Where to look for a car

US car sales websites:

• Autotrader.com 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:

• Toronto and GTA new and used car dealers
• 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.

You also may use this link to find any car related information:

• Auto Links New and used cars for sale, vehicle registration, maintenance, accessories, enthusiasts, and a lot more.

How to read ads

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

E-test	- Emission test.
Cert. or Fully Cert.	- Safety sertificate
Fac wty.	- factory warranty
5 spd. or stn. or stan.	- manual (5 speed) transmission
Air or A/C or Aircond	- air conditioner
$4500/best or $4500 o.b.o	- $4500 or best offer
alum. whls or alloys	- alloy wheel disks (rims)
hback.	- hatchback
wgn.	- wagon
PW, PS, PL	- Power windows, Power steering, Power lock
Loaded or fully loaded	- means the car has many power accessories; PW, PL, PS, etc.
150K	- 150,000 miles or km
This week special!	- usually means that no one wants to buy this car

From a dealer or from private owner

Many people ask me to recommend a place where they could get a good reliable used car without being ripped off. As far as I can see there is no such a perfect place - 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 always have one-owner trade-ins or lease returns with all maintenance records and chances are high that you can find there accidents-free well maintained used car in a good shape. But these cars are usually more expensive and still there is no 100% warranty that you won't get a lemon.
2. Independent used car dealership
At independent used car dealership cars are usually cheaper, but more chances to get ripped off or get a lemon hidden under "this week special" or something like this. Plus, more used cars possible have the odometer rolled back.
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 first original owner of the car and all the maintenance records available. But be aware, if you're buying a used car "as is" means there is no warranty and in most cases if the car breaks down even very next day, you can do nothing about it. Buying from 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 how transfer an 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 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 rental car

If you are looking for a one-two years 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 and many of ex-rental used cars may still have a balance of factory warranty. Of course, there are some risks involved - some of the rental cars could be poorly maintained, might have been involved in accidents, or have some other hidden problems.
If you want to buy a used rental car, look for a reputable brands like Herz, Avis, Enterprise, etc., 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.