Our car is living on borrowed time. We just had to have the battery replaced today, and the mechanic says the radiator's totally shot too. It's probably only a matter of months before it ends up back in the shop for more repairs. He says it'll set us back SEVERAL hundred dollars.

The car has a LOT of problems, and neither Jim nor I are eager to invest more money in a car that's falling apart faster than it can be fixed. It's an uphill battle, not worth it. SO we've decided to start looking for a new [used] car.

Buying from a dealership seems like such a daunting task.. We don't know the first thing about it. Seriously. We're afraid of getting screwed over because we have no idea what we're doing. Also money. We don't have any, so..

Craigslist is our other option, but it's where we bought the car we have now and we got royally scammed. The kid told us the car was in perfect condition. The transmission died less than 24 hours later, and that was just the beginning.

ENOUGH RAMBLING though. Here are my questions!:

1) How can I know if a car I'm buying from someone on Craigslist isn't a total piece of shit before we seal the deal? What questions should I ask the seller? What are some 'red flags'? Specific things I should inspect the car for?

2) How old is 'too old' for a car? I see a lot of cars from 2006/2007.. Should I stay away from a car that old, or are they worth looking into?

3) Are there better alternatives to Craigslist when one is looking for a used car? I googled, but I'm not sure which places are reputable!

Thanks if you read all that! Any advice is greatly appreciated!