If it's used, mileage and condition is most important

If you plan to buy used, I can't stress the value of a good mechanic enough. If you already know one, awesome. If not, start asking friends and family now if they can recommend one. If not.. pay for a month of Angie's List and find one. This is serious business, and will likely shape your entire experience with your vehicle. Please do not buy a used car until you find a solid, trustworthy mechanic. Seriously.. like for really reals. Once you have that out of the way.. buying a car becomes a truly fun experience. A few tips I picked up along the way.. Don't rush into a purchase. Test drive several options from at least a couple dealers. And make sure each dealer knows you're shopping their competition as well. Little passing comments like "Oh.. so-and-so had a similar car for a lot less" will go farther than you would think. Walk away. Seriously.. even if you fall head over heels in love with a car.. walk away. Go home, make a list of all the cars you liked, advantages, disadvantages, price, millage, MPG, etc. Narrow those options down to two or three and contact that super awesome mechanic you found. Make sure he personally checks out those cars regardless of how "nice" they look or how well they appear to run on the lot. The mechanic will probably charge you $100-150 to check the cars out, but his input could save you literally thousands in a bad purchase. Plan for this cost and don't skimp it. Finally.. haggle. I've seen you around these forums, I'm sure you'll do just fine with this. But come into the office of the car you want armed with as much info as you can get. Kelly Blue Book averages for that car, any similar cars you test drove and what that dealership was asking for it, google searches for the same make and model, anything you could use as knowledge. Be confident. Know what you feel comfortable paying for the car before you arrive and stick to it. And if you have to.. again.. walk away. Oh.. and the mechanic is a great person to ask about a fair price for a car. Best of luck, Ott!

Check for the obvious. For ex, paint where it shouldn't be. This can indicate the car has been repainted possibly to hide things about it.

I am a car mechanic so every car I got to but I bring 3 object with me. A jack A creepr A flashlight

Ask if you can take the inside paneling off of the doors. Last time I was going to buy a car, it had weed in there. Lots of it. The guy was going to sell me the car, use me to get the weed across state lines, steal it back, sell the weed, then probably sell the car again. Maybe repeating the process with some other schlub. OT: Check state auctions. Crown Victorias go pretty cheap. They run well. People will, generally, leave it alone, because the state doesn't repaint them, and they'll think you're a cop. Gas mileage could definitely be better, but you could spend as little as $500.00 on the car itself.

If it's big enough, has a sunroof, comes in royal blue, and if it looks.. right.

MPG, style and price.

A big boot(y). ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

I try to avoid the ones that have two pupils in one eye.

Spoilers, gold rims, racing stripes on the side (makes it go 25% faster).

That it's a car.

Everything

Does it fulfill my needs? Is it fun to drive? Will it leave me stranded while I'm on a date? A no to any of these questions means I'm not driving it.

Just don't be one of those people who only buy cars for how the exterior looks

wheels.

Low Mileage, Reliable, no rust, decent cargo space. that's what everyone should look for in a car, save for those who have special requirements, like me. I look for an easy drive, great suspension, good engine, big choice of AM parts, and a lower cost.

"Does it have a hot tub"

Acceleration (0-60 time), Comfort, and reliability/cost to maintain. I could care less about gas tbh.

Reliability MPG Average cost of repairs That's pretty much it. I'm not much of a "car guy" so I don't really care what it looks like or how much horsepower it has etc.