I couldn't find a community for this post, so am posting it here. I'm looking to buy a used Honda Civic Lx, and have two questions: (a) is it better to buy from a private party or a dealer, and if the latter, can anyone recommend a good dealer in Los Angeles? (b) what should one check for to ensure the car is in good condition? I'd appreciate a fairly detailed response for the second question. For instance, I know you need to check for mileage, but don't know what's considered good mileage.

Thanks.

if it has under 12000 miles a year for the year of the car the mileage is ok.... hell this is really to deep of a topic for me .... car dealers lie ... a private party is always a better option unless you know what you are doing when dealing with a dealer.. I have for instance always paid a dealer atleast 3 grand less then their asking price on a used vehicle.. they will try and jerk you around...

as a female, i never go alone to talk with a dealer, i always took a male who knew about cars. the first one i bought on my own, i got a piece of ----! it always helps to have someone who isnt intimidated and can talk to the dealer!

Go to www.kbb.com to check for values and ask for a carfax report on the car you are seriously interested in..

Honduh

Thanks everybody. I am planning to take someone with me to the dealer, if I do go to one. But it's good to have some idea of what to look for because people give you advice based on factors that might be important to them. A friend has been suggesting German cars, and I have several others that swear by Japanese cars. I'm a new driver (got my license yesterday, literally!!!), so figure Honda Civic might be a good car for me.

Anyway, if anyone else has more to offer, please do so.

And, have a great holiday everybody!

Also beware of private dealers and offers on Craig's List and others, with the rash of flooding in Washington State and others, there have been warnings about people cleaning their cars and selling them at "reduced" prices on lists like these. Like when Katrina hit, apparently people did the same, cleaned out, dried out their cars and sold them cheap, but they had been flooded and who knows what else, so were very bad deals in reality.