Noticed this when I entered the used auto/truck parts industry. Working at the salvage yard/wrecking yard/whatever you call them in your area, I noticed that the guys who had been selling parts for years were fairly accurate at knowing what part would be needed when a customer mentioned a make/model/year before telling what part they needed. Perhaps an example would be the best way to describe this. I am omitting the make/model but the facts are true. We couldn't keep an automatic transmission in stock. If one came in on a wrecked car it was sold within three days at most. We had a computerized inventory tied into computers located at hundreds of wrecking yards across the USA. Seldom could you find one of those transmissions in ANY of the yards since they sold so fast there was no need to inventory it!!! Another example was a certain foreign V-6 engine (found on a different vehicle than the transmission above). They sold and sold and sold. So, knowing that those two makes and models obviously had consistent problems with two major expensive components.....why buy one of them? Here's the tip. Go to a local wrecking yard. Bring some doughnuts and a ten-dollar bill. Hey...time is money and you will be using up a wee bit of their time so be nice. For the most accurate information try to find a yard that specializes in the vehicle make (Toyota, Ford, GM, whatever) of the used vehicle you are researching. Tell them the make, model, year, engine and transmission type you are interested in. Then, ask them if the car or truck had any problem areas. Along with their personal knowledge a modern wrecking yard can, with the push of a few buttons, look at parts requests, sales, a whole bunch of information. Using this method you can learn so much about a vehicle's reliability and what problem areas they have. Here is a personal example. I went to the yard I had worked at for several years. It sold foreign parts only. That was fine, I was looking at a used 1991 Toyota Previa van. Since they knew me I was allowed to access the computer along with having the guys tell me what they knew about Previa reliability. Hmmmm..... 12 engines in stock; none sold for several years!!!! Auto tranny; hmmmm.... plenty in stock... seldom sell. Oh, sure.... various parts were sold but.... mostly body parts and radiators and lamps and lights; all the stuff replaced when there's a wreck. Well, I don't care about wreck repair since that has nothing to do with component reliability. The boss said he was planning on lowering the prices on almost all Previa parts since they were so reliable..... except for one component that did sell because of breakage... the windshield wiper assembly... the arms and linkages. Yah' see, the Previa has a really BIG windshield and a looooong wiper arm. When folks call upon the wiper to remove accumulated snow from the windshield that part could and would break. By golly, that's no problem!!!! Just remove the snow manually!!! Thus, after learning that the Previa's components seldom sold, that they tended to last a long time, I increased the odds of buying a reliable used car. If I had learned the engines sold regularly, or the transmissions, I would have looked elsewhere. The parts sellers at used auto parts firms can be a valuable resource to assist you in determining if the used vehicle you are looking at is reliable or one of those piles of you-know-what prone to breaking. Hope this tactic works for you. Of all the folks I know who used this advice a few were shocked at what they learned about a certain make and model and dropped that vehicle from their shopping list. Remember, the year is important, too, since the manufacturers can and will make changes to improve the reliability of their vehicles. Recall the V-6 engine mentioned in the opening paragraphs.... the bad engine was 1986 only!!! Once the reports of problems flooded the manufacturer they ensures their 1987 engines did not possess the defect causing the breakdown. Okay. Good luck with your used-vehicle purchasing. Obbop