recommended reading for used car purchasing?

Q.I'm going to buy a used car (as I only have $5-$6k to spend) and want to read up on the topic (both things to watch out from dealers and items to seek out in a car/good cars to buy). Before I go to the lbirary and pick books out willy-nilly, I was wondering whether people have particular recommendations to make?

A.Used cars _can_ be a great value. However, getting a quality used car is undeniably more work than getting a quality new car. It can be much, much more work. One of those time/$$$ trade-offs. I haven't used any particular book (beyond Sutton's), but the checklist for used cars that is occasionally posted on this group (might be in the FAQ) is a good start for building your own list for inspecting a used car. I use Consumer Reports only as a guide for further "fishing expeditions". If the car I'm interested in has piles of black marks in "Electrical" -- well that means some probing questions about alternator replacement, etc are definitely in order. Furthermore, before I buy such a vehicle, I'll be sure to have my mechanic check what he can for shorts, etc.

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