I've done OK since high school (a LONG time ago....) buying government surplus cars as my daily drivers. I've only bought one new car and I wasn't impressed. Years ago, there were detailed descriptions of each vehicle at auction (including defects) which made shopping much easier. Nowadays, it's all 'buyer beware' and extra auction fees. I decided to try using vehicle history reports as a way to help avoid surprises.
Our local auction place still gives brief info about their cars along with a carfax report. It's turned into a [censored] show tho because now used car dealers are buying all the good cars from the public auction jacking the prices too high to be worth the risk buying something you can't test drive.
