Used car from dealership. Tips?

[bik]

deckeda wrote:
[quote=bik]
...
Ask for new tires if they are close to low.
Ask if you can see a maintenance report from when they brought the car in and checked it. ...

I understand using the "used-up" nature of a previously-owned car as a potential bargaining chip but in my experience that only works with a private seller, who may feel some guilt about The Thing that needs fixing he might not have divulged.
It's not about a bargaining chip. It's about getting things taken care of at a lower cost. Many times a dealer will have done an inspection and will know things, but won't put any of their money into a car until it's sold. If you become aware of something that bothers you, make sure they know you want it fixed -- it's cheaper for them to do it than for you to have to pay for it later.

On a separate but related note, you can ask specifically for something to be taken care of if it turns out to be a problem down the road. Example: I bought a used care and the AC was not blowing cold. I made a big deal about it and made them put in writing that the AC would work.

Well, they charged the AC, but a month later it was blowing warm again. Because I had asked for it to be taken care of, they replaced the AC condenser at their cost. Not sure they would have covered that on a used car with no warranty if I had not made an issue of it.

deckeda wrote:
I've asked dealers about maintenance papers and they never have them. These are bought wholesale, and the "papers" are long gone before the dealer gets the car. And honestly, seeing what's been fixed on it represents a liability if it breaks. And they certainly don't want you contacting the previous owner for any reason.

Used cars typically have new (albeit cheap) new tires in order to avoid any question about this obvious target.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was not talking about previous owners records.
I meant the dealer's own inspection report. Again, many dealers will have done an inspection when the car came to them. That would be when they put on those cheap tires you mention. Well, they might also be aware of other things.

Maybe the technician made a note that the front brakes are 70% worn, or some other similar issue.