Picking the right used car for you is a bit of an art form. You need to understand what your goals are before you head over to a dealership and the salesman starts to push you towards deals that you might not otherwise be interested in. What do you want out of your car? How long do you plan to be using it? What are you going to use it for? Are you planning on refurbishing the car either externally or internally? How much money are you comfortable with spending? Don't just look at the sale price of the car. Think about the costs that you're going to incur from repairs, insurance and possibly loan repayments.

If a particular deal seems too good to be true, trust your instincts and investigate the car further. Ask a lot of questions about the car. Call in to local mechanic shops to see if they carry a lot of the spare parts that your car might need, or if they maintain similar models frequently. Look into the history of the car using independent agencies.

If you're worried about buying a car with a rolled back odometer, you can inspect it carefully for some classic tells of this fraudulent practice. Look at the accelerator pedals and see how worn down they are. Wear and tear on the upholstery can also indicate that the "low mileage" car that you're buying is actually an old horse.

Buying larger cars can be a good way to get some nice deals, as they're not quite as in high demand. Minivans can be used to transport things, and can even be a source of some easy extra money to work as a small time mover or supply hauler.