When you need to get another car,

[dixiegrrrrl]

27. I had a mechanic lined up to look at it before I bought it/them.

A five year old car with low mileage is not going to have anything seriously wrong,
the mechanic made sure the engine was not blown, that the car had not been repainted to cover a collision, etc.
I just run it past a trusted mechanic/friend, and to a large extent trusted my gut. ( I have a goood gut).
So other than maintenance of oil, etc. I have only had things like brake replacement, wheel bearings,
and in the case of the 4 cylinder Toyota, had to have a rebuilt A/C put in for 900.00 down here, in 2005.
In a 10 year old car, that is a great price, much cheaper than buying another car.

In the case of one car, I bought it from a version of Craigslist, turned out the guy had ended up with an excellent older car thru a family member. Had all the paperwork, was in tip top shape, it ran for 12 years for me, until I hit a deer with it.
But, again, I say, I was buying a car that was NOT going to be used commuting on freeways in hot weather all the time. So I don't run them into the ground, and now, as I am retired, I drive hardly at all except around town.