As an Independent Repair shop specializing in BMWs, Minis, and other European cars, almost all vehicles we see are out of warranty. The majority were purchased as used, many with multiple previous owners. In our eight years here, we have had so many cars brought to us that were purchased from used car dealers or otherwise purchased with problems already present.
The Importance of a Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI)
No matter who you purchase a car from, we cannot emphasize enough the importance of getting a pre-purchase inspection before laying out a single dollar. Most independent shops will perform them. Find a shop that specializes in the make vehicle you are looking at. If a customer brings us a car for a PPI, we will run full diagnostics to see what stored codes it may have and do a complete visual inspection. We advise the customer to reject many cars we see from used car dealer lots. Some of the cars are alright, but we found some needed repairs that the customer could use to negotiate the price. Yes, a PPI may cost $150.00, but it could save you thousands in unexpected repair bills in the near future.
Used car shopping at the Dealers
If you are working with a Major Brand retailer, the cars they sell are generally good cars that were brought in on trade. Cars brought in on trade that may have issues or that the dealership believes are a problem will be sent to auction.
Car Auctions
The majority of the cars found on independent used car lots were purchased at these auctions stated above. The used car lot will have a "mechanic" onsite to clean the car up nicely and clear any codes that may be stored. That's it, lipstick on a pig. We've seen so many driven off the lot and had a check engine light appear within a few miles. The problems that sent them to the auction were never fixed, and now it was the new owner's problem.
Lemon Laws
There are no Lemon Laws in North or South Carolina on used cars. You buy it as is, and that's it. If you're lucky, you'll get the car to a good repair shop before there is a catastrophic failure. It gets my blood pressure up when I have a customer bring me a lemon they recently purchased, and it requires a repair that costs thousands of dollars and was there before they bought the car. It also gets to me when the repair cost far exceeds the car's value. My advice is to get a PPI done. If whoever you buy from doesn't want to allow it, that is a major red flag to walk away.