I'm not in the business, but I've sold my share of used cars. I agree with pretty much everything said, but especially the bolded part.Doubly so for Craigslist buyers.

Granted, I'm guilty of this to a degree. I try to buy more than I'm paying for, but the difference is that I leave the questions to a minimum and leave my expectations low. I'll take a chance when I feel good about a car, but I always inspect it myself, and have only once done a pre-purchase compression test.

Actually, that's worth mentioning. That was on my current winter car that I bought in 2013, a 1995 Subaru. My previous winter car, also a 1995 Subaru, had recurring compression issues which I believe were not uncommon. The car seemed like a decent buy from the ad, and I asked the seller if he'd mind it if I brought along my compression tester and did a compression test in his driveway as a condition of purchase.

He agreed, I ran the test myself, and I bought the car. I may or may not get another winter out of it, but for me, that test (once again, performed by me on the spot) sealed the deal for me.


Bottom line, I like bargains and make informed purchases when I can, but I'm fully cognizant of the fact that I'm still rolling the dice to a degree. It's a matter of managing risks vs expectations.