A second hand car is the way that most people will buy their transport but buying a cheap used car can be a minefield and all sorts of problems can occur. Everything from dodgy paintwork to cranky engines and leaking oil is to be expected. Here is a list of the top ten things to look out for when buying a cheap used car.

1. Check the papers. Check that all the paper work actually matches up with the car that is being presented.

2. The engine. Try and get there 30 minutes before the appointment so that the owner doesn't have chance to warm up the engine. Check for blue smoke out of the exhaust at start up. This would indicate an oil problem and could be costly. Listen for engine noise, if the engine sounds like it is running to fast the clutch is likely to be on its way out.

3. Exhaust and gearbox. The exhaust note should be fairly quite, if not it could have a hole in it somewhere. The gears should slip into gear easily and should not need forcing at all.

4. Check the brakes are working. Find a steep hill and check that the hand brake stops you rolling away.

5. Lights. Turn all the lights on and walk around the car checking that they are all working. Get somebody else to press the brake pedal and check they work.

6. Tyres. All the tyres should be able to fit a twenty pence into the tread, if not then they will need replacing, this could be costly.

7. Bodywork. Have a good close up look at the body work; it's very easy to hide reasonably bad scratches with t-cut. Any dents should be easily visible upon close inspection.

8. The mileage. In an older car it often very hard to determine if the mileage has been fiddled with. Ask the owner if they have any older MOT certificates which may have a mileage reading on them.

9. Check the interior for any cigarette burns in the carpet and seats, repairing these will be expensive and most of the time just not practical.

10. Electrics. Check that all the knobs and buttons function correctly on the dashboard, switch the main lights on with the engine running and press the brake pedal, the lights should not dim, if they do it is likely that the battery is dodgy or it could be the alternator.

Buying a cheap second hand car is often the best of not only method of obtaining your transport and it is usually the most economical. Ask plenty of questions and never part with your hard earned cash unless you are 100% satisfied that this is the car for you.