Purchasing used cars is a good and practical option for these tough times. These are 20% to 40% much cheaper as compared to the market price of a brand new one. There are many good deals out there that you could look for in buying the newer models and even the older models. However, buying used or second hand cars is just like taking a huge risk when investing your money.

Used cars could never ensure you if it was properly maintained, that it has been accident free and you could never determine the real mileage of the car. There are many hidden problems that could not be revealed during your test drive of the car. But if you are well experienced in buying used cars, you could save a lot of money and also end up with a reliable buy.

How do you land the perfect used car? Maybe this article could help you when buying used cars.

• Bring a reliable mechanic to check the condition of the car. It would be much better to have an expert's advice when you are planning to buy a certain used car. Seek for their advice and ask several questions regarding the engine and the condition of the car. They could even identify problems such as a worn out automatic transmission or even some of the engine problems.

• If you think the price of the car would be a little high for you, it would be much better to just leave a contact number with the salesman. Just request the salesman to contact you in case the seller would decide to lower the price.

• You should make the salesman believe that you are a serious buyer when the salesman would declare that the car's price is flexible. Always try to negotiate and lessen the price of the car as much as possible so that you can spend less and save more with your desired car. Inform the salesman on how serious you are on buying the desired car. Let him know that you are not wasting his time so that he would provide an extra effort to sell the car which could also enable the salesman to lessen the desired car's price.

• Run several test drives before buying the car. Show your interest on the desired car to your salesman so that you can perform several test drives before buying it. Some salesman would only allow a single test drive, but show him how interested you are so he would allow you to run several test drives. Having several test drives would allow you to determine if the car has hidden engine or mechanical defects. It is vital to determine the defects and problems of the car beforehand so that you can have more or less a rough estimate on the needed maintenance of the car.

• Read reviews, compare options, gas consumption data, and ask friends and colleagues before buying the desired vehicle. Also check the car's history records to ensure that you will have a durable and reliable car.