Batson, your neighbor's car may not be a good buy. I have known many people who told me how wonderful their cars are, only to say "what a piece of junk." about the exact same car after they sold it. If it was a lemon return, Calif laws require full disclosure if not stated on the title. I came across a Mercedes S500 that was a lemon return, all the details were done and I had my checkbook out, then the dealer told me as I was about to write the check that this was a lemon return. I walked out and will never return to that dealership.
People sell their cars for combination of 1,000 personal reasons. Personal finance, lost job, moving, marriage, too big, low MPG, no space, can't fit garage, you can go on and on.
I've bought as many used cars as new cars in the past, I may have had more problems with brand new off the showroom floor Mercedes than used cars. I've been lucky, all used cars I had were perfect except my very first car, Audi, which lost 2nd gear as I drove off the used car lot, I went back to the lot 2 minutes later, the guy told me that is not his problem.
