Buying a Used Car

1998 Nissan AltimaRecently I was in the market to buy a used car for my son. It has been quite a long time since I bought a used or should I say “preowned” vehicle. Even when I had bought couple of “pre-owned” cars during my early days in this country, I bought them through my colleagues and friends. The first car I bought was a Dodge Aries wagon that was sold to me by a colleague of mine when I was desperate to get a car that had four wheels and could take me from my home to work and maybe some shopping. Hence I ignored several of its “minor” blemishes – like the rear passenger door which was disabled permanently. A previous accident had bent it awkwardly and  my colleague warned me that if I attempt to open the door from inside, it may swing out violently and injure a bystander. I never opened the door. But the car served me very well. It was the time when minivans were just appearing in the market and station wagons were in high demand to haul luggage to the airports. My friends loved the car. It could sit six people quite comfortably and the huge trunk could pack in a whole apartment. Continue reading