For some people, the very idea of a used car brings up images that are inherently negative, and many manufacturers avoid the term nowadays, in favour of terms such as certified pre-owned etc.
Having said that, the used car market is huge, and with a bit of thought and research it is very possible to buy a good car, which has been reliably driven and kept in decent mechanical order at a fair price.
It is in many ways much more possible to do this nowadays given the size and scale of the internet and it was previously.
Whilst people may use the internet to buy vehicles, a lot of people use it to do research both for new and used cars.
Having decided what type of used car someone wants to buy, the next issue very simply becomes how much they can afford to pay for one. This may involve a mixture of cash and credit, and it is a good time to apply for a credit check and find out what the individual's credit score is.
Once that has been established, the really hard work begins in many ways in terms of trying to find out the best place to actually buy the car.
They tend to be two or three things that are worth considering. Buying a used car privately most likely workout considerably cheaper, but there are obviously inherent risks in terms of the state of the car, it's mileage and how it has been driven. It is unlikely there will be a warranty of any type, unless some reason the original manufacturer's warranty is still in play.
If someone is going to buy a car privately, then it is pretty much essential that either they have a good working knowledge of the mechanics of this type of vehicle, or they bring someone with them who does.
The other option than buying privately is to arrange for an independent assessment of the vehicle, to check out its mechanical and physical condition. There are a number of specialist companies who do this normally as a fairly reasonable price.
The problem tends to be that if you are buying privately tends to be a sense of immediacy about the process, and it is certainly possible the individual seller will not be keen to waste time ranging type of mechanical inspection mentioned above.
The other main option is through a dealership, either of the manufacturer or an independent.
Both these are likely to be more expensive options simply because of the overheads and buying process involved. The trade-off is that you are more likely to get a card that is either known to the dealership, they may have originally sold it, all the dealership has been able to independently verify its age, condition and mileage.
If buying from a dealership is worth making sure that the dealership itself is respectable, this is by checking some independent dealerships can have very unhealthy reputations.
There is also the option of buying online, but often done through an auction at eBay. This can carry with it both benefits and problems. The main benefits tend to be in terms of cost and immediacy. The problems tend to be that you are buying something that you cannot physically see or check.
Peter Main is freelance writer who has almost forty years experience of the car industry, and a wide knowledge base of personal finance. He writes extensively about Auto Finance , with regard to companies such as Ford and the need for understanding dealership finance such as Ford Credit .