Sometimes a gut feeling is good enough. If it looks to good to be true, it probably is.
A car with a solid ownership and good records can often be the best bet. Even still nothing will predict what can happen driving the car home. Even the best maintained and presented car can turn into a disaster. It's a mechanical device with 1000's of parts and it will wear out or break eventually. It's just too hard to discover everything and it's too easy for an unscrupulous seller to hide something. You have to try to be well informed and have a good eye for detail to make a good purchase.
You always have to wonder why is the car for sale in the first place. Always ask, if it's such a good car, why is it for sale in the first place? More than likely there's something wrong, however small or inconspicuous, and the seller is fed up with it and he may or may not be willing to share it with you.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012