Should I buy my first car off Craigslist?

So i have saved up a couple grands from buying and selling stuff on Craigslist and I'm looking to buy my first car. I'm pretty familiar with meet ups and how to avoid scam but i don't know what to check for before buying a car. I just want a older honda accord or civic because they're reliable. I've seen a couple of them from 1995-2001 for 2k-3k. I want to buy them but how do i make sure the car doesn't have any issue? What should i do to inspect the car before buying it?

Tell them you will meet them at the garage of YOUR choice and have a mechanic inspect it. It's much cheaper to spend $100 to get it inspected before you buy it than to buy and find out after it needs $3000 worth of work. Remember, all person to person car sales are on an As Is basis, meaning once you buy it, it's yours. You can't get a refund if you find it needs a new transmission, it didn't pass emission standards, the undercarriage is rusted, etc
And always make sure IN PERSON that the seller's ID is the same name as on the title or you are buying a stolen car. Car thieves love sites like Craigslist. They steal cars then sell them for cheap for a quick sale hoping you buy it before the owner comes back from vacation to realize their car has been stolen. If the ID and title name do not match, don't buy it. Never believe anyone saying they are selling for their cousin or friend

You need to check everything. My son recently bought a used truck. We looked at several. We would spend up 30 minutes looking at the vehicles. One was in great shape except the paint was shot and it was priced at good paint prices. He offered $6000 less than they were asking and they still had it at leas 1 month later. One looked decent but there was a slight tick in the engine. The dealer even started a similar vehicle up sitting next to it and tried to convince us that they sounded the same. Pass. The next vehicle had the hole in the exhaust manifold plugged where the add on pyrometer was removed. It was obviously tuned and the paint had a few major flaws. He offered about $2000 less than asked and the dealer did not accept it. On the truck he bought, we determined that the EGR valve was bad, the turbo was dirty and not functioning properly, and the DPF was plugged. The dealer repaired all of that($3000 or so). We went and looked at it again. We did miss the bad u-joints in the front drive shaft but it was only $100 or so for my son to fix it.

Older Honda? IMO, its the manual transmission equipped models that give these older Hondas such great reliability. Their automatics just plain suck and are NOT what makes the Honda last for several hundred thousand miles.

Another problem I have with these older Hondas are that they are easy for thieves to steal. The Accord of this era has almost always been around the top of the list when it comes to most commonly stolen cars.

Either take someone with you who is experienced in buying used cars, or take the car to a professional mechanic before you buy. Otherwise, you are taking a huge risk that you'll make a big mistake.

You should take it to a mechanic and have them do a buyers inspection. They should look it over for any leaks and electrical issues and do a compression test.

If you want to be through look at the tires, interior for any lights that don't come on any scratches. Does radio and A.C. Work. Do all the dashboard lights work. Is the paint good on the car. If you want to be real through. When the car starts does it idle well, when driving the car does it shift smoothly. Does it hesitate when driven. Check for leak under the car when you start it, and if you want to if its really worth the buy check the engine, hear any noises then its a no go. Best way is to bring a mechanic let the person who you are buying know that you are bringing a mechanic to inspect it. Most mechanics won't charge much for that I know because I wouldn't.

You should and just take it to a mechanic toinspect the car