30 point Check list for used car buying.

[badfish!]

Also, do not rely on an inspection report that may have been supplied by the place you are buying a vehicle from (whether it is a dealer, or independent person) unless it is a place you trust. I've bought a vehicle that came with an inspection, and when I later had it inspected by the shop I took my vehicles into, I found out that the inspection that was provided with the vehicle was false. I ended up having to put about $4000.00 into the vehicle (which I only paid $2500.00 for). There is the Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council (AMVIC), which governs pretty much any facility that deals with cars in Alberta, but all they could do is get the shop to cover a few of the items that were required, but because the dealer "tried to appease my demands" (by fixing 2 of the cheapest things on my laundry list of needed repairs for the vehicle to be safe to drive), AMVIC was unable to persue the issue further, and I was stuck with a vehicle that need a lot of work.