Tips & Tricks
The Seller Warmed Up the Used Car Before You Arrived. That May Not Be a Favor

The car is parked out front, freshly washed and looking suspiciously pleased with itself. The seller hands over the key, mentions that it “runs beautifully,” and points out that the engine

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That Red Oil Can Is Not an Oil Change Reminder. It Is a Stop-Driving Warning.

There are dashboard lights that can wait until the weekend. A low washer-fluid warning, for instance, is hardly a reason to abandon a grocery run. The red oil-can symbol is not one of those lights.

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Tips & Tricks
A Clean Title Can Still Hide a Flooded Car: Here Is Where the Water Leaves Clues

A used car with gleaming paint, freshly shampooed carpets, and half a dozen pine-scented air fresheners may look beautifully prepared for sale. Or it may be trying much too hard. Flood-damaged

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The Spare Tire Quietly Disappeared From New Cars, and Many Drivers Haven’t Noticed

Here is a mildly alarming experiment: open the trunk of your car and lift the floor. There may be a spare tire under there. There may also be a little black compressor, a bottle of sealant, and a

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Your Parked Car Starts Deteriorating Sooner Than Most Drivers Think

A car can sit unused for several days without concern. Stretch that pause into several weeks, however, and the first signs of neglect may begin to appear. The battery loses charge, the tires remai

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Self-Driving Cars Keep Getting Confused Around Emergency Scenes, and NHTSA Has Finally Had Enough

A self-driving car getting confused in a parking lot is annoying. A self-driving car getting confused near a fire truck, police cruiser, or ambulance is something else entirely. That is

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A Used Car With More Miles Isn’t Always the Worse Buy. Sometimes It’s the Safer One

A lot of people shop for used cars like they are shopping for avocados. They want the freshest-looking one, the lowest number, the cleanest surface, and they assume that if they can just find t

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Government Car Auctions Can Be Gold Mines, But They’re Also Full of Ways to Screw Yourself

Used cars are expensive enough now that people are starting to look in places they used to ignore completely. That is how government surplus auctions end up back in the conversation. On pap

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Tips & Tricks
Battery Or Alternator? This One-Minute Test Can Save You From Buying The Wrong Part

There are few sounds more discouraging than a car almost starting. The key turns. The dash lights flicker like they are thinking about it. The engine gives one slow, tired grind, then another

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That Little Dashboard Light Could Be Warning You About a $5,000 Problem

Nothing spikes your stress level faster than a random warning light appearing out of nowhere while you're driving. You’re halfway onto the highway, coffee in one hand, mentally late f

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