What Do l Need to bow Before l Shop?
Before you get serious about any one car, it's important to get the facts concerning:

l. The car's reliability and repair record
2. Whether the car has been subject to a manufacturer's recall
3. Current owner satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the car
4. The "real" price of the car
5. The approximate amount of markup on the car if you're buying from a dealer

Reliability and Repair Record
Consumer Reports, a publication of Consumer's Union, offers a section in their Buying Guide entitled "Frequency of Repair Records." This section is a reflection of over 600,000 reports supplied by the subscribers to the magazine. In it you'll get an excellent picture of the repair records of what appears to be the vast majority of recent model used cars. They provide a highly useful list of "Reliable Used Cars" and "Used Cars to Avoid."

Has the car been subjected to a recall
Consumer Guide Auto Series publishes a "Used Car Rating Guide" in which they offer a general assessment of individual used cars, technical data, price ranges, and a rather detailed description of the recall history. Another source for determining if a model has been subjected to a manufacturer's recall is the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration. You can call their hotline at 1-800-424-9393 (free of charge) and ask for recall information on a specific car-year and model.

Owner satisfaction with the car
In addition to speaking directly with friends who have owned the car ,you're considering, you might also want to turn again to Consumer Reports. They offer charts showing how their subscribers rated their satisfaction with recent model cars.