Quote Originally Posted by G-DDT View Post
Beware of dealers if you do go the used car route! Network with friends or cautiously cruise the internet for private car sellers you can talk to well. It helps to have a trusted mechanics [[sympathetic to your financial means) who will take the time to look under the hood [[free of charge) and advise you if this car is a good investment with minimal repairs [[as much as that may mean fewer trips to him). Find a mechanic who knows what's under the hood, because you got lots of dealers hacking the onboard computer so it will register "fine" with the superficial computer diagnostics devices they hook cars up to, but the insides got some flaws. I remember being in N.Y.C. with a friend who took his Pontiac to a Getty's [[is that right?) service station, where they told him his brake discs were "glazed" and would cost a lot. He tracked down a buddy and sponsor from AA, a real outspoken gearhead who checked it out and told him what less costly things actually had to be done [["'Glazed' is what you get on donuts." he said.).

Also, it used to be "Consumer Reports" magazine had better teeth for incisively addressing and tackling issues about consumer awareness and was not afraid to call out certain companies [[something that has changed drastically from the last Bush years that I'm not to happy about-and I have the stack of magazines going back to the 1980's to compare the change)-be it about cars, health, housewares, insurance, gimmicks, etc. Get Consumer Aware! Also, if style doesn't concern you that much, than be pragmatic and avoid the high cost of being affectatious and superficially stylish when it come to shopping for clothes, cars, and other such things.
Pads and shoes can indeed become "glazed" from a sticking caliper, improper adjustment or heavy use. Corrosion on aluminum wheels on the front of a car is a bad sign.