“You may be penny smart, but pound foolish,” he said. “How long would it take before you get back the extra money you spent? It might be at least a year before you get your money back.”

Auto dealers advised buying used cars from a reputable dealer.

However, people can find used cars from private sellers if they shop wisely, said Chuck Mai, spokesman for Oklahoma AAA.

Mai said shoppers can find used cars in the area by surfing such sites as www.cars.com or www.edmunds.com as well as in newspaper classified ads.

“Smart consumers still need to do their homework,” he said. “Find the book value of the car on aaa.com, using both the Kelly Blue Book and the National Auto Dealers Association price guide. Once you have established that the car is reasonably priced, it's time to have a thorough inspection performed, ideally by a qualified automotive technician.”

Mai said there are ways to conduct your own inspection as well.

“Use all your senses to look for potential problems,” he said. “Do all the doors fit properly? Does the paint match?”

Poorly fitting doors and paint that doesn't match could indicate that the car had been in a serious accident, he said.

Mai also advised looking for spots of oil and other fluids under the car.

“A leaking engine or transmission can cost hundreds of dollars to repair,” he said. “Check all the vital fluids — low engine oil, burned transmission fluid and dirty coolant can all signal signs of abuse and a general lack of maintenance. Open the truck and look for signs of moisture and the smell of mildew, either can indicate prior body repair.”

Mai also advised a test drive, as well as a test of all the accessories such as wipers, windows, air conditioning, heating.

“The car should start quickly and easily go into gear,” he said. “The acceleration should be smooth and the engine quiet.”

Miller said his dealership inspects all the used cars it sells.

“We check belts, hose, mileage, we check everything before we put it on the lot.”