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[arimaBOATER]

Thanks for even the extra good insights Spawn Sack.
Lots of ideas & honestly if members & myself write each idea we will definitely have a very good chance to be happy with a purchase. (Wow lots to know) 

20 yrs ago purchased an new apt. & thought I did all the homework. 8 story concrete building / overhang. Bought in 1998 & new building too. Thought no way this will be a leaky condo. Wrong 5 yrs later the building had those exterior screens & repair work on the building envelope. Unreal. Sold a bit at a loss just to get out as I was on a afternoon/night shift so needed to sleep in the day. Was not going to hear bang bang bang by repair crew.

Like a QB sometimes has a paper taped to his wrist to check on various "play calls" think I will have to do also. ( tape paper on wrist with all the ideas ) check paper when salesman goes to see his manager. 
Yes will let ya know how it all works out.
Still need to save a few $$$ first. ( 75% budgeted already )
All the good pts honestly a handbook could be printed for vehicle buyers. 
 

[Spawn Sack]

LOL! No problem. I have been down this road many times and have it down to pretty much a science. I occasionally help family/friends find used vehicles, I'm good at it. I'll give you my process from A-Z.

First decide what vehicle you want to buy. Especially in the lower mainland there are an INSANE amount of used vehicles. Not like living in a small town where there are a few car dealers and if you are looking for something used you take a look a each lot and choose something you like. In the LM the selection between dealers, used car lots, private sales, auctions and whatever else is mind boggling. You need a strategy to make the process less stressful and to find a "cherry" amongst a lot of vehicles that have not been maintained, have had a major accident(s), or whatever that makes them undesirable to buy.

I'll use my wife's current vehicle as an example. A 2008 4Runner that we bought in 2011. So she had a compact car and decided she wanted a mid size SUV. Not sure what she wanted but she liked the 4Runner, Nissan Xterra, Nissan Pathfinder, and a few others. So we went out and test drove a few of each vehicle. Hands down we liked the 4Runner the best. A new one was out of the question, so we decided our budget was 30k max and wanted something under 100,000km.

Now the online search begins. Craig's List, Kijiji, Autotrader. At least those are the sites I know, maybe there are more now. Use the search tools to narrow the search down to vehicles you actually want to look at (price range, make/model, etc). If you find one that looks good, print it out. I like to 3-hole punch and put in a binder.

Ones that look like you might be interested in buying go look at it in person. Look the exterior over well. How are the tires? New? Worn out? Anything good or bad make a note of on the add you printed out for that vehicle. Pop the hood, make a note of anything good or bad you see. Same with the interior. Make notes, notes, and more notes. Now you want to pop inside the dealer and look at the file for this vehicle. Most dealers will have a Carproof/Carfax report already printed out for this vehicle. Give them a read over. How many owners? Any accidents? Also some service records may be included in these reports. Also look over the inspection report the dealer did when they received the vehicle. Make more notes on anything good/bad you notice.

Now take it for a drive. Preferably withOUT the salesperson. If they insist on coming along whatever, but I hate when they do and if they insist they come along I insist that they do not. I find them distracting. Take it for a GOOD drive. At least 10 min. Drive some bumpy/crappy roads, how does the suspension feel? Find a long steep hill, accelerate up it and see how the transmission shifts. Now come back down that hill and see how the brakes feel. Hit the highway and see how it does at cruising speed. Put it to the floor and see how the motor sounds at max RPM. Should be no concerning sounds, unless you are buying a "beater" but given your price range you should be well clear of beaters.

When you get back to the dealer ask any other questions you might have. One good one is HOW LONG has this vehicle been on your lot? If they just got it they will be trying to get top buck. If it's been sitting for a month or two they are likely more motivated to get it sold at a lower price than they hoped to get. Take some pictures if you like, make any final notes. You should have an idea now if this is something you might want to buy, or if this is a "bad one" that you want to avoid.

Go to the next vehicle in your binder and do the same thing. If it is too far away but you might drive to buy it, call and get as much info as you can over the phone. Take notes on the print out.

I would only go and look at + test drive stuff that you might actually buy. It's a time consuming and exhausting process. I think we went and looked at seven 4Runners over 3 or 4 days. By the end of it we had it narrowed down to two we liked and would buy. Went back to both dealers and looked at the vehicle again. Now you want to talk about what kind of deal you can work out. If you have a trade in what will they give you for it? If the vehicle has some issues will they fix them? Or give you some more $ off? You definitely do N-O-T want to say "I'll take it!" And THEN try to work out the price. They already have you buy the balls and your negotiating power is zero. By the end of this 2nd visit to the dealer you should clearly know "if I buy this vehicle it will cost me exactly X amount of $." Don't forget about the documentation fee on top of purchase price.

When you know what this vehicle will cost don't buy it yet!!! Write down the VIN#. Go to the dealer that makes this vehicle. Go to the service desk and tell them the situation and ask them to run the VIN and tell you the vehicle's history. If it was not serviced at the dealer then obviously there will be no servicing history, but it should be documented if the vehicle was brought in for any warranty work, and so on. In our case one 4Runner we were considering purchasing had been in FIVE times for warranty work on the transmission. It drove fine but we decided to give this one a miss, transmission repairs are huge money. Didn't want to risk it.

Now that you have run the VIN at the dealer and done all your other homework, and you are pretty sure you found a "cherry" worth buying, your last step is to get it inspected elsewhere. Ya....if it was a almost new Toyota on the Toyota dealer's lot I might not bother (or a Honda on the Honda dealer's lot, and so on) but if it's around the 100,000km mark there definitely might be something the selling dealer "accidentally missed." Kind of like marking your own test. I would call my mechanic and make an appointment to get a pre-purchase inspection. The selling dealer should have no problem agreeing to this and agree on a day/time for you to pick it up and take it to another shop.

If the pre-purchase inspection comes back with nothing that concerns you, and you are happy with the purchase price, then you have found your vehicle! If there are some concerns then try to use this as leverage to get more $ off, or get them to agree to fix it before you buy it. If they say "no, this is the price take it or leave it" then you need to decide how badly you want it? Is it worth walking away because they will not service the transmission? Maybe or maybe not. Your call.

When you go to buy they will try to sell you extended warranty, paint protection, and whatever other BS. I personally would not go for any of this but that is your call.

A few more other random thoughts:

-unless the tranny fluid, diffs, transfer case (if 4x4) and so on have been done recently, I would have them all done after you buy it. Yeah that's another 1000 bucks or whatever but at least you know you're starting will all fresh fluids.

-Be polite/pleasant with everyone. I find most salespeople like to give a decent deal to someone who has done their homework and is reasonable to deal with. If you are abrasive then no one is going to want to help you much. 

-You are going to pay a bit more for a vehicle on a dealer's lot than a used car lot or private sale. Definitely a bit more peace of mind that the dealer will not sell you a POS. If they took a POS on a trade they would likely get rid of it at auction. Just not worth the headache for them if you pay good $ for a lemon. Used car lots and private sales are an option of course you just need to be careful as the risk of being outright LIED to increases. Be more careful when dealing with these sellers.

-Lasty, buy something that has a good reputation. Toyota Rav4, Honda CRV, Mazda 5, and so on. You want something that will require basic maintenance and that's it. I personally would not buy a used vehicle past warranty that has a turbo(s), CVT transmission, or anything else that has not really been around for that long.

[arimaBOATER]

Wow! Never mind taping a paper to my wrist to remind me what to check for...think it would take a book.
Duck tape book to my wrist 
It all makes sense what ya have written. As ya say you have it down to a science & it is automatic to you.
I've been checking web & it stated that 2010 Honda Accords had an trans problem.
Seen one on web that had low KMs & within my already budget but after reading about trans problem erased it from my mind. 
If Carfax says it 's been in an accident & there was a $2500 auto body charge I'd imagine it was a very minor crash? Frame should be ok.
Ya I will try to remember all what ya wrote.
The sales guy may just give me my offer just to get my $$$.
Will wear him down with all these ideas. 
No wonder your family asks for your help when buying.
Yes I always try to be pleasant with sales people.
Wonder why there are not too many female sales in auto?
Thanks again. 
All info members have given & yours SS is so so appreciated.
Think info will help out many who read this tread.
Bottom line there are lemons & bad condition vehicles that will be nothing but headaches & others that will be a good runner & good buy & all a-z in condition. So many variables. Maybe vehicle over all is super but needing only 1 moderate repair kinda thing after buying soon after.
I always give a very good look over as you mentioned...oil leaks etc body condition etc..
Thinking of getting the BCAA to check it over. Hopefully they give it a good look?

[Spawn Sack]

Haha no problem at all! Just passing on what has worked well for me over the years.  It's not that complicated when you think about it. You start with vehicles that have solid reputations. If you are buying new and trading in when the warranty is up then why not get the newest, coolest, vehicle with the latest technology, engine with 4 turbos or whatever. If you are buying used with no warranty you need to be careful that you dont buy something that is going to be a money pit.
Next you need to find one of these vehichles that has been maintained and treated well. Trust your instincts here. If it seems to drive a bit loose, shifts a bit weird, or whatever, just dont buy it. Just because it looks good on paper maybe the owner's kid bagged the crap out of it, or whatever. The vehicle should drive tight and smooth.
These are the two most important things. Picking through all the junk to find a good one. When you find a good one then it comes down to getting a good price. I would not get too carried away here. Yes you dont want to pay way more than it is worth, but if the seller will not come down another 500 bucks or they will not throw in something you want you may just want to accept defeat and pay a little more than you would like. As for inspections Im sure BCAA is fine. I would prefer a mechanic who you have been going to for years snd who you will take your new vehicle to. If you dont have such a mechanic/shop then I would ask for a refferal from a friend. If still nothing then sure BCAA, or wherever. Lastly I would not worry too much about a $2500 accident. That is pretty minor. I would stay away from ICBC write offs that have been fixed. Ya you can save a lot of $ but I would personally not risk it.
Final tip: old shifty sellers trick is to have the engine warmed up when you come to drive it (more likely private seller). If the engine has issues they could be masked by the engine being nice and warm. You want to hear how it sounds on a COLD start. If it starts up rough and sounds like crap walk away. This is my practice for any used motor on anything. I wont buy it until I see it start stone cold and listen to the motor.
On a dealer's lot probably not an issue as it's likely stone cold unless someone just drove it. For a private sale ill make sure i tell them do NOT warm ir up before i get there.

[arimaBOATER]

Good pts  & info. Now from A-Z in buying info now it's AA -ZZ.
Did check out some via phone call/email.
Sold already. Wish dealer would take it off lines.
Another had info on Carfax that made me run.
When possible good one comes on line , good condition / low KMS / lower asking price /no accidents it get sold quick so I'm checking daily for 30-1hr hoping to be the early bird to get the fat juicy worm.
Patience ...last thing I want to happen is get to a place & there's another guy who is interested in the same vehicle. He offers "What for it?" Well I will best that offer.... Bidding war.
SS was it you who bought a boat awhile ago? Imagine you got it at so good price
And another member awhile back took his time to buy a Merc outboard 9hp or there abouts.
Sales like it when they control the entire sale process with buyers saying Yes ok That will be fine. Thank you. We believe you are in our best interest. What ever you say sir. Buyer goes in & acts like a dog laying on it's back in submission mode. On & on. Seen too many buyers that totally will not question anything the salesman says.
There has to be that grey fine point where sales & buyer give up ground.

[Spawn Sack]

Ya it can be frustrating at times. Often the "good ones" get bought as soon as they hit the lot. Or salespeople have friends/family looking for a paticular vehicle and they tip them off when it's traded in. That being said, you should not have too much trouble finding a good used SUV in the lower mainland. Yes, you might have to wait a week or two or even a month to find what you want. Don't rush! I remember years ago my buddy was devastated as the exact Tacoma he was looking for used (color and everything) was on a dealer's lot but when he went to look at it someone else had just put a deposit on it. He was hoping the deal would fall through on financing or whatever but it did not. Buddy was pretty close to saying f**t it and go buy a new one, but I told him JUST WAIT, another one will come up. Sure enough a few weeks later pretty much same truck traded in at local Mazda dealer, plus it came with a nice Leer canopy that my buddy wanted and the other truck did not have. Bottom line: don't settle and rush into a purchase, unless you really do need a vehicle ASAP. It is a chore but you really do need to check online every day as the "cherry" trade ins do tend to get snapped up fast. And do not forget private sales, just make sure you get an inspection if you are thinking of buying. And I'd want a bit of a better price from a private seller than on the dealers lot; you are paying extra for the "peace of mind" of buying from a dealer. Sometimes you just gotta pay what the seller wants if it is something you really wand and it's hard to find. I guess it all boils down to supply vs. demand.
Ya a few years back we bought a Harbercraft jet boat. Looked online almost every day for a year until the boat came up. Hard boat to find. Honestly paid what it was worth. Think was firm on $500 less than he was asking. And I was looking for a small outboard last year for my 12ft lake boat. All the "good ones" sold right away before I had a chance. Most of what was for sale had been for sale for a while and was either over priced, or junk, or both. Eventually I just went and bought a new Yamaha 8hp. Not really a huge deal on a small outboard. I paid about $500 more for a new one than newer used ones I was looking at. However with vehicles they are SO EXPENSIVE depreciate SO RAPIDLY, unless you can comfortably afford a new truck or whatever IMO you are kind of crazy to buy a new expensive vehicle. Case in point: bought my truck 5 years old with 85,000km on it for a little under $30K. Test drove several that you could tell did not have a good life, despit being 3-5 years old. Engine sounded a bit rough, drove a bit rough, and so on. Finally I found the "cherry" trade in I was looking for. 1 owner, no major accidents (had a $1500 claim for a fender bender, no big deal), no mods for offroading, all dealer serviced, no warranty issues, drove tight and rock solid. New same truck is over 60k, plus tax. Previous owner got about 25K on a trade in. That is a loss of roughly $35,000 to drive a truck for 5 years. No thanks!
 

[arimaBOATER]

Spawn Sack you saved a ton of $$$.
Plus it had low KMs.
Seen Marketplace cbc show & they had a guy who wrote books on vehicles & what ones to avoid.
He claims 1-10 new cars/trucks/SUVs etc...are "lemons".
Some engine ,electrical,transmission on & on problems.
Owners stuck with big $$$ repairs.
With pressure manufactures or dealer may repair / recalls at no cost.
One couple in Quesnel BC bought a new vehicle & sometimes it would just stall on the roadway at any given moment. Driver got so scared because a semi was driving behind her.
Buyer beware.
One sales guy emailed me & stated he had a good buy but it's got like 143,000 KMs in miles it's like 90,000 something like that right?
Carfax is good but does it always tell the whole story?
One report stated there was a police report of rear left damage but no mention of any repair work done? Plus there was a lien on it at one point.
Right there it makes me want to run from that one. Too much fishy stuff.
Seen on youtube there's a tech device that measures the thickness of paint on a vehicle.
If readings are say: 2-3 on most parts but on one side 9-10 ....one could assume at collision happened & repaired / paint coats.
In one case a guy bought & later found bits of broken glass under the seats!!!
Possibly broken window Vandalism or theft ...OR been in an accident.
Please may I win the 6/49 & just go in & buy 4 vehicles at sticker price. 
After all Elvis gave away many cars to friends & strangers.
Lots of $$$$ so ...no sweat.
Some car lots bring in experts & they teach the salesmen/ladies the info on how to :
Talk too much & sales get the advantage.
Like a car ...make offer with the clause it passes a 3rd party inspection. But put nothing in writing.
If sales does not accept offer with clause then walk out. Bye.
But if yes we can come down to that price idea...& will allow it to get inspected first.
Now we're talking buissness.
Buyer holds the cards not sales. My way or highway.
Now that I'm looking at cross over / SUVs I notice them on the road...parked....& tv commercials.
When you compare prices in the USA / Canada for same make & model .. Kinda nearly makes ya cry.
Buy new one in USA & in Canada to get that price it would be 5-7 yrs old used.
USA big $7000 discounts ...promotions so they get nice SUVs for $21,000.
In Canada $35,000. Boooooooooooooooo....
 

[Spawn Sack]

Haha thanks, yeah I guess I did alright. I paid "the going rate" for the truck, which is all you can really hope for when dealing with a dealership, aka Stealership. I laugh when I hear people say they got one up on the dealer. I'm like...yeah, sure you did. It's pretty simple: they buy wholesale and sell retail. If you traded in you got a whole sale price. If you bought you paid retail. This is where dealers make money - lots of money! If you think for a minute that you screwed them then they have done their job almost TOO well. That is, you probably, if fact, are the one who got screwed, and you think that you are the one who is the crook. This is a win-win for the dealer. If they knew you thought you hustled them, they would all laugh hysterically at you.
 
Anyway, I would be VERY cautious of a US vehicle. Too many unknows. I think back when the Canadian dollar was at par or close to it with the US dollar some good deals were to be had south of the border. And I'm sure these still exist. However, I would leave this up to the "wheeler and dealer" kind of guys who are good at flipping stuff and turning a profit. Too much stress and farting around for me. Trust me just buy in Canada. Possibly entertain out of Province, but you should not need to. So many vehicles in the LM. And LM vehicles have a very easy life. Mild winters especially. This is just easier on the "guts" of the vehicle and on the exterior. I would have to be getting quite a deal and/or buying a rare vehicle if I ventured more than a 4-5 hour drive away from the LM.
If going with a used vehicle with no warranty I would focus a bit more on "old school technology." Such as, naturally aspirated engine. No to CVT transmission. Unless you drive a lot I would not worry TOO much about gas mileage. If you just drive around town and occasionally on the highway I would not hesitate to buy a V6 or even V8. IF you drive a lot of highway then yes a 4 banger will save you a lot on fuel. The tried and tested vehicles are your best bet IMO, vehicles that have been using the same engine and power train for years. RAV4, CR-V, and so on.

[arimaBOATER]

You make a lot of sense.
Agree with all your good pts.
Trying to get something around 2015 & above & hopefully not more than 70,000kms & no accident & locally driven. Don't need out of prov. that the vehicle may have been on salt roads for 5 months a yr.
One dealership in New West had very good prices but...said they were rebuilt / accident past.
Ya agree with you on the dealers but I have a plan. Say their asking is $17000 my offer will be $15000.
The guy will start to haggle & my next move will be see ya later alligator. I'll just tell him we agree to disagree. Then should I look at another one on the lot of interest again my offer will be $2000 less ..
Hopefully they will want to get my $$$ badly they will take my offer.
They can get the satisfaction I had to shell out $$$ & I will have the satisfaction got the price $2000 lower. ( my plan anyways...only time will tell if it works ) 
Ya we have two vehicles now ,one 6 cyl the other 4.
Both are quite good on gas. Bought an Outlander new in 2010 & it has only 43,000 KMs.
Other car is GM product good shape 2001 163000 KMs.
Runs super though.   

[Damien]

Funny timing - PM Me, we have two small/mid(?) SUVs coming up for sale.

Long story short, my wife's company sends her a new car every two years.  Sometimes we buy them out instead of sending them back to the company.

I have her previously off lease 2013 Escape AWD/Leather that just ticked over 100,000kms, my daily driver.  And we have her current car, a Nissan Rogue FWD 2016 with 49,000kms that is at its end of lease cycle .  We will be selling one of or both in the next two weeks as her new car has been ordered.  (Subaru Ascent).

I will be buying an electric car in the near future instead of keeping either the Rogue or Escape.  So we will be looking to sell one of the Rogue or Escape right away, and one will be sold in a little while until I find the electric car I want.

Both dealer maintained through the leasing company.  The Rogue has no accidents, I rear ended a guy in the Escape, just bumper, headlights, fog lights etc, can't remember the cost, I can look it up.  All I know is even fender benders are expensive these days.

I have no idea what they are worth, but I am beginning to research.  Would prefer to not have to put on Craigs and deal with that nonsense.  So they will be priced right and offered to my friends and family network first.  Let me know if you have any interest and I can start to work out numbers and timing.

[arimaBOATER]

Thanks Damien.
Actually wife wants a Japanese product FWD / All WD when needed should it snow.
All the best in your future selling. 

[Damien]

No prob, one thing to keep in mind is gas consumption is higher with awd the 99% of the time when there is no snow.

We have new snow tires with the Rogue and it's great in the snow.

One other thing, dont sleep on the Escape when you are out shopping.  I much prefer it over the Rogue in every aspect.  It drives and handles much better.  The Rogue has a CVT which I despise.

[arimaBOATER]

Good info. Wow am surprised that the Escape is liked over the Rogue. Not that I drove either. But the way my perception was that the Rogue was much superior. But no ya say.
Yrs ago test rode a Sportage (Kia) & was impressed how it was so stable on the highway. Held the road & did not wander. For me a FWD is ok as I know how to drive in all weather conditions.
Wife ha...let's just say when it snows she needs to turn the knob from FWD to All WD. She's like a jack rabbit driver.  ( Side note : maybe I'm to blame as living with me for 20 yrs got her jumpy oh well not so easy living with her ...bossy type sometimes. Makes my blood pressure rise quick  that's life. )

Actually scanning the web daily & the good thing or bad is I'm in no hurry. One sales guy has emailed me like 5x but hey nothing looks good to me on the dealer lot.
Think sales guys who work only at selling cars etc like buyers who have their tongues hanging out of their mouth...hasty rush buyers...me nope sweet time.
Like the Rolling Stones song...time is on my side.
Maybe will put away $500 monthly for x time & build up & buy new. Another option.

[Hike_and_fish]

Save yourself the hassle and buy new.

[scouterjames]

You can check current status (free) of a vehicle from ICBC and order a claims report ($21) here https://onlinebusiness.icbc.com/vdwqs/VDWQSServlet/WelcomeAction

You can check a vin with the insurance bureau of Canada (free) to see if it's been a flood damage write off etc. at http://www.ibc.ca/nl/auto/branding/vin-verify-service

You can search a vin in the police database (CPIC - Canadian Police Information Centre) (free) to see if it's stolen etc at http://app.cpic-cipc.ca/English/searchformvin.cfm

You can search a vin for safety recalls etc at transport Canada (free) http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/7/VRDB-BDRV/search-recherche/menu.aspx?lang=eng&WT.mc_id=rupp
You can double check the USA NHTSA for recalls (free) at https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/