I have spent my entire life with cars. I worked on them for 30 yrs and then worked with consumers resolving complaints against their mechanics for 21 yrs. There is no perfect car, not new, not used, not "certified used". I can get into a car that has problems and it'll run perfectly, but my daughter can get into a perfectly running car and it'll die in 10 miles, but not due to anything she did. There is always the human element. Trying to get the perfect car is at best a total "CRAP" shoot. My advice? Pick car based on the looks and own up to the fact that mechanically there will be problems. Why do dealerships offer warranties on brand new cars? Yup they break. Find a good technician or learn how to work on cars. Believe me the other option of riding the bus for life will suck. I've worked on and resolved complaints on all makes of cars from Maseratis to Yugos so the statistical sample is pretty large.

This is what I tell friends and family that come to me and ask me about buying cars. Love the look and feel. The mechanical working of the car cannot be guaranteed to be free of defects or failure.

From a technicians point of view, this forum is a gold mine. The people here are genuinely concerned with helping each other and the advice on how to do things is dead on and very clear. If not, do not hesitate to ask for clarification or help.

Just my dos centavos.

Xfirepop