Things to note when buying a used car:
buying a used car is always a gamble.. in majority of cases you just don't know how the car has been used by the previous owner.. and most sellers/ dealers tend to hide the problems of the car.. so its really difficult to find a trouble free one.. however some key points to be kept in consideration are:
Car shouldn't be involved in a major accident. now in daily routine driving its really hard to prevent your car from getting hit.. so minor accidents are okay.. you should be able to classify between major & minor accidents.. i will say major accidents are those which affects the pillars/ chassis/ suspension/ or engine components of a car.. those hits which affects bumpers/ lights and outer body parts should be considered minor.. a good denter can easily identify repainted parts so if u have someone u trust, you can safely have his opinion
examining the condition of the engine is another important element.. you should also take help of a qualified & trusted mechanic who can help you identify a good healthy engine.. however u can examine the idling of the car yourself, note if its not unnecessarily shaking & that if there are any strange noises.. never get impressed by a shiny washed engine.. normally sellers get the car serviced before selling so this practice is also used in a negative manner in order to hide any oil leakage from the engine, seller of a car with a perfect engine won't mind u showing the engine in its original state.
Odometer reading shows you how much the car has been used, but in our market tampering the meter is a common practice, you will come across cars which are 10-15 year old still have less than 50 thousand km on the odo, this can happen in very very rare cases, while there are still some ways to identify the genuine mileage:
a. Tyres condition tells it all... the best thing to tell you how roughly the car has been used is the tyres! shaved tyres with no signs of treads tells you the exact story of the driving style.. there are people who specially mention "newly installed tyres" to attract buyers, while in real world not everyone would spend Rs. 15000/- just to let the new owner enjoy! also look if the tyres are re-treated or not... this should alarm you that the seller is trying to hide something!
b. Car should be in its original state from the inside, i.e. no seat covers, no steering cover etc... this way you can see the actual fabric & seat condition of the ride.. specially examining the driving seat gives you the idea of the mileage as its the seat always in use while driving so a 10 year old car with under 50k kms and a poor driving seat cushion should also be able to alarm you! also inspect the gear knob.. usually cars this old have lost the gear information on them upto some extent.. a seller who claims his car with low mileage while still having a shaved gear knob is something alarming as well. similarly examine the steering wheel specially where the horn is pressed.. other areas like door trims and door locks also show how much they have been used.
c. examine the pedal covers, the condition of rubber on the clutch & brake pedal also tells you the mileage.. and if seller have deliberately installed fancy pedal covers & gear knob, then in most cases something is fishy since these aftermarket gadgetry is never comfortable to live with!
more tips to follow 
