Where to look for a car

US car sales websites:

• Autotrader New and used cars for sale.
• Cars.com Find the new or used car you want. Use the option "Advanced Search" to search for a car using the price limit.
• CarsDirect #1 online car buying site
• TheBigLot.com Buy and Sell Used Cars, Motorcycles, RV's, Boats and ATV's.

Canada new and used cars for sale:

• Autotrader.ca - Canada largest used car classifieds website
• AutoHunter.ca - Alberta used car classifieds
• Autonet.ca - Canada new cars & used cars, new car dealers, trucks, reviews, new car prices.
• BuySell.com - Classifieds including used cars for sale for British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
• AMVOQ - Over 10,000 used cars for sale in Quebec.
• TwoPages.com Find your new car dealer in Canada
• Used Cars Ontario Free automotive photo classifieds for 93+ cities
in Ontario, Canada with links, articles and more.

How to read the ads

Here is the list of some abbreviations I found in various car ads:

From a dealer or from private owner

Many people ask me to recommend a place where they could buy a good reliable used car without being ripped off. I helped many people with a used car buying process and visited many dealers and used car lots. From my observation, good cars and lemons sold everywhere and everywhere you can be ripped off.
Here are few possible choices:
1. New car dealership
New car dealers usually price their cars a bit higher than you'd see at independent used car lots, but you more likely to find a good used car in a new car dealer's lot. They often have one-owner trade-ins or lease returns, sometimes even with all maintenance records. Of course, buying a used car from a new car dealer doesn not give you a hundred percent guarantee that the car has no hidden problems. Even a "Certified" used car, although less likely, could have some issues. Of course, new car dealers are more responsible and if something goes wrong it's easier to deal with them. Overall, a new car dealership is the best place to shop for a good used car.
2. Independent used car dealership
Independent used car dealers usually sell their cars a bit cheaper, but there is more chances to get ripped off or get a lemon hidden under "this week special" or something like this.
3. Private owner
Private owners usually sell used cars cheaper and they are more flexible on price. The best scenario would be if it's a first owner of the car and all the service and maintenance records are available. Be aware, if you're buying a used car "as is", it means there is no warranty and in most cases if the car breaks down even on the very next day, you can do nothing about it. Buying from a private owner you should make sure that the person is the real owner of the car, and the car has no liens or any other legal obligations. If you want to know about how to transfer the ownership, how to register the vehicle, or how to check it for liens, contact your Vehicle Registration Office (Department of Motor Vehicle). Follow this link: Vehicle Registration sites

Buying a car from an auction

It's highly not recommended to buy a car from an auction unless someone knowledgeable can inspect the car for you and the history report doesn't show anything bad.
Why? Because, since in most cases used cars are being sold "as is", an auction is a good place to sell vehicles that otherwise will be difficult to get rid of. Which means among the repossessed vehicles, theft recovery, etc., there are many lemons, such as those reconditioned after serious crashes or others with expensive-to-fix problems.

Buying a used car from a rental car company

If you are looking for a one- or two-year-old vehicle, one of the possibilities is to buy directly from a car rental company. Often it could be a lot cheaper than buying from used car dealers. Of course, there are some risks involved: some of the rental cars could be poorly maintained, might have been involved in accidents, have been abused or have some other hidden problems.
On the plus side, a one- or two-year-old vehicle is usually still covered by the factory warranty. Once a friend of mine wanted to buy a one-year old Toyota. We checked new car dealers, but what they had was too expensive. By chance we found a one-year old Toyota at a local car rental business. It was a lot cheaper than from the dealers, so after inspecting it thoroughly my friend bought it and it worked out well - he was very happy with the vehicle.
If you want to buy a used rental car, look for reputable brands like Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, etc. Once you find a car, check vehicle's maintenance records and definitely have the vehicle thoroughly inspected by your mechanic. In addition, check with the car manufacturer on the warranty coverage.