-Be aware of the following:

Inspect the car in daylight and good weather. Bring someone you trust along to help you make a thorough appraisal;

Don't expect perfection in a used car. Compromise on minor problems you can fix yourself, but don't overlook serious defects;

Make safety a major priority. Older vehicles may not be equipped with airbags, child safety seats, seat belts, anti-lock brakes or security systems. Determine your locality's vehicle safety requirements for cars, mini-vans, recreational and sport-utility vehicles and other vehicles before you buy;


Road test before you commit to buy. If you are not allowed to test drive the car, do not buy it.

Have a mechanic you know and trust inspect the car thoroughly before you purchase it. Again, if the seller will not allow you to have the car inspected, do not buy it.

For more information on purchasing used cars, and/or just about anything else you can think of, visit ConsumerInformation.ca. It's a new Web site created by federal, provincial, territorial governments and their partners specifically to provide Canadians with convenient, objective, reliable and current consumer information sources.