always an element of luck.
Well the last time I bought a used car, I had some *really* bad luck. Because of a job transfer, I needed to drive my wife, my dog, our infant son, and all our stuff halfway across the country. Up until that point I had been driving an old two-door Jeep, so I needed a family car big and safe enough to take on the road.
I scoured Craigslist, went to see a number of cars, finally settling on an older SUV. The guy selling it was a mechanic and said he'd worked on cars for over a decade. He told me he'd gotten everything checked out before listing it, warning me that a lot of people are wiling to flip unsafe cars. I bought it on the spot and the next day, started my drive...
