Used Cars: Purchasing 2000 Volvo S40, 2000 volvo s40, lacking confidence

Question
Hello,
I am considering purchasing a 2000 Volvo S40 Sedan 4D with 46500 miles on it. The quoted price is approximately the average of KBB's excellent and good values. It has the additional sunroof trim.

Considering that I am slightly new to driving, how would you recommend this purchase? What should I look out for when purchasing this particular used vehicle? The previous owner was the second owner (purchased used from CarMax four years ago).

Answer
While the volvos aren't my personal car of choice-  they aren't bad by any means.. don't think you have to go paying asking price though. Be sure to have a good mechanic (of your choice) check out any used car you  are serious about buying. I don't think being new to driving is an important factor - unless you are not feeling confident in your abilities.. May want to consider holding off or buying cheaper if you are scared of not being ready.. Lacking confidence is a bad thing for a driver... it is the difference between panicking and stopping in the middle of the lane or gassing it to get out of the way...

Give this article a read:
http://thestealership.com/usedcarguide1.html

It should answer all your buying questions.

As for your car choice... Just be sure you check out all your options... other good 4 doors are any 4 door accord or camry - and just about anything lexus/infinity has to offer is worth a look if it fits into your price range. Reliability will probably be higher with a honda/toyota but it won't be a huge factor, so buy the car you are most comfortible with. If they wont let you have it inspected by a mechanic (your mechanic.. not theirs) - move on to another vehicle.. they are probably hiding something...