[ikthius]

also if you buy from a garage, in fact I think from anyone, if you ask a direct question like, has this car been in a smash, they must answer you truthfully, otherwise you can say they sold you the car with false information and get your money back, minus the car though.

so make sure your questions are thorough:
has the car:
been in a smash?
had any panels replaced?
any parts of the engine needed fixed?
blown a gasket?

ask for a full HPI check
get an independent mechanic to look it over, dont trust theirs....

check yourself:
all lines should be smooth
have the same colour and coating (nothing should look different)
the spaces should be uniform, not finger width to touching

look at the steering wheel, is it rough and discoloured or very smooth?
gear knob very smooth, (lots of mileage)

check the book and ask for full receipts of the previous owner.

you can ask who the last owner was, and contact them to see if their was a problem.

good luck

ik