It's been a while since I bought a car, but this approach has worked out very well for me as well with every vehicle I've bought from a private party. Meet the

It's been a while since I bought a car, but this approach has worked out very well for me as well with every vehicle I've bought from a private party. Meet the previous owner, talk enough to decide if you trust them (walk if you don't), and learn about what the car's gone through. I'm much more nervous to buy a car from a dealer who usually has no idea what the car's been like aside from the state in which they brought it in. If there's a specific model or models I'm shopping for, I do some research (reviews and forums) to try to get to know their quirks and pitfalls so I can check for them when I go to see the car. I tend to over-research big decisions but with cars it's useful to know what I'm getting into and what to watch for in the future.