When you’re buying a used car, you’re making a pretty big investment. Any vehicle purchase is a major decision, but a used car can come with added headaches. After all, this isn’t a car that just rolled out of the factory, backed by a lengthy warranty. And these days, used cars are not the great value deals they were in the past – they continue to rise in value, even for basic vehicles!

So make sure you avoid a lemon, and avoid ending up with a vehicle they don’t actually enjoy. By doing our recommended due diligence, you can avoid much of the potential headaches, whether you’re buying from a dealer or as a private sale!

How many owners has the vehicle had? What are some of the odometer readings over the years? Have there been issues at previous inspections, or minor incidents and repairs? Was it in a flood, and visually restored afterwards? Has it ever been stolen, salvaged and rebuilt, or in a minor accident? Are there outstanding recall fixes?

Unless you are buying a single-owner car from the owner themselves, there’s no way to know for sure all this information is accurate by just asking. A one-stop-shop for the factual story of a vehicle, these vehicle history reports are great sources for buyers and sellers alike.

By using the vehicle identification number (VIN), national leaders like AutoCheck and CarFax offer comprehensive reports and track vehicle information over time. They’ve become ubiquitous, to the point that most dealers and private sellers will have them printed out before you even ask. We also recommend that you check out VINCheck, a service of the National Insurance Crime Bureau. service provides information as far as if the vehicle was ever reported as stolen or as a salvage vehicle. These are two factors that should be cause for concern, and for closer inspection – or for avoiding the vehicle altogether.

The average passenger vehicle racks up around 12,000 miles per year. You’ll want to go into your vehicle hunt with a sliding scale of what’s acceptable to you, and what you’re looking for. There’s no right answer here – it’s what fits you. Maybe you’re happy to take a vehicle with above-average mileage to make sure you get a newer vehicle with more features. Or maybe you’d rather have an older vehicle that has had fewer annual miles put on it.

That being said, there are concerns for years versus miles. If the mileage seems extraordinarily low, you should be concerned that some parts may not have workouts they have needed and have aged. Rubber parts can dry out, become brittle, and crack and peel if not used regularly. Check the belts and hoses, as well as tires and brakes. On the other side of the coin, high mileage increases wear and tear on mechanical components. Take a deep dive into the maintenance records of the vehicle to look for areas that could be a concern – perhaps the previous owner tried to stretch miles between oil changes more than they should have.