Avoid Volkswagen, Audi, bmw… German cars will run a long time if they’re well taken care of but they’re total money pits (I drive a vw gti and love it but even basic maintenance and repairs are expensive)

Avoid subaru for the same reason.

Honda and Toyota engines run a long time, even with poor maintenance but take care to keep up with maintenance and they will run forever.

Old fords are great, new fords not so much. Dodge makes engines built to die. Most modern trucks have catastrophic engine issues.

Avoid anything that came out after 2017, touch screens, capacitive touch, and other ‘luxary’ electronics are prone to fail and become expensive nuisances. AWD, cvt transmissions, and anything that turns the engine off when you come to a stop will come with expensive maintenance and repairs.

Ask about service history, ask if the timing belt or water pump have ever been changed, get a carfax or auto check report (cars with accidents will be cheaper but come with hidden issues), ask how far their average commute is (the longer the commute the better, short drives don’t let the engines warm up properly).

Look at the condition of the tires, look for even gaps where the body panels meet, turn the wheel all the way and check out the suspension and underneath the car for any serious rust (in Canada, everything is going to have rust, but you don’t want to see any cracks or chunky build up), after it’s warmed up listen for any ticks, chirps, knocks, or grinding noises. Look for water stains in the headliner.

Don’t be afraid to look a little above your price range and negotiate down, people want money, but lots of people just want to get the car off their hands.

Get something as close to or under 100,000 miles as you can but most importantly, get something you feel good in.